What inspires your head coverings?  Have you always been this creative?

History is my muse! I like pulling color combinations from art history and imitating the shape of
Tudor hoods or Italian Renaissance headdresses. Folk-inspired looks also get me going; I’ve
become very fond of Eastern European traditional clothing and how a neat wrap can give them
a modern look. I was a dress-up girl from the beginning, so this is a natural expression for me.
Especially if there are big pockets involved!

Strong crayon colors are my go-to, especially my unpopular favorite, yellow! I’ve been expanding
my range a bit lately with some less saturated looks. The Wrapunzel surprise bundles have
been so fun — I tend to be very stuck in my ways about the colors I pick for myself, but the last
few striped delights have surprised me with how much I can like plum when it’s just the right
shade. I was once bullied by someone who loved purple, so I’ve been reclaiming my ability to
enjoy it. Purple didn’t hurt me, after all. That said, I’m still very much in a “bright and bold” phase
of life. I spent my late 20s and 30s trying hard to resist my love of wearing all the colors all the
time, so being able to put together exciting wrap-and-outfit combinations has felt like Spring
returning.

Please tell us about your style – how do your head coverings help you express your
personality?
– Do you match your head scarf to your outfit or the other way around?
– What are your favorite colors/styles to wrap?

When I’m in a zone, and the muse is with me, I start with one item I really love and then build a look
around it. My mother and I sew, and I also buy a lot of handmade clothing on Etsy, so I have fabrics and styles that are already quite unusual! I really, really love Tolkien’s Middle Earth; a
few of my favorite outfits are excuses to wear my Lothlorien leaf pin or look like a hobbit. I’ve
also taken inspiration from art history and mythology. I was Medusa the gorgon for Halloween!
(My Instagram handle is Medusa.in.a.scarf, so there’s a theme here…)

One thing I’m planning to play with when my hair grows out more is medieval and Renaissance
veil and cap styles with laced braids peeking out of my tichel edges. I’m happiest when I look
like the illustration in a fairy tale.

Here I am dressed for work on Halloween… or is this my true form? They’ll never know!

What is your favorite tichel?

Oh my goodness, I am such a scarf goblin! I want to sit on top of them like a dragon on a hoard.
I think of my collection as a palette more than individual pieces, and I need each shade to paint
the picture I want for the day. The only way I can bring myself to part from one is if I’m giving it
to a friend, and then I feel like it’s going to a good home.

But that marigold crossroads sure does get worn very often! I once had a dean get stuck to it at
a meeting and it’s a minor miracle that she didn’t pull it off my head. That Wendy has grip!

PLEASE share with us your tichel-tying tips and tricks!!

It feels so funny giving advice! Compared to other Wrapunzelistas, I am so new at this. All I did
pre-2023 was tie squares around my head and hold them on with barrettes. But here are a few
nuggets from a new-ish full-timer:

Buy a shaper early, before you buy a lot of scarves even. I would have started wrapping sooner
and more often if I had a quality base layer! Your relationship to your tichel will change when
your foundation layer is right.

Learn to do a mediocre regal. A mediocre regal looks great! Do it enough, and you’ll level up
soon. Mediocre is fine! Mediocre still looks good! Mediocre is normal and comfy! People will still
be impressed.

You will find one beginner scarf you finally are the boss of, then want to buy 100 of it. Don’t do
that! Your skills and tastes will evolve. Try one of a category first – a 2 in 1, a crossroads, a
lakeshore bliss, a back to basics. Give it a month or so before you decide you don’t like a
certain shape or style, because as your skills improve, you’ll find your needs change. Pay
attention to what you’re really using consistently.

What you like in a scarf won’t necessarily be what you like in a shirt. I never would have thought
For instance, I’d end up wearing so much orange, but it makes a great accent color. Colors suit
you differently when they’re on your head. I used to be pretty rigid about color season palettes
(I’m a deep winter!), but it’s not been as helpful with tichels. I’m supposed to look great in grey or strong olive, but my grey scarves don’t spark joy. I’m not supposed to wear orange or plum or
dusty shades, but some of my favorite scarves contain all three!

Don’t be afraid to try things, and make a friend who also likes scarves so you can swap. I just
descended on a colleague who has some hair loss and dropped a grocery bag full of square
tichels on her desk. She’s bringing me her orphaned scarves next week. Exciting and
sustainable! And friends are awesome!

How has your life changed since starting to cover?

One surprising thing that has happened is that I don’t feel the need or desire to wear makeup
the way I did before. This was a surprise! I really do enjoy doing my makeup in the same way I
enjoy styling tichels and clothing. But I found that I don’t need as much makeup to get to the
point where I feel ‘done’ and ready to go face my work life. I think it’s because I’m happier now
with my starting point in the mirror. I’m not seeing a haircut I don’t like and didn’t want, and I
don’t feel the unsettled tickle of hair on my face and neck. I feel less exposed – naked, even! –
and the comfort shows in how my face looks back at me.

I was raised to think modesty was about keeping other people’s eyes off of you. But I’ve found
that it’s not at all like that for me! Covering my hair and, now, more of my body is very much
about keeping a part of myself for myself. Now that I’m dressing just to please my sense of
what’s comfortable and beautiful, I have so much more energy to give to connecting with the
people in my care. I haven’t really noticed if people are giving me weird looks because I’m not
monitoring the room for people’s reactions like I used to. I’m more focused on the ways that
covering, draping, and styling my clothes adds to my sense of grounded sincerity.

I used to wonder if women who cover look at people with their hair showing and were secretly
judging them for it. When I started covering this year, my biggest fear was that someone would
see my tichel and assume I would judge them as less-than if their hair was showing. But it’s just
not that way! My needs and choices begin and end with me, and I love seeing everyone else out
there being comfortable in their own style. I am really happy for all of us.

What recommendations would you make to someone who is just starting to learn how
to tie?

You aren’t the person on the tutorial, and that’s ok! Find one look you can tie that you feel good
in, then do it a lot. And stop when you’re getting upset. Hats exist for a reason!
You don’t owe anybody a why, but that will not stop them from asking and wondering. If you, like
me, compulsively answer every question posed to you, you’ll want to plan ahead. Practice a few
standard lines so you don’t get flustered when (and if) it comes up. My default is “I’m so much
more comfortable with my hair off my face and neck, and aren’t the scarves pretty?” I tend to
avoid discussing my religious reasons unless I’m talking to someone else with a religious cover;
“I’m Christian and this reminds me that God’s with me to help me live my faith.” I’ve met some
wonderful interfaith friends this way.

However, “It’s comfortable!” uttered in a chipper fashion followed by a subject change is reliable
in a pinch.

Any inspiring words for the ladies on the Wrapunzel blog?

Your joy can make you so brave and so strong. Joy isn’t frivolous; it’s essential.

You deserve to feel beautiful, safe, worthy, and dignified, no matter what you look like or what’s
on your head. Full stop. Listen to what your soul needs because kindness and dignity begin with
how you treat yourself. If you can do it for yourself, you’ll be much better at doing it for other
people too! Mr. Rogers was right; you’re likable just the way you are.

What are you grateful for right now?

I was so worried about how covering my head would change the way my students and
colleagues see me, and I am so grateful for every supportive, affirming comment I’ve gotten.
Even the baffled kid who finally broke down three months into the semester and blurted, “What’s
up with the scarf?” was very sweet about it. This decision could have gone so badly, but it didn’t.
How wonderful to be in such a place with so many kind people! I wish everyone’s experience
was like mine; we all deserve to be loved no matter what’s on our head.