Check out Rachel E.’s new sari tutorial!  She uses our tried and true Wrapunzel techniques but takes it to a whole new level!  Love it!

I am literally bouncing with excitement that I get to introduce Samantha to you!  She’s a professional seamstress, and historical clothing expert!  Her love of hair covering stems from her truly understanding its roots and how it connects us to the women that came before us.  Read on, read on!!

Hi Samantha, can you tell us a little about yourself?  Your background, where you live, favourite things, how you spend your time, hobbies, etc.?

I was born and raised in Southern California, but have spent the last four years in Michigan and then Virginia (hopefully permanently!). My husband is Michael and we recently celebrated our second wedding anniversary. For my entire life I have loved all sorts of creative activities, from writing and drawing to singing and dancing. Now most of my creative energy is focused on sewing, although I still create sketches for most of the projects I make. My husband and I met through our mutual love of historical clothing and living history reenactments, so that is often how we can be found spending our weekends and vacations (when we’re not sewing…).

What led you to start wrapping your hair?  How did you find Wrapunzel?

I feel I have always been drawn to head coverings, whether they were hats, caps, bonnets, or scarves. When I covered my head, I felt peaceful and safe. Something about it just felt “right”! Some of my early wrapping attempts as a teen were met with gentle jokes from my family, who probably chalked it up to my artistic nature. My dear friend Maggie helped me embrace my interest in wrapping my hair a couple years ago, and bought me my first Wrapunzel kit! I had seen some Wrapunzel images around the web, but Maggie was my true introduction and inspiration. Watching her cover her hair every day gave me the courage to begin wrapping more often with confidence. This past year I have also been struggling with a physical injury that has severely limited how much I can sew (which is a bit difficult when you believe that sewing is your calling). I began wrapping much more often because of this. Wrapping has provided me with an alternative outlet for expressing my creativity and myself. I’ve been able to divert some of my creative energy from sewing to coming up with new wraps and outfits. It’s been very therapeutic. 

Can you tell us about your style and your greatest fashion inspirations?

The best way to describe my style is “eclectic”! I am inspired by so many things for my everyday wardrobe, like vintage fashions. I really like my outfits to look cohesive and thoughtful, which is something I see a lot in vintage fashion. That doesn’t mean match-matchy, just complimentary. I also think about whether or not a particular garment or outfit is flattering to my body type and/or coloring. But perhaps most importantly, I wear what brings me joy! And that extends to covering my hair. I believe I have many different facets as a person, and my clothing reflects those different facets. So I might wear completely vintage clothing one day and very modern clothing the next day. It might be preppy, boho, or punk, whatever fits my mood. 

What is your FAVOURITE thing about covering?

I honestly think my favorite thing about covering has been the connections I have made with other women that I wouldn’t have otherwise made. It has deepened existing friendships and acted as the catalyst for new ones. Women at work have told me how much they like my different wraps and brought in their own scarves so that I could show them some techniques. I might not have gotten to known them if it weren’t for covering! The Wrapunzel community is one of the most beautiful groups of women I have ever encountered. I always feel uplifted when I see women of all different faiths and walks of life being brought together through a mutual love of covering their hair. 

Has covering changed how you feel about yourself and the world around you?  If so, how?

Covering has made me much more self-conscious–and I don’t mean in a bad way! I am much more aware of how I conduct myself in public–partly because I just feel different when I cover and partly because I know that people are more likely to notice me when I cover. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be when interacting with other people, and covering helps me do that. Having my hair covered reminds me that I wear a crown on my head as a daughter of the King! I have also noticed that covering really makes me feel safe. My husband recently went abroad for two weeks and we had very little contact. I really embraced covering my hair during that period, and it helped me feel safe even though we were apart.

I know you are a historian with a speciality in historical clothing.  Please tell us about this and how does hair covering relate to what you do?  What can we learn, as women that cover today, from the women that covered before us?

My husband and I both work for museums and specifically create and wear historical clothing. Most of the pictures I post in the Wrapunzel fan group are taken in my museum’s costume shop, where I work. Clothing of the past is beautiful and fascinating for many people, but I also believe that clothing can tell us so much about a culture at a certain point in time, as well as tell us something about ourselves today. For most of the time periods we work in, women have some sort of covering on their heads, whether it’s a cap, bonnet, hat, or turban. While the ancient roots are in modesty, it is mostly for fashion! There’s also a practical reason that women covered their hair, especially with caps, because it helps keep the hair clean from dirt and the ash and smoke of working and living with fires. One of the most common questions we get wearing historical clothing is “Are you hot in that???”. I was so excited when I watched Andrea’s video addressing his very same issue, because her answers were exactly the same as the ones we tell visitors who ask us that. People of the past weren’t stupid. In many ways, they were smarter than us about things we have forgotten because of technology. Wearing all natural fibers, keeping your skin covered from the sun, wearing light colors—the people of the past were experts at dressing for the weather. 

Women today often don’t wear hats or anything on their heads unless it’s for a specific activity. Whenever I feel nervous or odd for having my head covered, I remember that women across cultures have been covering their heads for thousands of years, and it’s really only within the last 50 years that it has fallen out of fashion for Western women. Women have had their heads covered for much longer than they haven’t!

The “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has been very popular with Wrapunzel ladies, for good reason! But the late 18th-early 19th centuries (think Jane Austen) saw a huge craze for turbans and other wraps. I suggest checking out paintings and fashion plates from 1790-1830 on Pinterest for more historical wrapping inspiration!

Do you have any hopes/dreams/wild predictions about where this trend is going to take us in the future?

I am really hopeful that head scarves will become even more widely worn by women. I already see wide, twisted headbands being popular, and turbans and scarves are widely worn in the vintage community. Scarves in general are so “in” right now, and I think women want more ways to wear them than just around their necks. I definitely think it’s a trend that is growing, which is very exciting!

Please tell us about how you choose your outfits in the morning!

There are a few ways I come up with outfits. I either plan them out completely the night before or I frantically run around in the morning trying things on! Both ways have been successful, although I think the outfits I plan beforehand are a bit better. I get really excited when I buy a new scarf, piece of jewelry, skirt, etc., and often build an outfit around that new piece.

And finally, what are you grateful for right now?

I have so much to be grateful for right now, from a job I enjoy to a loving family to a roof over our heads. But at this very moment I think I am most grateful for my husband, who always supports me and never gives up on me. 

It’s been a while since we made this last tutorial with Zahava!  We got lots of positive response about the format… how teaching each other on video was super helpful!  Recently she came up with another gorgeous wrap, and was surprised by the response on the fangroup.  “It’s so easy!” she said, “You already know how to do this!”  Yet the requests kept coming in, so we made a tutorial for you!  Baby Shalomy also wanted to be in it!

Here is the wrap with the very beautiful side knot:

And here is the video!

Enjoy!  Aren’t the things that “you already know” just incredible?
Love, Andrea

Today is my husband’s and my 4 year anniversary, so I decided to dress up a bit and try out the Triple C (Criss Cross Crown) wrap!  LOVE IT!

I’m wearing a light teal and gold creme shimmery… and unlikely combo but I like!  Here is my outfit 🙂

Wishing you all lots of love and happiness!
Andrea xo

We love Heather!  She came up with the moniker “The DB” for the double braid!  Up until now, we haven’t had any tutorials by her… just a wonderful lady wrap star post.  But… but this wrap she came up with is AMAZING!!  She calls it the “Triple C” aka Criss Cross Crown!  Now this is a way to make those shimmeries look even more amazing!

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M5jrnAakLU

I’m always a fan of outfits that look great at a formal occasion whilst being practical, comfortable, and easy to move in!  This is what I wore on Shabbat – the same outfit on both days, but a different tichel in the evening and during the day!  I am seriously loving this Instant WOW! Satin Clip… I never thought to try clipping it at the back of my head, but it worked beautifully and also kept the tails out of my way (and away from chubby grabbing baby hands).

Here’s how I wore it on Friday night: (here is the tutorial for this wrap – just added the clip to cover the elastic!)

And here is during the day with the clip at the back!

And here’s the outfit that worked with both!  Please excuse the tired face… it was a blissfully long and meaningful day!

These outfits and wraps would also be just as at home at a wedding.  Yay!

Can’t wait for what this new week brings!
Love, Andrea

Oh oh oh “Why hasn’t this been done before?!”  You may ask.  I think I have a feeling why; it’s because we were waiting for Pearl to help us make Vermeer’s painting come to life.

There is so much to say about Pearl, but just like her beautiful tutorial, less is more.  She truly and deeply believes in the importance of hair covering.  She is a bat melech, a woman that knows that she is the daughter of a force that is infinitely beautiful.  She has taken responsibility for that beauty and how she shares it with the world around her.  She is not only beautiful on the outside, but has a neshama (soul) to match.  Her journey towards being the Torah observant Jewish woman that she is today was not easy, but she speaks about it with clarity and joy.  I have only spoken to her briefly, and already, I can’t wait to hear more.

To make this tutorial, she did a lot of research.  She not only shows us how to do it on herself, but on a friend as well.  May this tutorial bring you as much happiness as it has brought me!

And of course, we must give kavod to Wrapunzelista Extraordinaire Heather for this tutorial that she did of the Girl with a Pearl Earring wrap last year!

I love when I get a swarm of requests for a tutorial!  Thanks so much for the encouragement, ladies!  Here is how to do the triple waterfall twist… please excuse my sleep deprived-ness 😛  Also I tried sticking a Satin Flower Clip into it for fun and WOW!  Hello new wedding wrap!

Ooooo doncha just love it when an outfit and tichel comes together so perfectly that you smile every time you think about it!  That’s how I feel today with this triple waterfall wrap (want a tutorial?  say the word!) with a loose and flattering outfit.  Also this new glistening vine headband is sumptuous!

And since you always ask, the 2 in 1s I’m wearing are purple, dark blue, and burgundy 🙂

Sending you lots of love and inspiration!
Andrea xo

What is a true Wrapunzel tichel tie?  It’s a tie that makes your unique inner light shine.  It’s a wrap that you feel comfortable in – like you can take on your world and really be yourself!  It’s different for everyone: a regal turban for one woman, wild layers for another, or a simple low bun for someone else.  It’s definitely a journey to finding what really works for YOU – for some, it happens instantly, and for others it takes more time.  That quintessential Wrapunzel style is also going to evolve as you grow and change.

Yesterday, for our annual shul picnic, I needed to wear something appropriate for a farm setting, but also formal enough since my husband and I were playing a little concert for everyone at the end of the evening.  Picking out what to wear was really difficult: it had to have a skirt long and wide enough for cello playing, a top that was good for nursing, yet light enough layers and colors to deal with the heat, and something that wouldn’t show stains since I was going to be eating, in the grass, and with baby Shalomy.  And what to wear on my head?  Usually getting dressed is a quick process for me, but this definitely took more time than usual.  But I am SO happy with what I decided on.  I felt great for the whole day!

Here’s what I wore on my head.  A dark gold shimmery (these were a limited color… if we can find more I will seriously cry from joy! ) a dark blue Dewdrop, sunblossom pin, and a navy sari sash.

And here is my outfit (and a chubby baby hand!)

Wishing you all the best on your journeys of discovering how to cover in order to shine your brightest!  I’m right here with you and so glad we can go on this trip together!

Love, Andrea

So I have a confession to make:  I actually don’t have that extensive of a tichel collection!  I’m not sure why, but I have a hard time actually getting myself Wrapunzel tichels to wear!  Maybe because I’m so motivated to get all of them to you ladies!  A friend pointed this out recently, and I decided to take the plunge and actually acquire some Dewrdrop Sparkle tichels for my collection… am I ever glad that I did!  I decided to try some super adventurous combos over Shabbat, and wow!  The results were so much fun!

For Friday night, I would have never put the Grey Dewdrop and Pumpkin Pashmina together until I saw this shirt!

But paired with this shirt, it worked perfectly!

On Shabbat day, I REALLY wanted to try the dewdrop in Magenta.  Those that know me know that I tend to shy away from pinks… it’s just not a color that calls me, but this pink is dark enough that I felt it giving me a nudge!  And wow, did it ever go well with my skin tone!  The colors aren’t so great in these photos because it was after dark, but hopefully you can get the gist!  I think this may become the new ‘it’ color combo!!  (I paired it with a light teal shimmery.)

And just for giggles, my husband snapped a photo of me yawning 😛

Hope you’re all having the loveliest weekend!!!

This is important.  Let’s all of us who are a part of this revolution keep in mind, always.  Remember, together we can do anything!

Hey!  So I felt the need to remake my “Easiest Wrap” tutorial with a little detail about tying and just to show how simple this really is!  Enjoy!  This is for those of you that have bigger heads, and those that don’t want to try the shaper, and novices that need a little reminder of how beautiful simplicity is etc. etc. – Have fun with this one!!

So I decided to not only do a single scarf, but a super simple tie!!  Yes, I did some fun pleating at the front, but totally not necessary.  Just tied this one at the back, with both ends hanging slightly unevenly.  I made sure that when making the knot, that the short end came out on top, then adjusted the knot so to top one kind of fanned over the bottom one.  Does that make any sense??  Either way it’s beautiful and I feel great!

I also just found out that apparently camera lenses are like glasses, and it’s so humid outside that my lens is fogging up!  Woa!  So that’s the reason for all the glow-y photos lately!

With a simple scarf like this,  (and yes, I know I’m wearing animal print – totally out of my comfort zone but I make an exception for this tichel!) I was ready to go so fast this morning that I actually had time to put on makeup!  Yay!

Love, Andrea

There’s nothing like a classic!  Today I’m wearing my favourite pashmina – Rivka Malka’s Teal, in a Regal Wrap with the Sunblossom pin.  I pulled my ears out so I’m extra cool!  Since everything is up and out of the way, I’m not shmoiling!

This is perfect for the #onescarfchallenge… and yeah, something was up with my camera lens this morning, so I’m glowing!

LOVING getting back to the basics!  Super duper fun!!