Post Shabbat Tichel Snap!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Daily Scarf Creation5 Comments

I’m wearing my favourite sari scarf again… I just can’t get enough of it!  Also super excited about this new sash (yes it’ll be available in the store) that just takes everything up a notch without any effort.  Notice how different the sari scarf looks when I’m wearing a thicker scarf underneath – more volume at the sides and back!  (Try comparing to this post.)  

Also notice the sparkly brown scarf underneath… another one of my all time favourites!
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Shavua tov everyone!!!  Looking forward to a beautiful week!  ❤

Lady Wrap Star Helen!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Uncategorized11 Comments

I’m so happy for you to meet our latest Lady Wrap Star, Helen!  She is just so awesome!  I actually don’t know her personally but after reading what she wrote and sharing in her head covering happiness I want to hop on the next bus to Manhattan and get to meet her!
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Tichel Talk
Helen Shere

My name is Helen Shere, and I reside in Manhattan with my husband. I’m currently in my first year of a doctoral program in biomedical sciences. My concentration is in cancer biology; I spend half the day in class and the other half in lab, doing research.

I began covering my hair full-time the day after I married my best friend. It’s actually kind of funny—I hadn’t planned on covering full-time at all. I wasn’t raised Orthodox (I became a ba’alat teshuvah, a returnee to observant Judaism, in high school), and I always thought to myself, “Well, I went from doing nothing to keeping kosher and keeping Shabbat…I think HaShem (G-D) and I are doing pretty good here. I don’t really need to cover.” But, the first Sheva Bracha after our wedding was in a community in which the norm is for women to cover full-time, and I thought it would be appropriate to cover for that occasion out of respect for our hosts, who had gone to much trouble to make the event. So I bought a dress and a tichel to match it.

I remember getting ready to go to the Sheva Bracha and wrapping for the first time. As I wrapped, I remembered how I had heard from married friends that hair covering was a “hard” mitzvah (commandment). I waited for it to become “hard.” Looking back, I’m not sure what I expected to happen. I suppose that I was waiting for the “difficulty” of the mitzvah to suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, but when I was done wrapping my tichel and looked in the mirror, I only saw myself…as a regal-looking woman who was publicly showing her connection to her husband and to HaShem. I’ve been covering every day since then, and have yet to find it burdensome.

I love wearing tichels! I cover with them nearly 100% of the time. I bought a sheitel (wig) after caving to the pressure of questions like, “But what will you wear to weddings?” but I’ve worn it less than 10 times in the eight months I’ve been married (and yes, I’ve worn tichels to weddings and gotten nothing but complements). I love playing with the colors and textures of scarves, and I appreciate the jolt of creativity it gives me in the morning when I pick out that day’s wrap.

On a practical note, working in a laboratory means that my hair has to be back in a ponytail or bun; tichels take care of that without looking dowdy. Also, before I was married, wearing my hair up/back was the norm for me, so I’m most comfortable with a head covering that allows me to wear my hair underneath it in a familiar style.

I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from my class- and lab-mates about my hair covering. I often give impromptu tutorials in the bathroom after class to classmates who are curious about how I wrapped that day’s tichel. Fun fact: I figured out which wrap styles and colors look best on me because one of the cashiers in my school’s cafeteria has made it her unofficial job to point them out to me! She’ll tell me, “That one I like. The one yesterday, not so much. You should wear more pink. ” She’s hilarious!


All Photography credit goes to: Rachel A. Minkoff!

Black… Pretied?!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Uncategorized12 Comments

I just had to share my pre-tied look.  Black.  Chains.  Pirate?!  Ladies… this is a rarity!  Nothing against pretieds… I just don’t wear them!  Today while taking photos of the store’s new products (launches on Wednesday… ahhh!) I slipped on this old pretied and found myself wearing it for the rest of the day!  It actually looks pretty cool paired with the hoop earrings, don’t you think?  And it’s black (still can’t wrap my head around that)!  Who woulda thunk it?

Shabbat Elegance ~

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Uncategorized7 Comments

I have been wearing versions of this wrap with this dress for months, and never got to snap a photo until now!  Isn’t it amazing what a pin can do to the ends of a scarf?  Loving this new trick!  (I’m wearing a silk square scarf, a long burgundy sash, and a flower pin.)

andrea grinberg wrapunzel blog
And the dress?  Of course it’s vintage and covers everything that I want covered!  It was such a happy moment to find this beautiful creation, and I love wearing it!  It’s flattering, flowy, feminine, colourful, and just makes me very grateful to be alive!  Do you have anything in your wardrobe that helps bring out this part of you?  Would love to hear about it!

Love, Andrea

Oooo New Trick!!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Daily Scarf Creation10 Comments

It’s always so exciting when you learn a new trick!  Someone posted this awesome rosette trick on facebook recently and I just had to try it!  This is my first time… so need to try it with other materials but am excited to make a tutorial sometime soon!   It’s done from a simple square scarf, and can also be used as a sash!  Neat!


andrea grinberg wrapunzel

Wrapunzel in the Kitchen!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Clothing Ideas & Inspiration, Daily Scarf Creation8 Comments

My husband snapped this photo as I did dishes at the end of a busy, magical day.  I was very happy with this outfit choice!  (Earlier in the day I was wearing a shorter light blue skirt, but switched to the grey later for cello playing!)
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The tichel I wore was a happy experiment!  I am really enjoying using pins to create interesting drapes and poufs with the ends of scarves.  This one was no exception!
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Hope you are all doing well!  Are there any new looks or ties that you’ve been experimenting with?

Fancy Wraps!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Daily Scarf Creation15 Comments

Here are two fancier wraps that I’ve been experimenting with, both with the same pin!  The first is using a sari scarf and a very thin Israeli tichel underneath!

The second was using a green silky scarf and some black, sparkly sashes that I simply love!  It was a new discovery to see how the pin secured everything together!
andrea grinberg wrapunzel

Warm & Connected

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Daily Scarf Creation15 Comments

There is something just so… warm about this wrap!  The soft fabric just works and something about it feels so natural!  I can’t put my finger on it, but I know this is one of my new favourites that will be worn again and again!

Wrapunzel Tichel Andrea Grinberg

Have you ever had that happen to you?  Have you ever created a wrap that is just so *you* and you can’t quite figure out why?

“The Naomi Knot” Tutorial

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Tutorials!26 Comments

Wowwwww what a response to the last post!  You all really wanted a tutorial, and I wanted to figure out new ways of doing this awesome Naomi Wrap… so here you go!

Sooooo what should we call it??  I have already thought of “The Naomi” but that probably won’t work because I have a feeling we will have many more wraps on here inspired by her!  Something with the word “Knots”?  But nothing “knotty” please :p

Gorgeous New Scarf Trick!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Daily Scarf Creation, Tutorials!21 Comments

My sis-in-law Naomi (remember her as a Lady Wrap Star?) posted this super cool wrapping style she created yesterday, and I just HAD to try it!  I wanted an simple around-the-house-doing-work style for today, and this one is as easy as she makes it sound… and guess what – I’m not wearing a shaper/volumizer!  Just a scrunchy!
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Here are her instructions on how to do it!
Take one long, lightweight rectangle. Tie at the nape of the neck (ends hanging at equal length. Tie a series of 4 single loose knots with the ends. Wrap up and over the bun. Takes two minutes, looks so complicated!!
Just make sure you use a really long scarf so that even after the knots you still have long enough ends to go all the way over the bun and tuck in.  For a shorter scarf maybe 3 knots would be better 🙂

Thanks Naomi for the inspiration!!  Here is a shot of her wearing it (with a longer scarf so therefore tighter knots and a shaper/volumizer underneath.)  See how tiny little “details” change the whole look?  Imagine with a sparkly scarf – it could even be formal wear!
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Yael; our awe-inspiring Lady Wrap Star!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Lady Wrap Stars17 Comments

I almost can’t find the words to introduce this woman… she is just so full of light and love!  What an inspiration!

Hello Wrapunzel Ladies!

My name is Yael, and I am originally from Chicago. My husband Effie and I live in Atlanta where we are involved in an incredible Jewish community and synagogue, The Kehilla (http://thekehilla.org/). My husband and I met there, and it is just a beautiful and supportive group of people from all walks of life committed to Judaism. Professionally, I am a Director of Teaching and Learning for Teach For America in Metro Atlanta, and I absolutely love my job! When I first joined Teach For America back in 2008, I taught third grade in Miami.  I am very passionate about and devoted to working towards educational equity in this country. Through my current role with Teach For America I plan professional development for our elementary teachers and support them in the classroom. I also design many of our large events and some of our diversity and inclusiveness programming. I work in a variety of settings, such as the Teach For America office, coffee shops, and public schools spanning four districts. No matter where my job takes me, I go with a smile and a hair covering.

Covering my hair in many contexts has allowed me to explore and share a totally new part of my Jewish identity with teachers and co-workers. This has been the springboard for deeper conversations with colleagues about my Jewish identity and its relationship to the social justice work that we do. When I wrap my hair I feel elegant, beautiful, creative, and proud. It becomes a medium for me to express who I am. Wrapping gives me a sense of connection to Jewish women throughout history. My tichel is my crown and, in a way, my wedding ring. It signifies my commitment to building a Jewish home. Further, it serves as a way to outwardly show my Judaism and demonstrate the beauty in our Jewish culture.

I have been covering to some extent since I got married just over a year ago in November 2012. Before I got married, I was not quite sure how I was going to cover my hair and if I was going to cover my hair full time.  The day after our wedding I decided to try it out by wearing a hat. That night for sheva brachos, I wore a scarf. I decided after that day that I could do this! I wore mainly hats and some scarves covering my head for the first couple of months. Over time, I transitioned to pretty much covering all of my hair with scarves. And I do have fun mixing it up! I have a fabulous collection of scarves and hats (and of course accessories like headbands!).  I also have worn a sheitel a couple of times, but wrapping is my absolute favorite way of covering. When I wrap my hair, I feel like the best version of myself.

My twin sister Ilana is one of my wrapping role models. She has been covering her hair since she got married in 2010. Being a twin is AWESOME because you share everything, and now we get to share tichels and hair wrapping techniques. We live in different cities, but when we visit each other we always do a mini tichel swap. We also regularly send pictures to one another to share our daily looks. Having a twin along for this hair covering ride has been special for both of us.

My friends and family have been incredibly supportive of my decision to cover my hair. Before getting married, my friends in Atlanta threw me a meaningful tichel party with demonstrations and beautiful divrei torah about the significance of hair covering. A couple of weeks later in Chicago, my friends and family also threw me a tichel party. At this party, everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish, those who cover their hair and those who do not, all tried on hats and tichels with me. Insignificant as this might seem, the participation of my friends and family in this way affirmed their support and gave me the strength that would eventually allow me to cover my hair the way I do today.

Wow!  Check out Yael’s rockin’ tichels!  This girl can wrap!

The Tichel Makes the Outfit!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Clothing Ideas & Inspiration3 Comments

You know what’s so cool about hair wrapping?  An outfit that on its own would be mismatched looks incredibly coordinated when paired with the right head scarf!  Check it out!

Grey, purple, and sky blue? You wouldn't think it works, but with this tichel, it's the perfect combination!
Grey, purple, and sky blue? You wouldn’t think it works, but with this tichel, it’s the perfect combination!

What do you think?  Would you wear this?

Proud Tichel Wearer, Rebecca!

On By Andrea GrinbergIn Lady Wrap Stars4 Comments

Hi Wrapunzelers!  I’m happy to introduce you to Rebecca, a woman who proudly wears her tichels in the workplace and writes about her experiences!  Here is what she has to say to us Wrapunzel ladies about herself… let’s give her a warm welcome!

Hi everyone!
I’m Rebecca, and I’ve been covering my hair since I got married about for about four and a half months ago. When I was engaged, I put a lot of time and effort into researching how and why I was going to cover my hair. I wanted the mitzvah to be meaningful and something I connected with. I really enjoyed reading the book Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering by Lynne Schreiber. I recommend this book to anyone who is considering covering their hair for Jewish reasons. While I was engaged, I took a trip to a sheitel store and tried on a few wigs, but I just didn’t connect to the wig. So hats, scarves, and tichels it was!

I have a lot of fun covering my hair and matching my coverings to my outfits. And my collection of hair coverings keeps growing! As times goes on, I’m getting better at adding accessories, like hair pins and earrings. I’m still working on getting more of the elaborate tichels and wraps to stay on my head all day without having to re-adjust!

I work as a school psychologist at a public high school with essentially no Jewish community. I had worked at my job for about two years before I got married and covering my hair. So, when I started covering my hair, it was very obvious. I get a lot of questions, comments, and remarks from co-workers and the students I work with. And the remarks are overwhelmingly positive! I get comments saying how classy I look, and I get into meaningful discussions about the Jewish concept of marriage.

Now that I’ve started covering my hair, most of the people I work with know that I’m Jewish. I look at this as an opportunity to be a Kiddush Hashem; to be a positive example for the Jewish people.

Because all of my friends and family enjoyed the stories I told them about the comments I get about covering my hair and being Jewish at work, I started a blog. It’s called Jew In The School: The Adventures of the Tichel-Wearing School Psychologist. You can follow me on Facebook  and read the blog too!