6 Iconic Women Who Understood the Power of a Statement-Making Hair Ribbon

In the 1970s, the film critic Pauline Kael called Catherine Deneuve the French Grace Kelly for her severe beauty. “But something is hidden,” she added, “a suggestion of humor and of depth.” Deneuve, who turns 72 today, is better known than her American counterpart for moments of playful mystery, at times executed on-screen with a bow perched atop her head. The public image of Deneuve with her signature ribbon stems from her breakout role in the 1964 French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. When we first encounter Deneuve’s Geneviève, madly in love with the mechanic Guy, she is a column of gold, her blonde blowout and marigold cardigan only interrupted by the loose black bow on her crown. It’s a visual metaphor heightening the sense that her world of small-town, candy-colored umbrella shops may also unravel.

Wearing ribbons may, in theory, make one feel parceled or even twee, but they more often introduce an added element of intrigue, alluding to what might be revealed or undone. As with Deneuve in the film, ribbons are never more effective than when they’re slightly out of synch with one’s character—their presence implies the other side is unloosed. Think of Alice heading down the rabbit hole, or of Brigitte Bardot’s entirely unsubtle sexiness—never girlish, she used ribbons more like an ironic wink. For Madonna, a large black bow did little to restrain her tangle of wild curls—a nonverbal reminder that she would not be tamed. And just this past fashion month, the ribbons that turned up all over the Spring runways were hardly ever doll-like. Oscar de la Renta’s loose, slack black bows abetted low ponytails, adding an element of dishevelment to the composure of the gowns, while at Dior, long and lightly tied minimal ribbons set off striped pantsuits as often as white gauzy gowns. On the Lanvin runway, tangled variations counterbalanced androgynous looks worn by models like Edie Campbell and Jamie Bochert, topping jagged updos with choppy Jean Seberg–style bangs; one could argue that these ribbons add a sly sense of whimsy to the style equation for precisely what they are not.

For more inspiration, look to these six iconic women who knew how to tie one on.

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