Fashion Dictionary - Bandana - A Highly Useful Fashion Accessory!

With the Spring starting and Summer right around the corner, we start getting in the mood to buy some new summer clothes and accessories.

Have you seen snapshots from Milan S/S 2011 Fashion Week ? Oh! I love all those roses and mimosa, worn with matching floral-print, platform sandals, and bandanas. If you think that bandana is a piece of cloth tied around the head, neck or over the mouth, please think again!

A little bit of history. Bandana has been adopted into the English language, via Portuguese, from the Hindi word meaning to tie, and the often brightly - colored garments are used for protection against sun and dust, in addition to being useful for wiping sweat away from the face. Bandanas have formed part of the ensemble worn by cowboys, pirates,farmers and more recently.....hm, gang members.

But as fashion dictates a bandana is a simple accessory that you can wear in several stylish, playful and fun ways creating glamorous or casual look.

Headbands made of various fabrics and techniques proved to be a good alternative to the hair clips or loop a bandana through a few of your belt loops on your pants to add an extra element to your outfit.

Knoting the headband in different places will yield different looks to the same hairstyle. You could tie the headband on top of the head, or on the side or finish it off at the nape. If you are unsure about whether this look will suit you, try having a not so wide fabric headband in colors of your outfit and tie it at the back. You could leave some hair showing from beneath the headband to feel a bit more confident. Once you have tried the look, throw caution to the winds and try out newer methods of tying and use contrast colored hair bands too.

The look is casual, so wear it to after office activities like a movie, an evening out, shopping etc. You could even give the conservative version of this look a try on casual Fridays – just ensure you do not have serious business meetings planned for that day!

Story by Lyudmila (Woolsolution)

Winter vacation

If you are tired of snow and gray skies, if you love the ocean and the sunshine you probably already dreaming of nice sandy beaches and the warm sun on your skin while cuddling in a blanket in front of the TV.

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

So why wait? If you have some time and money, why not take a cruise or a trip to a tropical paradise?

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Pack your swimming suit, pretty beach wear and your best evening gown, and don't forget the accessories!
Remember, the right accessories will make the single dress look different each time you change them!

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Before you go: don't forget to check our selection of things you might want to take with you on your sweet winter break!

Story by Tanya (Socksandmittens)
Collages by Irina (IrinaPhotography)

Stylish Things - Socksandmittens

Today our featured guest is Tanya Socksandmittens who is a member of Russian Artists Etsy team.


What can be better on a snowy winter day than grabbing your cup of hot chocolate to go, a camera and head to the forest or ice skate in a park. That’s where the white winter magic begins. Everything is covered by snow and there are hundreds of photo opportunities just waiting for you right around the corner! To enjoy it fully you should remember your warm clothing, appropriate shoes and handy accessories which will keep your hands and head warm.

Fingerless gloves, mittens, scarves and hats are winter MUST HAVE. They are relatively inexpensive so you should have several of them for the cold weather season. Each pair would go with a certain outfit or style or even your mood, and you could wear another while the other set dries out or needs to be washed.

In our store you can find a variety of warm cozy colorful gloves, mittens, hats, headbands and scarves. They are made of quality wool, wool blend or acrylic yarn, and it is up to you what fiber you prefer!


The best item for the winter, in my opinion, is fingerless gloves. You are able to keep your hands warm and toasty but at the same time you are able to perform a lot of activities that require the use of your fingers. Some of these activities may be driving (who did not hate that cold wheel in a morning), taking photographs or even typing on your computer or mobile device while outside or in a cold office!

Even better, we can make it convertibles! This way you will get 2 gloves in 1. You can wear them as gloves or mittens, it’s up to you!


If you see something you like in our store but want it in a different size or a color, we can make a custom order. We are pretty quick, it usually takes us about 2 to 5 days to complete an order, depends of yarn availability, existing orders or what you are wanting made.


Please visit our mother and daughter team shop Socksandmittens for all your warm and cozy knitted accessory needs!



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Our blog: http://socksandmittens.blogspot.com/


Thank you, Tanya for taking your time and talking to us! Russian Artists team is honored to have such a talented and successful artist as its member!