Last summer marked the return of the bandana, from silky, retro-inspired headscarves channeling a seaside Jackie Kennedy to the classic paisley styles that defined the ’90s and early aughts. The hair accessory was embraced by A-listers from Elle Fanning and Rihanna to Hailey Bieber, appearing everywhere from idyllic yacht getaways to city street style snapshots. This summer, the trend shows no signs of slowing down. Instead, it’s evolving into new territory, from delicate crochet styles and lace-trimmed designs to airy linen iterations and traditional silk scarves in bold colors and maximalist prints.
Before this year’s Euro summer vacation content could even begin rolling in, brands signaled the bandana as a key piece anchoring the season’s new collections. From Faithfull to Staud and J.Crew, summer campaigns featured the bandana as a focal point in a range of styles. At the former, there were the more muted, pared-back white bandanas to complement colorful sundresses and coordinating sets.
At J.Crew, summer’s more maximalist energy came through in bandanas printed with tropical pineapples and garden motifs, underscoring the accessory’s versatility as both a styling piece and a statement print.
That maximalist thread continued in Christopher John Rogers’s highly anticipated collaboration with Old Navy, which brings the designer’s signature use of striking color and print to an oversized silk scarf. Influencer Telsha Anderson-Boone wore the piece as a bandana, paired with the matching printed skirt from the collection, for maximum styling impact. Calling bandanas an “enduring summer staple,” Anderson-Boone said her favorite way to wear them this season is “the traditional way over a silk press/braid style, or on my waist with a bikini under.”
When it comes to inspiration, she points to a range of cultural references shaping the current bandana moment: “Tracee Ellis Ross and Zoë Kravitz recently have caught my eye in reference to the scarf trend,” she said. “If you listen to The Cutting Room Floor and see clips on Instagram/TikTok, you can also see Recho wearing them — so chic!”
The trend’s evolution also extends into texture, particularly through the rise of crochet bandanas. The ’70s-inspired, boho-leaning iteration was recently embraced by Bella Hadid at the Cannes Film Festival, where she paired a white crochet bandana from Costa Knit Atelier with a monokini while aboard a yacht. Brands including Ganni, Lelet and Free People have also offered crochet bandanas this season in delicate embroidered finishes and unexpected hues like bright red and chartreuse.
Much like the crochet iterations, lace-trimmed and linen bandanas have emerged as a softer counterpoint to the statement-making bandana prints, aligning with the season’s embrace of romantic, nostalgia-driven dressing. The styles mirror the popularity of airy white cotton dresses and ethereal countryside-inspired silhouettes, reflecting a renewed appetite for ease, softness and vintage-tinged summer dressing.
Still, the classic bandana remains central to the trend’s momentum. The traditional paisley iteration continues to hold its place in the rotation, endorsed by celebrities like Rihanna and reinforced by brands like Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence, which has introduced bandana scarves across seasonal collections. From gingham to polka dots and stripes, the bandana is appearing in a wide variety of prints, proving its range across aesthetics.
Whether done in crochet, silk, linen, or cotton, the bandana has evolved into new territory. This summer, it stands as one of the season’s most versatile accessories—moving seamlessly between classic and maximalist, nostalgic and modern, and proving its staying power in multiple forms.
