Miu Miu Just Made Our Middle School Headband Cool Again

2 min read

Scoring a runway piece from Miu Miu is generally, shall we say, an investment. The label founded by Miuccia Prada in 1992 is a reliable trove of “oh my gosh, give me that” pieces that are both unexpected and classic—and because they’re made with impeccable Italian tailoring, they do not come cheap.

Of course, there are exceptions to every fashion rule, and today’s Miu Miu runway show in Paris proved it. As models like Chloë Sevigny and Gemma Ward debuted the house’s latest collection—violet leather car coats, crinkled ivory babydoll dresses, and a series of beaded sneakers and clogs included—they sported something decidedly normal: a stretchy black headband last seen at our junior high soccer practice.

Chloë Sevigny in Miu Miu’s fall/winter 2026 collection.

You know the ones. They come from Amazon or Target, have “teeth” to comb your hair back, and turn your locks into that Y2K zig-zag pattern sported by Hilary Duff in Lizzie McGuire, Keira Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham, and every Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards nominee from 1999 to 2005. Besides being trendy, these OG stretchy headbands were wonderfully functional, allowing hair to be fully pulled away from the face while giving it volume and texture. They were versatile, letting you wear your hair down or pulled into a bun or ponytail. And for those of us with thick, textured locks—the kind that would take hours to air dry after a morning shower—the headbands were also a major timesaver, removing blow-dry duty from the morning routine.

Keira Knightley wears the headband in 2002’s Bend It Like Beckham.

Now they’re back, courtesy of Mrs. Prada and her runway hair guru Guido Palau. (The fact that Gen X style goddesses like Sevigny, Gillian Anderson, and Kristen McMenamy all sported them on the catwalk adds to the retro riff.) If you’re looking for an alternative to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s smoother tortoise-shell headbands, this style is officially Miuccia-approved…and still costs about $5 each. That means the look is vintage in style and price—hey now, this is what (hair) dreams are made of.