Oodles of Snoods

Let’s detour back to an earlier time, when Lana Turner wore her hair in a glorious snood. Why dig up the past, you ask? Because snoods are back.

“All the stars in the ‘40s wore them,” said Herb BuDoff, owner of Pygmalion Hair Design in Tarzana. “Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Susan Hayward . . . you name it. They all wore snoods. It’s an old familiar face brought back again. It’s marvelous.”

A snood--if you’re wondering--is a stretchy, pouch-like hair net into which the hair falls. If it worn correctly, it should form an elegant hair sack at the back of the neck.

They were first worn by unmarried Scottish women in the 19th Century to denote chastity. In the Victorian era, snoods lost their symbolic significance and were worn merely as decoration. During World War II, they came into vogue among women factory workers who needed a practical way of keeping their hair out of the machinery.

“They’re back because everyone’s wearing long hair again,” said BuDoff. “If you’re trying to grow your hair out, then ends are hanging out. This (the snood) finishes off the hair. It brings everything down to a smooth finish.”

BuDoff, whose customers bring in their own snoods, added: “They’re great for little cocktail dresses. They really help show off the backless look.”

At The Wig Co. in North Hollywood, snoods go for as little as $3.50. Women buy them to match the color of their hair--or the color of an outfit. “Snoods are also easy to knit,” said BuDoff. “A lot of my customers knit their own. It’s a very simple circle pattern.”

But, let’s not forget today’s most famous snood-wearer: Sarah Ferguson, Britain’s Duchess of York. “I wear snoods because Fergie does,” sniffed a Burbank financial analyst--an ardent Royal Family watcher. “Let’s face it, she was a total washout before, but now that Di’s gotten her into the swing of things, she’s a real fashion plate.”