To Go to the Head of the Class, Jump on the Bandanna Wagon

Bandanna-Rama: If someone told you 10 years ago that one of the hottest looks in the ‘90s would be to take a bandanna and wrap it around your head like the character on a pancake mix box, you wouldn’t have believed it.

But today, the bandanna head covering is about as common and cool as a Nirvana concert T-shirt. These multicolored accessories are seen at work, on the basketball court, even on MTV. However, there seems to be a little confusion as to how they should be worn.

“They should be tied around the middle of the forehead,” says Pat Lueras of the Army-Navy Store in Orange. “Don’t make the mistake of taking it off and leaving it tied. It should be untied each time or it may lose its shape.”

After a few day’s use, the bandanna stretches beyond your head size without retying, which is why guys are seen pulling them up off their eyebrows. When it’s tied, make sure it’s comfortable or you’ll risk seeing it creep up to your hairline.

Also, we hate to sound like your mother, but toss them in the wash after a day’s use. There are a lot of grungy bandannas out there. Use cold water, no extra rinse.

Hat trick: From the time they’re little boys, men are drilled in hat etiquette. They may not know that the salad fork is smaller than the dinner fork, but they do know that a hat comes off when the flag passes by and when indoors. And there are still a few men who will remove their hat in the presence of a lady.

For women, the etiquette’s a little vague. Women who wear hats wear them everywhere these days, probably because no one’s told them there are rules.

“Generally, women can get away with wearing a hat in all but intimate settings,” says Stephanie Grani of Stephania in San Juan Capistrano. “Outdoors, a large restaurant, a public gathering, these are all fine for hats. But for an intimate party in a house, it’s probably best to remove it.”

Button up: The oxford-cloth button-down collar shirt is an office wear staple from Newport, R.I., to Newport Beach, and it’s also become a regular for casual occasions. But while it may work as an all-purpose shirt, it can be too casual, especially when worn to after-work events with the tie loosened and the collar buttons undone.

“You can pull the tie down, but don’t undo the collar buttons,” says clothing consultant Alex Fryer of Costa Mesa. “When you do that, you just look sloppy.”

While you should keep the collar buttoned down, feel free to undo the top two shirt buttons. Your collar buttons should always be firmly kept in place, except, of course, when the shirt’s thrown in the wash.