| THE EPISTOLARIAN |
When I was a kid, bouffant hair seemed absurd—an artifact from a lost world. It was the official hairstyle of old ladies, women with vinyl-covered couches, ceramic figurines dusted just enough to be creepy, and an unwavering devotion to Elvis. Bouffant hair felt like a relic from another era, something you’d glimpse in the wild, chain-smoking and stationed in front of a slot machine. (And that was the wild I knew, growing up in a casino town).
It had never crossed my mind that bouffant hair was once the height of cool—that the women I saw, slightly disheveled but oddly endearing, had, in their time, been it girls.
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Then it hit me: bouffant hair wasn’t bad. It was just old. If those women had been born later, they wouldn’t have had bouffants at all. They would have had Farrah Fawcett flips, ‘80s power perms, or the Y2K Spiky Hair Prom look, possibly with a zigzag part.
This realization led me to The Bouffant Hair Theory—an explanation for why aesthetic norms feel inevitable in their time and ridiculous in hindsight.
Introducing Bouffantism (The Bouffant Hair Theory)
Bouffantism is my way of explaining how people tend to adopt the dominant aesthetic of their era—not necessarily because they love it, but because it’s simply what is done. It’s the water we swim in.
The Bouffant Hair Theory explains how people unconsciously conform to the dominant aesthetic of their era. It’s not necessarily about what they love, but about what feels normal.
Trends cycle through three predictable phases:
- Adoption – The trend emerges and becomes aspirational.
- Normalization – The look becomes mainstream, and most people adopt it without thinking much about it.
- Obsolescence – The look becomes outdated, mocked, or replaced by something new.
It’s been happening for centuries, just with different silhouettes, fabrics, and hair heights.
If you had a bouffant in the ’60s but had been born in the ’80s instead, you’d have had teased mall bangs. If you’d come of age in the 2000s, you’d have had a side part, low-rise jeans, and body glitter. And today? You’d be deeply invested in the “clean girl” aesthetic—slicked hair, a sculpted face, and a suspiciously expensive “effortless” skincare routine.
You don’t need a philosophy degree to understand The Bouffant Hair Theory. Just look at what happened to skinny jeans. Gen Z mocked Millennials for their devotion to them, but give it time—Gen Alpha might resurrect them just to rebel. Trends aren’t new. They just get stacked on top of each other.
Which brings us to another key idea: if trends cycle so predictably, why do we still believe our taste is uniquely ours?
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Not everyone cycles through every trend, but most people conform, consciously or not, to the aesthetic standard of their time. Some never leave it—this is why, as a kid, I saw bouffant hair as something for old ladies. They weren’t old when they first embraced the style; they just never let go of the era that defined them.
Others evolve with the trends, adopting what’s current without necessarily realizing it. The cycle—trend adoption, normalization, eventual obsolescence—isn’t new. It’s been happening for centuries, just with different silhouettes, fabrics, and hair heights.
The Bouffant Hair Theory is a lens for seeing these shifts in real time. Imagine every aesthetic simply layered over the last. If you see someone with heavy filler and Botox, just mentally add a bouffant. Suddenly, it all clicks into place.
The Bouffant is Older Than You Think
The bouffant has never been just about hair—it has always been about status.
Its roots trace back to Marie Antoinette’s towering powdered wigs, where height wasn’t just a matter of style but of social standing. In 18th-century France, elaborate coiffures quite literally elevated one’s place in the world. The Victorians followed suit, perfecting structured updos with combs, padding, and hours of meticulous labor.
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By the 1950s and ’60s, the bouffant made its grand return—this time as a post-war ideal of femininity: controlled, polished, and carefully maintained. Across eras, the principle remained unchanged: hair that demanded time, effort, and resources signaled privilege. Those who opted out—or couldn’t afford the upkeep—marked themselves as outsiders, whether intentionally or not.
The bouffant was never just about hair. It was about power, conformity, and the unconscious ways we adopt social signaling.
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The Hastings Étui: An Old Country House Through Time
The Hastings Étui doesn’t bow to the trend cycle—it’s more like an old English country house. Generations pass through, each bringing their own fleeting aesthetics: one decade’s aristocrat in a ruffled collar, the next in a corseted gown, then a flapper dress, then shoulder pads. And yet, the house remains—observing, absorbing, quietly amused by the procession of passing fads. It holds art, furniture, and literature from every era, but it belongs to none. It’s a time-traveling ship, forever inching forward.
That’s how I see the Hastings Étui—timeless, enduring, perhaps even enjoying the ephemera of the moment. The pennies inside mark different points in history, but they are never disposable. They don’t expire with the seasons. They adapt, but they don’t lose their essence.
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It’s not about being stuck in the past. It’s about creating something that moves through time—shifting subtly, evolving naturally, but never losing its core identity.
Not a trend, but a moment in time, the newest penny is available here. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. They can be collected on their own or paired with an Étui.
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Seal of the Week: Erin Go Bragh
This seal is included in the Hastings Étui and is a celebration of Ireland. It's my favorite seal for St. Paddy's Day.
"Erin Go Bragh"—translated from the Irish Éirinn go Brách—means "Ireland Forever." More than a phrase, it is a declaration of resilience, identity, and unyielding love for Ireland. Over the centuries, it has been carried like a banner in moments of pride and defiance, whispered in quiet devotion, and emblazoned on flags, letters, and tokens of belonging.
The addition of two clovers deepens the symbolism. The shamrock, a three-leaved clover, is one of Ireland’s most famous emblems, said to have been used by St. Patrick to explain the concept of the Trinity. But the presence of two clovers instead of one suggests something more intimate—perhaps a pairing, a duality, a symbol of friendship, love, or shared fortune.
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In Irish tradition, clovers are tied to luck, but they are also symbols of connection to the land, the rhythms of nature, and the quiet, enduring magic of small things. While the shamrock represents Ireland as a whole, two clovers together may signify:
- A bond between two people, whether in friendship, love, or ancestry.
- A reminder of unity, resilience, and strength in companionship.
- Luck doubled—a wish for not just good fortune, but shared prosperity.
To wear or write "Erin Go Bragh" alongside two clovers is to carry a piece of Ireland’s enduring spirit—a reminder that heritage, love, and luck are never truly solitary, but something to be held together.
New Bundle: The Grand Tour
Embark on a journey of color with The Grand Tour Sealing Wax Bundle, a collection of exquisite hues inspired by storied destinations and vibrant moments in time. Each stick is a portal to a different world, evoking the beauty, history, and romance of letter writing.
Hand-poured for exceptional detail and clarity, this wax is perfect for sealing love letters, invitations, or heirloom correspondence. Let these colors take your seals—and your words—on a voyage through time and imagination.
| Grand Tour Sealing Wax Bundle |
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Mark Your Calendar!
On Friday, April 4th 2025 and 3pm Pacific (6pm Eastern), I'm leading a Zoom workshop on silver wax seals for everyone enrolled in the silver seal course. These are easy to make and oh so beautiful!
| Enroll Here |
These are just a few of the things I've made recently...
- These darling wine charms for my friend, Camden's, birthday. Camden loves horses; so I chose a series of my favorite horse seals.
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2. A necklace as extra decoration on this wrapping -- a double bow of sorts!
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With love,
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