The return of the scrunchie: Is the much-maligned hair accessory making a comeback thanks to Olympic gymnasts?

The most debated hair accessory in history appears to be making a comeback, thanks to a bevvy of immaculately well-groomed and awe-inspiring Olympic gymnasts.
The scrunchie, usually resigned to laughable images from the Eighties and Nineties, is a traditional hair accessory for the gravity-defying sport that has long been a pipe dream of millions of growing girls worldwide.
The put-together Olympians, with their clean and slicked back ponytails and cute up-dos, always finish off their outfits with a matching scrunchie, and it seems the fashion industry is taking note.

Hair trends: U.S. Kyla Ross hugs her coach while wearing the traditional gymnasts scrunchie during the London 2012 Olympics

Popularised during the mid-Eighties, when Bananarama-loving schoolgirls took the printed soft elastic hairband to their hearts and heads, the scrunchie, patented by Rommy Revson in 1994, quickly became the go-to hair accessory of that time.

 

Available in a multitude of colors and fabrics, they were simultaneously the most fashionable and hair-friendly accessories on the market.
But after a good run, the scrunchie, much like the era's fashions, ultimately became passé as an accessory indicative of an era when side-ponytails and fingerless gloves were considered the height of style.

Scrunchie time: Russia's gymnast Victoria Komova performs during the 2012 London Olympics, helping the most debated hair accessory in history to make a return

Good luck charms: Kyla Ross and Kayla Maroney take victory at the 2012 Olympics with their clean and slicked cute up-dos finished off with outfit-matching scrunchies

Even Hilary Clinton made headlines earlier this year for her bygone scrunchie-wearing ways.
Defying her staff's request in a recent issue of Elle magazine to 'ban her scrunchies', the Secretary of State continued to wear the frilly accessory.
Making a scrunchie statement, while in Cambodia at the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Policy Dialogue, she upgraded her usual cotton style to evening-ready metallic paillettes, which began a long debate on whether to scrunchie, or not to scrunchie.

Colour co-ordination: Russia's Victoria Komova with a matching blue scrunchie at the 2012 Olympics (left), while Romania's Sandra Raluca Izbasa opts for her outfits' bright pink (right)

Eighties vibe: China's Deng Linlin goes glitz and gold during the London 2012 Olympic Games

Hair icon: Italian Vanessa Ferrari wearing the scrunchies ruffled glory, capturing the attention and hearts of millions at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Now, after a decade of battling a bad rap, the pinnacle of which came during a 2003 episode of Sex and the City, when Carrie Bradshaw famously insisted that 'real' New York women would never wear a scrunchie, the accessory's ruffled glory is again capturing the attention and hearts of millions.
When the U.S. women's gymnastics team took the gold in London earlier this week, two of the seven team members were sporting scrunchies.
Viewers quickly noticed, taking to to Twitter to discuss it.

Well-adorned: Catherine Zeta-Jones tees off wearing a butterfly on her black scrunchie (left), while Hillary Clinton sports a pearl scrunchie at the Chamber of Commerce (right)

ESPN broadcaster Samantha Steele wrote: I've noticed many things while watching late night gymnastics. Most notable: the scrunchie is alive and well.'
Another user tweeted: 'Gymnastics: single-handedly keeping scrunchie manufacturers in business.'
Gymnast Lindsey Green believes that it isn’t the aesthetic, but function that are key to their popularity in gymnastics, telling Today: 'I don’t know what they make these things out of but they just hold your hair so much better than a regular elastic.'

Haute to high-street: Marc by Marc Jacobs scrunchie, $32, bloomingdales.com (left), and the Forever 21 scrunchie, $2.80, forever21.com (right)

It's in the details: Orelia scrunchie, $24.86, asos.com has an added bow (left), and Walmrat's Chicago Blackhawks scrunchie, $6.99, walmart.com (right)

Eighties vibe: American Apparel scrunchie, $6, americanapparel.net (left), and the printed Kitties on the Prowl scrunchie, $3.99, scrunchies.com (right)

She added: 'It’s so solid and you could literally do 100 back-flips and your hair would really not come out of the scrunchie. If your hair is in your face and you’re trying to balance on a beam you’ve got a big problem in front of you'.
Whatever the reason, from Olympic stage to retail stores, the scrunchie is turning up everywhere from American Apparel to Asos and even Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Daily Mail rounded up some colourful and printed scrunchies to try out this summer, whether its the black and white Marc Jacobs logo-ed version for $32, or the floral eyelet version for just $2.80 from Forever 21.

Read more: