Are You Mysteriously Drawn to Bows Right Now?

I don’t usually gravitate to dressy things — I live in white sneakers, and my typical hairstyle is bedhead — but for some reason, this season, I’m really loving bows, and I know many other women who feel the same…

(Above is a photo collage by Ali LaBelle, who picks a theme when traveling, then takes photos of all the things she spies — in this case, bows.)

Did our collective bow yearnings start last winter, when Mia, in White Lotus, wore a red ribbon in her hair?

I’d love to wear one to holiday parties, wouldn’t you? We could channel Mia with thin ribbons, or go big. Clockwise: red, black, red (similar), black.

Jewelry is another easy way to dip your toe into bow life. Clockwise: ring, earrings, bracelet, necklace.

Then, this past Sunday, I went to my friend Jessie’s house for drinks, and she had tied ribbons around wine glasses, which felt fun and festive.

She’d also put ribbons on her candlesticks. (Or you could tie one onto the candle itself!)

Meanwhile, in L.A., Cat Chen tied bows around napkins for her dinner party.

And, if you celebrate, consider your Christmas tree! The search term Christmas tree bows has almost 12 billion views on TikTok. “There is a part of young women’s brains that holds girlishness, coquette-core, Barbie, and quiet luxury,” wrote business reporter Emily Sunberg in her newsletter, Feed Me. “And that is the same part where bow-covered Christmas trees have evangelized.”

Thoughts? Are you drawn to bows right now, too? Or do you think about bows as much as Toby thinks about our new hamster, which is to say, not at all?

P.S. Lots of do or don’ts, and everyday clothes I’ve worn eight million times.