After my recent post about the Wild Woman Trail Marathon and Relay, my teammate Liv was surprised that I didn’t mention the event’s featured fashion accessory: the buff.
I thought a buff was either a made-up thing or a brush for polishing shoes. But in lieu of a race t-shirt, we were each given a soft, seamless buff made of yellow jersey. The idea was to wear it around your wrist as a place to store your reusable water cup. Our race buffs were printed with the Wild Woman logo (a pleasing, stylized female shape, curvy and badonk, like this wild woman fears neither trails nor donuts. A woman I admire.)
If you’re wondering how to wear a buff, this handy diagram (above) I’ve found is from Buff USA, a Spanish company and pioneer in the “international multi-sport phenomenon” of buffs. The site claims that their buff was invented by Joan Rojas “while riding his motorcycle on the desolate Catalan roads of Spain.” Perhaps there’s an essay waiting to be written about how cycling (on bikes with or without motors) is a prime time for inventing. (See the origin stories of Fat Tire beer and CLIF bars.)
Though I have a weakness for the 80s (my enthusiasm for shoulder pads is well documented on this blog) I haven’t attempted the “hair tie,” or latter-day scrunchie. I favor a look that the diagram calls, simply, “Hood” that I’ve dubbed The Periscope (above). It’s a little bit Grace Kelley and a little bit extraterrestrial. And that’s me below, working on my “Neckerchief” or Low-Rider Neck Warmer. I haven’t been running much since the race, but I find myself wearing the buff as a headband while cooking or puttering around the house.
A couple of weeks after the Wild Woman race, Liv and I chatted with her pastoral intern, a friendly undergrad from Michigan who said admitted that, indeed, she herself had just ordered a buff. Like she not only knew what they were, but deliberately sought one out. Millennials! They’re full of surprises.
Image credit:
Buff diagram: BuffUSA
Photos: Wanderman’s backyard studio