Hats off to kerchiefs! It's downright hair-raising to see how a little piece of fabric has evolved from a utilitarian item into a chic accessory sold everywhere from Fred Segal to the Gap. Old Navy is betting on kerchiefs that coordinate with beach bags and swimsuits — how Gidget — while guests left Louis Vuitton's fashion show clutching logo-print head coverings. On the flip side, L.A.-based designer Orly Baruch indicates the headgear's moment may be over. Sales aren't as brisk as they were a few months ago because, she says, ''women have so many ways to have fun with their hair.'' Scarf if you want, but these knotted stars prove kerchiefs will never go away.
1922 Silent star Rudolph Valentino
World War II Poster girl Rosie the RIveter
1950s TV housewife Lucy Ricardo
1965 Doctor Zhivago's Julie Christie
1966 Sally Field as TV teen Gidget
1970s Valerie Harper as Rhoda
1991 Poison's Bret Michaels
2000 Lisa Kudrow as Friends' Phoebe
