As a child, Jenni Earle Hopkins loved the bandannas ever present in the back pocket of her West Virginia coal miner grandfather, Earl. “Just holding one made me feel braver,” she says. It follows then that her collection of retro-chic bandannas and hankies, which the former costume designer dyes by hand in eight different colors and screen prints with her own drawings, incorporate a dash of Southern moxie. Take the faded gold Honey Hush hankie, which has that phrase written in the corner and two tiny bees hidden in its honeycomb pattern. “Those elements are an extra little present,” Hopkins says. “I’m trying to impart a feeling of adventure and courage.” Although pocket bandannas are usually associated with men, Hopkins finds that her work connects with women, too. “They’ll buy them for friends who are going through something—even cancer,” she says. “That’s how I knew I was creating a talisman.”
>Bandannas and handkerchiefs, $28 from jenniearle.com
MORE MADE IN THE SOUTH:
>Style winner: Maho Shades
>Style runner-up: Lina Rosa
>Style runner-up: Jenni Earle
>Style runner-up: Blair’s Belts
