Headphones are a Styling Essential

Let's talk the evolution of headphones — and how to style them for every affair.

In the mornings when I go through my getting ready ritual, my little accessory closet is my last stop. It’s filled with costume jewelry, hair clips, vintage silk scarves, and a variety of thrifted belts. Once the outfit is complete and before heading out the door, I decide between one more thing — my tech of choice. I have three options: my over-the-ear pink headphones (hurts my ears after a while but they look cute); my AirPods (currently broken on one side); or my wired earbuds (a trusted companion, but gets tangled on whatever bag I’m using).

Tech is a last-stop accessory we grab before braving the day that isn’t considered a typical style item — but if you’re anything like me, it’s subconsciously in the back of your mind while getting ready. Which headphone choice fits the vibe of the outfit today?

The tech accessory isn’t just relevant now because of how crazy the tech world is, it’s been relevant since portable tech was accessible. Music, podcasts, and audiobooks are companions while we navigate each busy day. Even as a child, I had my portable CD player with an old pair of school headphones that played audiobooks rented from the library. Although I wasn’t into fashion and style the way I am now, it was a subconscious choice to choose the CD player with headphones over the iPod Shuffle (the screenless square music playing device) with wired earbuds. The cassette player, MP3 player, iPod, CD player, and the smartphone, along with the accompanying headphones and earbuds, are all evolutions of tech we’ve been accessorizing for years without totally realizing.

Headphones and portable technology were born for military use, but started to gain entertainment popularity around the 1960s, thanks to jazz musician John Koss, who invented the first stereo over-the-ear headphones. Although the design was not very chic and definitely a little clunky-looking, the Koss company started the interest for other companies to enter the headphone market.

One of the first headphone sets with initial style and purpose was the Koss “Beatlephones,” headphones that were a beautiful vintage blue and had a graphic of the Beatles plastered on them. The choice to wear these communicated to others that style and representation were important to the user. I’m sure that the bright blue and Beatles graphics were mostly chosen by the younger generation at the time, opting for something more funky than maybe the “boring” choice that the older generations were using if they were even into wearing headphones at all.

Headphones before the advent of cassette players were not really seen on the go as we see technology today because there weren’t any portable players. In 1979, Sony debuted the Walkman, which began headphones and portable players on their true style journey. Now, people were out and about and could be seen using the Walkman with headphones not only for its functional purpose, but also to portray a curated vibe. Walkmans and the other models of skinny headphones can still be seen nowadays as a vintage style choice instead of modern wireless headphones. Retro headphones are now like vintage clothing — you have to source and pay big bucks for them, just like a pair of vintage Manolo Blahniks.

In our modern era, headphone choice and style seems to be mostly notable among commuters in big cities. The second you step outside in a big city like New York or Los Angeles, you’ll probably be able to spot at least three different versions of a headphone within a minute.

As a city commuter myself, I am fully conscious of the technology choice of others and myself. My wired earbuds are perfect with a slicked back bun and baggy jeans, like Bella Hadid. It’s an odd choice because it’s evident that supermodel Bella Hadid could afford the latest and greatest headphones that are sleek, modern, and advanced, but she chooses the same wired headphones that a retail worker in a big city has. (There is even an Instagram account dedicated to the trend and aesthetic of wired earbuds called Wired It Girls.)

When we saw the release of Beats by Dre in 2008, it was the hottest new headphone and endorsed by celebrities like Michael Phelps, Nicki Minaj, and DJ Khaled. Everyone was seen sporting the new headphones. Now, in 2024, we have the Apple headphones that replaced the craze of the Beats headphones over a decade ago.

Our trusty ear companions are always changing — and just like everything we wear, communicate to others about who we are through our chosen style. Style can be found in everything, not just what one would typically think of as fashion objects. Even before technology became the revolution it is now, headphones established themselves as a style choice, whether we were conscious of it or not.

If you’re in the market for some new ear accessories, here are a few choices for your consideration: