The most debated hair accessory in history appears to be making a comeback, thanks to a bevvy of immaculately well-groomed and awe-inspiring Olympic gymnasts! The scrunchie, usually resigned to laughable images from the Eighties and Nineties, is a traditional hair accessory for the gravity-defying sport that has long been a pipe dream of millions of growing girls worldwide.

The put-together Olympians, with their clean and slicked back ponytails and cute up-dos, always finish off their outfits with a matching scrunchie, and it seems the fashion industry is taking note.
United States’. Kyla Ross was seen sporting the hair accessory during her performance and hugging her coach during the recent London 2012 Olympics.
Popularised during the mid-Eighties, when Bananarama-loving schoolgirls took the printed soft elastic hairband to their hearts and heads, the scrunchie, patented by Rommy Revson in 1994, quickly became the go-to hair accessory of that time.

Available in a multitude of colors and fabrics, they were simultaneously the most fashionable and hair-friendly accessories on the market.

But after a good run, the scrunchie, much like the era’s fashions, ultimately became passé as an accessory indicative of an era when side-ponytails and fingerless gloves were considered the height of style.
Russia’s gymnast Victoria Komova performs during the 2012 London Olympics, helping the most debated hair accessory in history to make a return!
Kyla Ross and Kayla Maroney also take victory at the 2012 Olympics with their clean and slicked cute up-dos finished off with outfit-matching scrunchies!
Other Olympians such as Romania’s Sandra Raluca Izbasa, China’s Deng Linlin goes and Italian Vanessa Ferrari were wearing scrunchies at The Games.

When the U.S. women’s gymnastics team took the gold in London earlier this week, two of the seven team members were sporting scrunchies.

Whatever the reason, from Olympic stage to retail stores, the scrunchie is turning up everywhere from American Apparel to Asos and even Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Daily Mail rounded up some colorful and printed scrunchies to try out this summer, whether its the black and white Marc Jacobs logo-ed version for $32, or the floral eyelet version for just $2.80 from Forever 21.

Photo courtesy of:  Kyla Ross’s Facebook, Deng Linlin’s Facebook, Sandra Izbasa’s Facebook, twitter, twitter