put a bow on it

Most people probably find this ridiculous, but I wore a ribbon in my hair until I was 18. We wore uniforms to our all-girls school and from the age of 4 until I was a legal adult, it was totally acceptable to wear a bow with your ponytail. There seemed to be a boundary though, when the uniform came off, so did the bow. I hilariously have one exception; I made a DVD with video of my dear friend and roommate Marie rocking a pink bow at a concert. None of us thought anything of it.

Generally though, the whole ribbon thing was associated with the blackwatch plaid kilts and polos. That's just one of the reasons I have reservations about digging into my ribbon drawer. Another reason is that I look very young, so there's a good chance if I was wearing a bow, someone might think I was in high school. Maybe even middle school.

The girls above look so sophisticated and timeless with their bows, though. Obviously, this look probably wouldn't fly at work, but I'm dreaming of weekends filled with donning a stiff bow with a voluminous, smooth ponytail, a smaller ribbon with a braid, or topping off a modern bun with a perky barrette bow. Even a half ponytail with a bow could be a sweet mix of Jane Austen and boarding school prep (you see that, right?).

I think it could look really retro and charming, but I would hate to look childish. And what I really don't want is to look sort of hipster or ironic.

What do you think? Go with the bow or is it a no no?