Winter Hats: Larose x Missoni
Autumn/Winter 2017
I only really started wearing hats for the first time earlier this year. It turns out that a buzz cut leaves your head feeling pretty cold, so hats are quite a good idea. I had bouncy curls for years, and so wearing a hat for any amount of time meant that when I took it off, it looked like someone had taken a hedge trimmer to my hair and sculpted a perfect helmet around my scalp. That does not sound too bad, until you realise that the bottom area where the hat did not reach was still bouncy and curly, so it all looked rather bizarre. And that is not to even mention the frizz. My hair frizzes just from lightly brushing my fingers over it, so you can imagine what a hat would do.
But now with shorter hair, hats are both functional and fun to wear. It is probably the first time since I was a child that I have worn hats just for the fun of wearing one. In truth it has been like finding a whole new world of accessories and styling opportunities that I barely knew existed. It has been quite a fun learning experience, because I had no real idea of what sort of hats I liked, what suited me, and indeed, what most even felt like to wear and use on a daily basis. I still have no firm idea, and have been trying a few different things out. I have been playing around with different beanies and caps. Turns out that I prefer unstructured 6 panel caps ('dad hats' I suppose), over 5 panels or structured 6 panels, because it creates a softer shape. I also like a curved brim to a cap more than a flat brim, just because it seems to suit my face shape better. In terms of beanies, it has been a process of figuring out the folding and rolling to get a decent shape on my head. I also seem to prefer a tighter knit and a softer material, such as a lambswool or cashmere over a basic acrylic.
In my current rotation is a pink cotton cashmere beanie, a black lambswool beanie, a maroon acrylic beanie, and a black unstructured 6 panel. These are all solid colours and relatively plain, but I have been thinking that it could be a nice way of introducing some colour and patterning into my wardrobe. If I think about it, colours and patterns currently only feature in my accessories - socks and handkerchiefs to be specific. I love my collection of Liberty print handkerchiefs, and I like having patterned socks. I actually have a really nice pair of Missoni socks that I love, so I thought I could think about their other accessories. I absolutely love the recent Missoni collections because the patterned knitwear has been so spectacular, but I doubt that it is something that I would wear anytime soon. And so accessories seem to be a nice way to get into things again.
For their current Autumn/Winter 2017 collection Missoni collaborated with Parisian hat makers Larose, to produce the beautiful hats you see above. I really do love how they look - the colours, the patterns, the materials. They look supremely cosy, and colourful without being too loud. They have a price tag to match though, and so I doubt that I would be able to pick these up at retail. But hopefully they go on sale, because one of the folded brim hats has my name on it (or at least I would like it to!).
xxxx