top ten: winter hats

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | TEN

i’m a gal who loves a good winter accessory. i have an entire dresser drawer dedicated to hats, scarves, and gloves. i probably own around 15 scarves, maybe as many hats, and at least 4 pairs of gloves (and counting). what can i say? i grew up in the northeast. i went to school in upstate new york. i then moved to new york city, a place that is, deceptively, much colder than you think it’ll be. something about all those tall buildings creates a serious wind tunnel syndrome, and let me tell you, it can be positively FRIGID here come december and january.

i remember last year, in the weeks following hurricane sandy, when we had no heat, or hot water, or power. each day, i’d walk home from work, crossing the line between NoPo (north of power) into SoPo (south of power), where i lived. as the lights disappeared and the skyline behind me blended into the night stars, it got cold. like, really cold. and then i’d trudge the ten flights of stairs up to my apartment, which was also dark and cold. for at least a week, every night, i returned home, lit all the candles i could find, and put on two layers of pajama pants, a sweatshirt, a hat, and big wool socks, and sat with my faux fur blanket snuggled around me on the couch, a comforter on top of that. a tweet from last year post-sandy reads: Trying to stay warm sans heat = currently wearing sparkly rainbow converse, faux fur leopard jacket, plaid scarf + hot pink pom hat. So chic

there’s something to be said for the kind of chill that you just can’t shake, and in the days following sandy, i learned firsthand how that kind of cold works. i was lucky to get power back about 10 days after the hurricane, and heat and hot water soon after that. i don’t ever want to be that cold for an extended period of time, let me tell you.*

that kind of cold means you layer with all you’ve got. it means hats are absolutely essential (they keep the heat in, folks). in other words, if you don’t have a great winter hat, it’s time to go out and buy one. maybe even one of the ten above?

*ps: there are many in this city (and probably in your city, too) who go without the cold weather gear they need to get through the winter. if you’re anything like me, you’ve got extra clothing you don’t wear. please consider donating to your local coat drive, or find a shelter in your area that’s accepting donations for hats, scarves, and gloves. new yorkers, you can find information about the new york cares coat drive here.