Earmuffs: A heated defense
If you have curly, wavy or carefully-coiffed hair, a conventional winter hat is the enemy: you will suffer hat head.
Taking off your hat is like unveiling a homely monument, every flaw displayed. Women in restaurants, hands tugging at their hair, inevitably resign themselves to a disheveled mess.
So, I wear earmuffs. I walked into an upscale boutique last week and was told by the saleswoman, "My, I haven't seen a grown woman in earmuffs in a long time."
At moments like this one must summon self-esteem of steel.
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| Minkie muffs |
I was wearing the sportier sheepskin variety in black.
You can order them (join me, I need help here) from Shepherd's Flock, a Vermont maker; you'll find lofty choices in both sheep-naturals and colours like navy, pink and wine from $13 to $30.
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| Shepherd's Flock sheepskin muffs |
What else is light but warm? (Lightness is essential, but so is space, to prevent compressing hair.) Cashmere beats anything else.
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| Bompard cashmere beret |
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| Golightly cashmere beret |
Golightly Cashmere's beret–in two circumferences–is $105. (Note: Any Golightly hat, though produced to order, can be returned.)
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| Cashmere headband |
I can think of–and reject–other ideas; a folded silk scarf is too easily damaged and slips off in wind.
Going hatless, the choice of teens? No fun once you've suffered frostbitten lobes.
So earmuffs it is.
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| Foxy fox muffs |
If any earmuff might change the saleswoman's perception, a pair of ruby fox ones with a velvet flower, by Cassin (price, $395) from Bergdorf Goodman ought to do it.
The earmuffs of a queen, let alone a grown woman.
Comments
And on a similar note, on your recommendation, I bought myself a cashmere tuque from Golightly and it is divine. Absolutely. My toasty ears thank you ("the ears have it"--please stop me). And I have a pixie cut so I am impossible to squash (literally, metaphorically I am very squashable).
I would like that cashmere béret, in the larger size. The Bompard doesn't look large enough for my head and hair.
I guess a béret doesn't fully cover earlobes, at least on the more exposed side of the head, but I also wear a warm scarf. One of my prouder charity shop finds - a beautiful muffler in some South-American creature wool.
It is bloody cold here today, and we got a dump of snow. Damn. Splurgie, I have hoods for forays outside in viciously cold weather, usually to go shopping. The problem is if one is heading out for a work-related or social occasion in the cold.
Splurgie: Cute! I have a raccoon hat but it wrecks my hair, too.
lagatta: Earmuffs are almost unbelievably warm, especially those big puffballs Shepherd's Flock make. Warmer than a beret. Le Duc in Mtl this weekend looking at a few places.
It's usually too wet here for most of your suggestions, and I rely either on felted wool hats with brims or a felted wool beret (Holt's has some great ones in their store label). Yes, they do flatten my hair, so I always carry my pick and try to restore some volume discreetly as soon as the hat comes off. In dry cold, though, I'd very happily wear any of the gorgeous ear-muffs you've tracked down.
I see nothing wrong with sheepskin earmuffs though. In winter warmth is primary, not fashion!
My good friend in Washington DC, who has very curly hair, just told me she'd invested in some earmuffs, and loves them. Those mink ones you showed are fabulous, by the way!
P.S. I think they're quite sophisticated.
Artful: You mean you wear them? Feeling better. But don't men freeze in those hats, with bare ears? (I grew up in No. Mich.)
materfamilias: Wet is a whole other set of challenges for curls. A pick, clever.
Belle: Well then! I might have to order. (You have to be really careful with earrings when wearing earmuffs, something that you likely do not have to tell your BH clients.)
Northmoon: I don't use my attached hoods, like to able to freely swivel my head. But think fur trimmed hoods look romantic on others.
Demi-pointe: Yes, I almost mentioned that front page...
Frugal: I almost lost my sheepskin earmuffs shopping today and panicked. (They were in fact around my neck, duh.)
I do admit to wearing a wool cowboy type hat, when I really have to have one. Fortunately, my hair can take a little bit of abuse. Funny thing is, when I wear it, people look at me very particularly - in a friendly way!
Lindy: I love these malapropisms. A French friend who calls he bangs "bangles".
You might also be able to wear the behind-the-head style Rebecca mentions, see www.180s.com; there's even a down model!
Turns out there are more earmuff fans out there than I dreamed, I'm grateful.
Shepherd's Flock, Townshend Vermont, USA
Then again, we can take a page from our Grandmothers' books and choose a becoming hat, coordinated to our clothes, which we can then leave on indoors. I have a pretty handmade wool felt number that I sometimes remember to do this with.
Now that my hair is longer and painfully flat, I am wearing hats more in winter, I like the look, but my ears suffer so I am considering looking into some of those ear pops someone mentioned.
Since I need new earmuffs, I am checking out some of your links. Earmuffs will always be my winter head protection of choice.