Every winter, certain cold-weather accessories often define the season, such as rainbow-checked scarves. This year's item is a knit hat that can be considered a baby bonnet for adults. Some sellers also call it a “balabonet” because it is reminiscent of a balaclava.
A favorite among some fashionable women, this accessory has been interpreted in many different ways, from girly to monastic. Many styles can be tied under the chin to create a streamlined egg shape, and some have long straps that can be wrapped around the neck like a scarf to form a complete snood.
Some bonnets are adorned with sterling silver rings, similar to a version by New York City brand Gem Sun. Los Angeles label Mimi Wade creates cute styles with pointy cat ears. The hats are also sold at mall chains like Free People and Hot Topic. The latter offers a bonnet covered with a small pink ribbon.
A $210 version by four-year-old Amsterdam label Pien Studios has emerged as one of the most popular. This fluffy hat, which the brand calls a balaclava, is made from a blend of mohair, merino wool, and silk and has thin scarf-like laces. Produced in a small number of colors, it is sold in trendy boutiques around the world, including Amoment in Seoul, Esmeralda Service Department in Tokyo, and Carmen in Amsterdam.
Grace Huang, an advertising creative director from Brooklyn, bought a Pien Studio hat last year at Tangerine, a Williamsburg boutique. Ms. Huang, 33, said she noticed women wearing different designs of bonnets in New York City, and called her Pien Studio version the most versatile winter accessory she owns. . (She prefers to call it a hat scarf rather than a bonnet.)
Pien Studios' hats have an oval shape, which label founder Pien Barendregt said was inspired by 1960s Space Age-style hats. Barendregt, 30, added that she aimed for a silhouette that looked more feminine than bulky winter clothing. “You look very elegant in a super big coat. It's a nice balance,” she said.
Although the label calls the hat a balaclava, Valendret agrees it's more of a bonnet and said she's also received requests to make a children's version. When she introduced the style two-and-a-half years ago, she said many women described it as nostalgic, noting that the bonnet wraps around the head like a hood, making it ideal for the cold, damp climate of Amsterdam, where she lives. He added that it is a practical accessory for winter.
Barendregt said she used to knit each hat herself, but recently outsourced production to meet the hundreds of orders she received this winter.
Rau Frias, 30, bought a white hat by Pien Studio in October at the Bomi boutique in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. “It feels like an improved version of the many hoods out there,” said Frias, who lives in Brooklyn and works in the music industry. She sees this increased interest in accessories as a sign that women are “thinking about looking pretty for the female gaze” rather than dressing up to get attention from men.
There are many different types of bonnets in stores, and some people knit their own bonnets. Several pattern makers have released DIY templates, including PetiteKnit, a Danish company popular with young knitters, who created the Sophie Hood pattern, a bonnet-scarf hybrid, for 35 Danish kroner, or approx. Selling for $5. An Instagram video of the completed hat has been viewed more than 16 million times since it was posted in late December.
PetiteKnit founder Mette Ockels, 35, said she designed the hood to be a little slouchy because she thought a close-fitting bonnet looked too much like one for a baby. “I don’t feel like I’m ready for that yet,” she said.
Recently, at a weekly knitting event hosted by Knit Club, a wool shop in Providence, R.I., the majority of participants came wearing bonnets they had made themselves, said Lindsey Degen, owner of the Providence, R.I., store. Ta.
“And it's not always the same people every time,” added Degen, who is also a knitwear designer. “That's a big deal.”
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