There is only one furry accessory that matters right now, and it’s not a backless Gucci loafer. You’ve seen it on the tube, you’ve seen it in every Manhattan paparazzi shot, you’ve seen it in fashionable gift guides. There is no doubt that when future generations prise open the fashion time capsule marked “Winter 2015”, it will contain a beanie hat with a furry pom-pom on top.
This hat was always going to win the season. It is practical, of course, but that’s not the point. The point is that it neatly encapsulates the autumn/winter mood, in one easy-to-wear accessory. It is one part library geek, one part glamour: perfect for a season whose pin up is Margot Tenenbaum. The beanie says, “I’m a model; also studying at NYU”, while the pom-pom says, “I’ve got a quirky sense of humour.” In other words, this hat channels that adorbs Instamodel thing where they go out for casual pizza nights and take squad photos looking gorgeous pulling silly faces. And you don’t even have to wash your hair.
The pom-pom as a bag charm has long been a Fendi motif and a staple of streetstyle snaps. Then there was Jourdan Dunn wearing a beanie hat with a fluffy orange pom-pom in Tommy Hilfiger’s autumn/winter 2014/15 show. Not to mention pom-pom bracelets featuring in Burberry’s show for this season. Oh, and have you seen the Jimmy Choo Dolly in silver? The classic strappy evening sandal, with soft grey pom-poms at the toe and ankle, is this winter’s fairytale dancing shoe.
But the pom-pom beanie is where it’s at. This item’s fashion lineage goes back as far as spring/summer 2012, when Stephen Jones collaborated with Raf Simons for that season’s iconic veiled beanies. Cross those with the cat-ear headbands by Paris milliner Maison Michel – most famously worn by Katy Perry – and you have today’s pom-pom beanie.
If you look like a street-tough Peter Rabbit, then you, my friend, are nailing this season.
