Originally published January 9, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 9, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
No flap from wearing a trapper hat
The key to wearing a trapper hat on your head lies at your feet.
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK — The key to wearing a trapper hat on your head lies at your feet.
This is the lesson learned when I wore one of the cold-weather toppers — with signature earflaps — on several recent occasions.
I'll be the first to declare the first outing a fashion don't. It was a chilly but not cold day and I was dressed in black wool pants, a long black wool coat and tall black boots. It was the perfect outfit for me to wear to a Manhattan office, except for the hat.
New Yorkers are far too preoccupied with themselves to notice my hat, but I thought I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb.
Did I mention the wooly hat has a Nordic Fair Isle pattern in rich jewel tones and faux fur lining?
I thought I'd probably never wear the hat again. But I did.
One morning when there was a light dusting of snow, I grabbed the hat on my way out the door, again heading to work. But this time, because of the snow, I wore my rubber-tread L.L. Bean boots — and, like magic, the hat seemed fine — and this was still with my wool coat, mind you.
I've now worn my trapper hat (which came from Eddie Bauer and was originally priced at $39.50) many more occasions, with a brown shearling coat, with a ski jacket in rural Vermont, with a fleece in suburban Connecticut. Each time, though, it's been with rugged, outdoorsy footwear.
Sure, it looks even better when also paired with jeans, turtleneck and chunky wool sweater, but I'm no longer self-conscious in it on the street. Maybe I'm comforted by it's coziness.
The only comments I've heard from friends is that the trapper must be toasty for the coldest winter days. OK, a handful have also played with the flaps on the ears, but not to the point of annoying.
I have noticed many people wearing these hats this year. I don't know if it's because it's a bona fide trend like retailers were telling me earlier in the season, or if it's been colder, or if it's like when you get a new car and suddenly you start noticing that everyone else seems to have the same make and model.
Even my 6-month-old nephew has a trapper hat of his own. It's a soft faux-deerskin with lambswool lining. He's accessorizing with fleece bunting.
My husband has worn my hat on occasion, thankfully on the weekends when he too is wearing winter boots. He loves the warmth and, if it weren't for the purple-based color scheme, he'd look like a macho lumberjack. In this particular one, however, he looks more like one of those colorful characters from "Northern Exposure."
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Picnics in the Pacific Northwest happen rain or shine
Wine Adviser: Rosés enjoy a boom in quality as well as quantity
Plant Life: Chic raised beds help make growing veggies easy
Northwest Living: One small plot serves as home, shop and town stopping spot

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new SUV? Weigh the impact your choice will have on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Shooting unveils very different sides of McNair
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Quincy Jones remembers "the biggest entertainer on the planet": Michael Jackson
- Confessions of an Idol Addict | "American Idols" on tour: Live coverage from opening date
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
247 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
172 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
135 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
123 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
112 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
103 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
100 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
68 - Seeking your questions
53 - Mariners did their part, now they need help
42
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show








