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Rare is the fashion hero piece that straddles comfort and style, but it’s exactly this alchemy that’s driving the rise of the knit hood – a style so pervasive I saw two women wearing them on the nursery run this morning. Four years since their high fashion glow-up at Prada’s autumn/winter 2021 show in the Dolomites, they’re now everywhere. Call them a balaclava, bonnet, balabonnet (a cross between a balaclava and a bonnet), or a hooded snood, but the cosy knit hood looms large this winter. Good clothes make dressing easier, which is what this does. It means you don’t need to remember your scarf because it’s already built into your hat – and who couldn’t do with having one less thing to think about when leaving the house in the morning?
Knit hoods offer COSY ELEGANCE. It’s not just the fashion girls who have adopted them as part of their winter uniform; THE A-LIST ARE ON BOARD TOO – Chloe Sevigny, Alexa Chung and Sydney Sweeney have all been seen wearing one. Simone Rocha, Dries Van Noten, The Row and Burberry are among those to launch luxury versions, but you’ll find plenty of options on the high street too – H&M, Arket and & Other Stories all do great iterations. Neutral shades work best for those who want to BRING POLISH TO A WINTER LOOK, but this is also an easy way to bring mood-boosting colours to outfits without having to commit in a big way.
Not only do knitted hoods make excellent travelling companions during the winter months, they also make great gifts – for you or for someone else. If you’re yet to be convinced by the hat-scarf hybrid, then consider its sister style, the triangle scarf, which is worn slung over the shoulders and knotted loosely at the front, or as a bandana and knotted at the back of the neck. Whichever way you go, it’s hard to argue with a trend that’s actually useful. Cosy season never looked better.
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Lead image: The White Company
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
