Here Come The Cossacks!

Confession: I am obsessed with wearing giant puffs of fur on my head. Black fur, white fur, striped fur, you name it-- I have no less than six fuzzy hats in my closet. What's more, I wear them all the time in the winter... and even sometimes in the summer, on special occasions! I am utterly unfazed by the cries of "Russian hat!" whenever I walk into a crowded party; it's part and parcel of being an eccentric dresser. 

 

Candace, the "face of Astral Boutique", and myself, this summer at the Yuba River

Come to find out, this furry finery is known properly as a "Cossack" Hat, from the style of headgear worn by the Cossack peoples of Eastern Europe and Russia.

While purely practical gear for these Northern warriors, the world of Fashion loves a dramatic statement, and these hats have enjoyed several resurgences in style over the past 40 years. Check out these pictures from the fabulous blog Nibs!

These appeared in Look Magazine in 1967, when the Cossack Hat was enjoying a golden moment in the fashion limelight. They were taken in Russia, during a time when few people were allowed behind its borders-- ah, how the love of a furry hat can melt the heart of the staunchest bureaucrat! The coats were designed by Vyacheslav Zaitzev.

 

The Cossack hat is back again today, and over the top, as in this great photo from the 2008 Fashion Rocks of Dhani Harrison (yes, he's George's son, as if you couldn't tell!) and model Sasha Pivovarova. I'm not into killing an animal in this day and age just to wear it on my head (these look pretty real to me), but I do love the styling!

 
  
 
Here are some of my latest finds for the shop; you'll notice that I just couldn't help but pair them with the fuzzy headgear:

Keep those ears warm this winter, kids!   

 

Comments

[Alastair Price]

just wrote a nice long funny comment- which seems to have got lost, anyway the important bit was its Rochdale , LANCASHIRE. although 'Lanchestershire' sounds like fun I don't think it exists!I used to live there and unfortunately knew the hospital too well. great pics.