Gray Flower Beret

annette — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I guess you could say that hats have always been my ‘thing.’ It really started the first time I shaved my head… and then soon after decided to grow my hair back in again. It was a long process in which hats played an integral part. I repeated this process several times throughout my twenties. Now, a mom, I love hats and any hair covering article that can erase the clues to the timing of my last shower in one fell swoop.

When my CoverYourHair.com hat arrived, I was giddy. It was very cute and, well, like I said, I love hats. I have a slightly larger than normal head, but it fit well, snuggly and with ear coverage, and without too much of an itch factor (it is ten percent nylon, twenty percent angora, seventy percent wool blend). The flower gives it a nice look, and overall I really like it. I was momentarily disgruntled to see that it was made in China. Not poorly made, mind you, but that piece of information on the tag put me off, but I have forgiven them, and now I will explain why.

There is more to CoverYourHair.com than first meets the eye when one cute hat arrives for review. As I explored the website, I discovered that CoverYourHair.com is a pretty rockin’ internet hat shop designed primarily for females. Their featured book, Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering explains the religious history of head covering by Jewish women. And in October, breast cancer awareness revealed how much these hair accessories are also designed for people who need more than just a fashion accent, but head covering options as they undergo treatments for cancer.

The website has demonstration videos, like “How to Tie a Tichel,” as well as a well-written and regularly updated blog. Some of the products, like the tichels, I just love, and am looking forward to purchasing. They also have turbans, prettied bandanas, snoods, berets, hair clips, baby head bands… you name it. So, for a simple gray hat, I have a nod and a smile. For the overall line up of CoverYourHair.com, I have a hearty recommendation. Honestly, I am beginning to think that as our globe becomes a village, it is entirely possible that we need to accept China in the role of the manufacturing house, and keep up hope that the rest of us also find good spots in the village as well.

If you need to cover your hair for religious reasons, to empower you in a medical struggle, or simply to make yourself feel better when the mirror cries for a change of scene, check out these products. You won’t be sorry.

Written by: Jen Wilson Lloyd, November 30th 2010

French Blue Pashmina Shawl

admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Nimli

Adbusters is holding a competition for an anti-nationalist flag. This made me consider the psychology of color: the obvious choice among the contenders is a black flag with a simple white ring. Would it be flown in conjunction with the sky blue field of the United Nations banner? Blue appears to be the most popular flag color, with red a close second. "Interview suits" are conventionally blue: it is assertive without violence, bold and certain, calm but strong. “Loyal, but not forgetting sadness.” Its associations are Oceanic, heavenward, peaceful, unified, harmonic, serene, offering protection from the evil eye as glass disks and signifying the shawl of the Virgin Mary. As a skin color, it is an end of humanity, the stain of Godhood, and now associated with some amusing shaved-headed louts who spit marshmallows at one another to thunderous rock accompaniment. My perpetual blue state is both psychic and political. And while the juxtaposition of the Disney Alice in Wonderland's flounced skirt with the phrase "blue movie" is not unprecedented, it is still ironic. So I'm not sure what to make of this French blue. Is it pretty or "safe?" Staid and reassuring? Or attractive through its assurance of candor: "True Blue." I am not certain that truthfulness or loyalty are valued anymore.

In addition to a range of garments and accessories, Nimli offers luxuriantly simple fields of color in interwoven Pashmina hairs, over one hundred colors, a dozen of which could qualify as blue. Patriotic blues, dark blues, gray blues, pale blues, baby blues, royal blues, aquas, pinky blues, azure, cerulean and turquoise. The color of the company is decidedly green: entrepreneur Rajat Arora founded Nimli in 2003 to provide a one-stop location that would further sustainable living by providing a range of "green" things handled in an environmentally conscious manner. For example, individual manufacturers ship directly to the consumer, eliminating the energy-consuming practices of extra shipping and warehouse storage. Many green scarves and shawls are available, too: olive, hunter, pine, sea foam, chartreuse, celadon, willow, spring leaf, and new dollar.

Review by Erika Mikkalo

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, April 16th 2009