At 62, the warm hat that does not make me look frumpy
At 62, the warm hat that does not make me look frumpy
Six things the Antonia gets right that woolly hats get wrong, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read
Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and I have never once sat down to write about a hat in my life. What I had was a simple problem, I hate being cold and it is my ears that feel it first, but I hate a frumpy hat even more, so I would go out with cold ears rather than pull on one of the great woolly things that flattened my hair and made me look a hundred. So this is not a review. It is a woman who finally found a warm hat she is happy to be seen in, saying why.
The one I am writing about is called the Antonia, from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. It is a soft knitted cap with a little peak at the front and flaps that come down over the ears, and it is lined with the softest fleece. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
I pulled it on to nip out on a cold morning, caught myself in the hall mirror, and did not immediately take it off again, which for me and a hat is unheard of. That was the moment it won me over. Read on.
Here is the choice a cold morning always used to force on me. Warm, or not frumpy. The hats that actually kept me warm were great woolly domes that sat on my head like a tea cosy, squashed my hair flat and added ten years, so I felt a fright the moment I put one on. And the hats that looked all right did nothing at all against the cold, least of all for my poor ears. So more often than not I went without, and stood there with cold ears and a stiff smile, wishing I had.
Warm, or not frumpy. That was the choice a cold morning gave me, and I usually chose cold ears. This is the first hat that let me have both.
The Antonia is the first hat I have owned that keeps me properly warm and that I am genuinely happy to be seen in, and having barely had it off my head since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The morning it arrived. A neat little peaked cap, and softer than I expected.
THE EAR FLAPS KEEP YOUR EARS TOASTY
This is the whole thing, really. The soft knitted flaps come down over the ears, which is exactly where the cold gets in and where an ordinary hat leaves you exposed. With my ears covered, the bite of a cold morning simply goes, and I can stand about at the school gates or wait for a bus without that aching, burning cold in my ears that I had rather come to dread.
The soft ribbed knit, the little peak and the plush fleece lining inside.
Warm ears at last. The flaps cover them properly, so there is none of that aching cold I used to get. Wonderful.
Christine B., West BridgfordIT IS FLEECE-LINED AND WONDERFULLY SNUG
Inside, it is lined with the softest plush fleece, so it is not just the ears but the whole head that stays warm, and it feels lovely and gentle against you rather than scratchy. It is the difference between a hat that keeps the wind off and one that wraps your head in warmth. On a really cold day it is the cosiest thing, like a little bit of central heating you can wear out.
The fleece lining is so soft and cosy, my whole head stays warm. Not a bit scratchy either. I could keep it on all day.
Margaret E., SouthwellTHE LITTLE PEAK KEEPS THE SUN AND DRIZZLE OFF
The neat knitted peak at the front is cleverer than it looks. At this time of year the sun sits so low that it is forever in your eyes, and the peak keeps it off a treat, just as it keeps a bit of drizzle off your face on a wet morning. So I can see where I am going and keep the weather off, without carrying an umbrella or squinting all the way to the shops.
The little peak keeps the low winter sun out of my eyes and the drizzle off my face. Such a clever, practical touch.
Pauline H., ArnoldIT LOOKS NEAT AND STYLISH, NOT FRUMPY
This is what sold me, if I am honest. Instead of a great woolly dome, it has the smart, close shape of a little cap, with the peak giving it a neat, put-together look, so it actually suits me rather than swamping me. It does not flatten my hair into a helmet or add ten years, it just looks like a nice hat, worn by someone who chose it. I get compliments, on a hat, which I never expected.
Neat and close-fitting, the flap covering the ear. Warm, and not the least bit frumpy.
It actually suits me, which no warm hat ever has. Neat and smart, not a frumpy woolly dome. I get compliments on it.
Dorothy S., BeestonONE SIZE, SOFT AND STRETCHY, STAYS PUT
It is one size, in a soft stretchy knit that settles comfortably onto the head without being tight or leaving a mark, and because it fits neatly it stays put in the wind rather than blowing off or forever needing pulling down. No fuss, no faff, you just pull it on and go, and it sits there doing its job all day. Easy, comfortable and secure, which is all you want from a hat.
By the door, ready to grab on the way out.
Soft and stretchy, sits comfortably and stays put even on a windy day. No mark on my forehead either. Just right.
Eileen T., NewarkFOUR LOVELY COLOURS, AND BRILLIANT VALUE
It comes in four lovely colours, my soft cream and a grey, a khaki and a navy, all easy shades that go with any coat and scarf you already own. And at the sale price it is such good value that I bought a second to keep in my coat pocket, and a third for my sister, who has cold ears just like mine. A warm, flattering hat for the price of a couple of coffees is not to be sniffed at.
Such good value at the sale price, so I bought one for my sister too. Lovely colours that go with everything I own.
Maureen C., BinghamThe Antonia, against the woolly hat you leave on the hook
You can have a hook full of warm hats and still go out with cold ears, because you cannot bear to be seen in any of them. I know, because I did. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
A great dome that flattens your hair
Leaves your ears out in the cold
Frumpy, and adds ten years
Blows off or needs pulling down
Left on the hook while you freeze
Ear flaps that keep your ears toasty
Fleece-lined, warms the whole head
A neat peaked shape that flatters
Soft, stretchy, stays put in the wind
The one you actually reach for
About the price
The Antonia is £19.95 at the moment. It was £40.00.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that the popular colours are the first to go, and with the sale on they are going quickly, so once a colour has gone it can be a wait for it to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that half price for a fleece-lined hat that keeps my ears warm and actually suits me is the easiest twenty pounds I have spent in a long while.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
Ready for the next cold morning that would rather have warm ears than a frumpy hat.
If you feel the cold in your ears but cannot bear a frumpy woolly hat, this is the one I would pop on your head myself, while your colour is still there. Stop dithering and go and have a look.
Caroline
ANTONIA | KNIT EAR-FLAP CAP
- Ear flaps keep your ears toasty warm
- Soft plush fleece lining, warms the whole head
- A neat knitted peak keeps sun and drizzle off
- Neat, flattering shape, not a frumpy woolly dome
- One size, soft stretchy knit, stays put
- Four lovely colours to suit any coat
- Brilliant value at half price
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The sale is on now, at half price. Popular colours go first.