Thing: People talk about why balaclava is better than hats - and how they react in the city
Balaclava has come a long way from opposition vestments and the symbol of rebellion to the fashion accessory. Following The North Face, Maharishi, and other specialized outdoor brands, many brands have developed the production of bonnets and closed headdresses. We asked those who wear balaclava in the city - recently or not the first year - about how others react, what is more convenient for caps and why it is better to take them indoors.
Text: Dasha Knyazeva, Anya Krotikova
Ksyusha Obukhovskaya
artist and journalist
I started wearing a balaclava this winter. Most recently, I cut my hair short - my ears started to get cold on the street, and I don’t have to wear hats at all. I decided that it was too expensive to buy a balaclava, so I asked my mother to tie her - I like how unusual this thing emphasizes facial features. In general, I feel quite organic in it. Of course, I attract the attention of others, I even saw smiles of affection - probably because I look like a child in balaclava, who was forgotten to be picked up from kindergarten. I did not notice the violent reaction in the street, only my colleague commented that I was “just a miracle” in it.
My balaclava covers part of the forehead and neck, and when the wind is very strong, it can be pushed onto the lips and cheeks. In general, this thing was the best solution for the winter: it is warm and comfortable, the wind does not blow anywhere. Of the minuses - you have to style your hair when I take it off, and in the subway and the room it gets hot. I’m not looking for alternatives yet, but maybe a little later I’ll order my mother a model made of wool warmer - mine is quite thin and light.
Katya Shtokolova
VoguE video editor
I pathologically can not stand cold, so three years ago I had the first balaclava. It is very important for me that my ears be warm, I get scared by people without hats in the winter. With a cap, I didn’t lose: it saves not only the ears, but also the neck. The balaclava is very warm, but you need to wear it carefully so that it does not stretch over time and continues to protect from the wind. At first it was unusual and people in the subway looked evaluatively, but now everyone is wearing balaclavas, and I don’t notice such a reaction.
My Forget Me Not brand balaclavas are made of warm mohair yarn and look more like a funny children's hat, since the whole face is open. Now I want to buy a thinner fabric for myself so that only the eyes are visible. I look at the Check Ya Head brand - it seems they are doing this.
Sasha Kotenkova
the hairdresser
This balaclava (it is called a hood for the brand) is my first experience with a non-standard headdress. Received her as a birthday gift from Lesya Volchok-Rusakovich - my good friend and designer OTOCYON. Before that, I most often wore a scarf, which I wrapped like a nesting doll, because in ordinary hats it was uncomfortable - they either prick or squeezed their heads.
It is very comfortable in a bonnet: it tightly embraces the neck, so that the wind does not blow and you can not carry a scarf with you. It is made of soft, velvety cotton, not mohair or acrylic, so I'm not hot, and there is no unpleasant feeling in the snow from wet wool. It is pleasant to touch the soft material and feel it on the skin - and even from under the hood the favorite bangs look out neatly. Now I want the same balaclava in other colors to wear different depending on the bow and mood.
In my appearance, in addition to the hood, there are enough non-standard details: bright hair color, a ring in the nose, a fluffy fur coat with pom-poms, so I do not know what attracts attention. In general, I did not notice the negative reaction - because my cap is very cute, and I am in it like a fur seal.
Ksyusha Petrova
Wonderzine Growth and Distribution Editor
I bought a balaclava in November, when it became very cold: I read about fashion on an autdor on Wonderzine and went to the site of the sports shop "Trajectory", where I chose the right-looking Burton model. It was important for me that the balaclava was not blown out (therefore, the knitted ones did not even look) and could replace the warm hood when it was not on the jacket or coat. As a result, she got exactly what she imagined: a thin down jacket for the head with a “curtain”, which can be pulled so that only one eye is sticking out, or removed to scratch the nose or take a sip of coffee.
The surprise was that this model of balaclava is quite rustling in the ears, with music and headphones it is not scary, but talking to someone on the street is rather heavy. Laying under it suffers in much the same way as in a regular beanie hat — it doesn’t bother me, but you shouldn’t stretch the balaclava on freshly curled curls. It's a little annoying to put on and take it off in the subway (if it is not removed, it will be hot), you should be careful with makeup - usually I do not paint the lower part of the face with my tone, but if I paint, the “curtain” gets dirty.
I feel cool in balaclava and imagine myself to be an eccentric ninja warrior - the most beautiful thing is obtained with a purple coat. At the same time I notice more curious glances than usual, especially if I put on all black and cover my face. Perhaps people consider my balaclava a warmed type of hijab.
Tanya Reshetnik
editor-in-chief "Beauty" "Posters-Daily "
Strong impression - James Franco, surrounded by girls in pink balaclava from "Otvyazny vacation"; then I decided that I would certainly be the same. Unfortunately, the film was shown at the end of the summer, and by the beginning of winter I had already forgotten about my plan - I remembered only two years ago, when balaclavas appeared on the catwalks and in stores.
On the last birthday, a friend gave me a balaclava, embroidered with sequins, with her own hands, but in it I came out twice: paillettes in combination with fetish cutouts for eyes and mouth were too radical for public transport. This fall, I had a model Hideandseek.acc of cheerful colors, almost not covering the face: my grandmother praised and said that she wore this in her youth, and in the grocery at the house they made a compliment twice. For the rest, there was no response from others.
My balaclava is made of wool, so it is warm in it, it tightly closes the throat and does not flatten her hair. I am lazy to take it indoors, and on the street I wear it with astrakhan fur coat and “martins” or a black coat and sneakers - it seems that it fits together with almost everything. In addition to physical comfort, balaclava provides emotional protection. This is a psychologically understandable property of any things that anonymize appearance. Love.
Eva Koshek
an artist
I started wearing a balaclava a long time ago, the first experience was also a balaclava from a bike or snowboard outfit. In 2009, I went to school at the Moscow mosque "Darul-Arkam", where the girls in lectures on the Arabic language had to cover their heads. I, as an enthusiastic and loving person to learn, liked it all, especially hijabs. There are several types of them: you can twist a headscarf from a scarf, or you can buy a scarf along with a hat such as a balaclava. It was then that I appreciated the whole power of this accessory and how unusual it is combined with everyday clothes.
Now I wear a balaclava, because it nicely emphasizes the cheeks, and also warms and looks slightly aggressive. Perhaps my appearance attracts attention, but I love people and always want to talk to them. In addition, I admit any reaction of others: someone else's perception has nothing to do with me and remains solely a product of the imagination of outsiders. I'm quite comfortable.
Balaclava I have a few. There are from “Trajectory”, from a clothing store (they sell the most minimalistic and funny ones that resemble Soviet tights), the Moscow brand Hideandseek.acc. Now basically I wear a black knitted balaclava, which hides the forehead and chin. In general, I love it when everything is closed, because I paint on the street and it is important for me that the face is not visible.
Andrey Nogovitsyn
English photographer and teacher
I started wearing balaclava last year: it’s convenient that it is both a hat and a scarf. I used to have long hair that climbed into my eyes, and the easiest thing was to clean it under a balaclava. In such a hat is comfortable enough, but it is too hot in the room - then you have to shoot. Even while jogging, my balaclava does not remove all the moisture, and when you run all wet, it becomes cold. Sometimes glasses mist up.
I did not come across an unexpected reaction from others. My model covers only the forehead and mouth, but a part of the fabric can be pulled down - and then almost the entire face will be open.
Sergey Pikovsky
photographer
I started wearing a fleece balaclava two years ago when I tried to ride it on a snowboard. I liked that it is light, replaces at once a scarf and a hat. I love things under the throat, so for me it has become the perfect accessory.
I have several of these caps - some of them are Russian brands, mostly I bought them either from the Voentorg or in hypermarkets for outdoor activities. I have a classic model that covers the entire face, except the eyes; when it is not too cold, I wear it without hiding my nose and beard. I am pleased with my balaclava, but in the future I will probably buy something from The North Face, Maharishi or Patagonia.
I did not feel any discomfort with wearing a balaclava, on the contrary - when you take it off your head, it turns into a dream. People sometimes look when you go to the subway or walk in the center, but there was no sharp reaction. In general, I like how in the total mass of hats the original balaclava looks - this is the style of the urban ninja. The most important thing is that our representatives of the rule of law react with understanding.