Zebra Hat

 

I have been seeing this hat (a toned down version) being worn around campus a few times and the first thing I think is, "That person looks like a zebra.." :P At a second glance it is also a Mohawk. This is an interesting and cool design. It is a new take on a simple winter hat that almost everyone really needs in the middle of February. This design above is actually part of Christian Dior's fall 2002 line or could possibly be a replica of the hat in the collection. What was Dior inspired by? This hat falls into the 'Peruvian Beanie' category.. so was he inspired by the Peruvian lifestyle? Maybe by the alpaca... which seems to be knitted on the side of the hat..these animals graze in Peru so this country was probably an important aspect in this design. When I visualize the zebra and the alpaca I think of the wilderness and I think that is visually translated through the color story, the natural browns and tans you may see in a grass land environment. It is also interesting how the 'trickle down theory' of fashion has occurred. Let's say that Dior was the first to design this type of hat... and the first time I saw it was not on the runway but by the general public 8 years later. The trickling down is going from high fashion to everyday ready to wear fashion.