Enter: my favorite new winter accessory. The SpiritHoods Snow Arctic Fox is such an unexpectedly fun mix of fashionable and whimsical. It’s a faux fur “hat” that has long ear flaps that extend into hand warmers.
SpiritHoods was kind enough to send a hood over for me to try out and I’ve been dying for chances to start wearing it. Unfortunately, Denver has been uncooperatively warm these past few months, but now that we finally had our first week up in the mountains this was my go-to choice for staying warm around town.
Ceci n’est pas une “hat”
One clarification from SpiritHoods is that this is designed to be a hood, not a hat. “The difference is a loose comfortable fit as opposed to an elastic headband of a typical hat or beanie.” The fact that it’s looser may mean it’s not quite as warm for your ears on a windy day. But, I was able to comfortably wear it on a snowy zero-degree day as long as I had the front button clasped. What it also means is that you can take it off without suffering from a severe case of hat hair.
Sometimes I feel like my attempts to describe it make it sound younger than it actually feels. Yes, it is a hat with little ears. But they are really cute and mesh well with the fur. The fur is voluminous without feeling bulky or overwhelming. Amongst all the fur, the ears are more subtle than some of the animal beanies you see (though they also have some awesome hats with gigantic ears that I also like, so maybe subtlety doesn’t really matter when it’s well made).
High-Quality Features
I am a huge fan of the attached hand pockets down the scarf sleeves, and I think that’s the feature that truly won me over. It’s a standing joke at our house that I am always the person with my hands in my pockets (as a little kid, I went through a stage where I would only wear skirts with pockets, which turned out to be a grand total of about three skirts in the world — my poor mom). To have pockets constant dangling in front of me is kind of dream come true. The little hand warmers are cozy, though I mostly wore thin cotton gloves as well to make sure my wrists stayed warm. Because of my pocket excitement, I didn’t really experiment much with options to use it as a scarf, but you totally could and it would be great.
What really makes SpiritHoods stand out is their attention to detail. The faux fur isn’t itchy. The inside is lined with a really cute striped fabric in classic colors. There is a clear sleeve for storing an ID or a lift ticket and a second pocket for everything else; both are secured with a velcro fold-over. There is one button snap at the bottom of the flaps and a button toggle near the top to hold the flaps together (which is essential for cold days to make sure it stays snug against your ears). I absolutely adore the little paw print on the inside of the hand flaps. It also has a strap in the back to hold your goggles in place if you want to ski with it.
Because I am a very devoted helmet-wearer on the mountain, I don’t see myself using it while riding anytime soon. However, I am a total convert for wearing it everywhere else! What’s not to love about something that is both cozy warm and amazingly cute? Nothing.
SpiritHoods
In addition to making awesome accessories, SpiritHoods also donates a portion of their profits towards protecting endangered animals. I love when I don’t have to choose between being socially responsible and fashionable.
The Snow Arctic Fox hood runs at $129 but they have so many options. If Santa failed to bring you the hood of your dreams, you can shop for tons of cute choices for the whole family and get free shipping through January 1 (seriously, some of the kids ones are ridiculously adorable…).
Photo Tour
Many thanks to SpiritHoods for sending over the product for us to check out. The hood was freely given, and all of my opinions were freely given in return.