Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter to it. We would’ve done a column on who we’re dating but that seemed a little bit much. This week Alex Frank writes about the Norse Projects Classic Five-Panel Hat.
I've always been one for security blankets. When I was a tiny kid, I carried one my mom knitted for me when I was born. I called it "Blankie" and wouldn't leave my room without it. By the time I was five or six, it was less a blanket and more a haggard pile of cloth held together by a few remaining strong threads of cotton. But it didn't matter what form Blankie was in, its essence was always there, and I carried it around everywhere I went, dragging it on the floor behind me or hugging it close to my chest. My mom eventually had to wrestle Blankie from my arms to save it. I cried when she did, I'm sure. But it was for the best. It's somewhere in the attic of our house in terrible shape, about one wash away from disintegration, but still alive, a beat-up but preserved relic of my childhood.
That's my relationship to cotton: security. I bite my nails and crack my knuckles too, but what assuages my nerves most are pieces of cotton armor that I love. My latest security blanket is this Norse Projects hat, which I wear every day. It's a really basic color, a nice punctuation to any outfit I'm wearing. It's the perfect shape, too, the five-panel structure giving it subtle strength. Most importantly though, the hat is made from a tough, organic cotton that I think will age and soften really well. It's going to end up dog-eared and shorn, but I bet this cap will wear its age much better than my Blankie did. Here's hoping. I'd hate to have to send it to the archives.