Taupe Corduroy Beanie Lined with Fleece and Pom-Pom

Wearing taupe through a British winter

Taupe is the colour that asks the fewest questions: black, camel and denim all take it. Over a long wool coat it softens a very graphic outline; over a puffer it takes the edge off the sportiness. The other shapes and colours standing next to it are gathered in the women's beanie section, which is worth a minute before choosing.

Taupe corduroy beanie: how the ribs take the light

The ribs run straight from the turn-up to the crown, evenly spaced. The yarn has the slightly brushed surface that gives corduroy its name, so light settles along the top of each rib and leaves the groove darker. From the front the colour reads lighter; turn the hat three-quarters on and it deepens. The knit is a close, matt rib, with no added shine.

How far down the turn-up goes

Folded once, it makes a thick band that stops just above the eyebrows and covers the top of the ears without pulling. Left unfolded, the hat sits higher on the head and exposes the ears, which changes the look entirely. Two heights from a single hat, depending on the morning and on what your hair is doing.

Materials and the care that follows from them

Acrylic does not felt the way wool does: it dislikes heat but keeps its shape through a gentle wash. The pom-pom is the part to treat kindly, since rubbing is what tangles long faux fur. Dry the hat flat and the dome comes back on its own.

The pom-pom is the first thing anyone sees

It is wide, long-haired and made of faux fur, in a brown that runs warmer than the ribbing underneath. Not a tonal match, then, but a soft contrast that keeps the hat from looking flat against a dark winter coat. Flatten it in a coat pocket and it comes back with a shake and a few passes of the fingers. To pick that brown up again lower down, something to wrap round the neck in the same family finishes the job.

What the lining actually does

The pile runs across the whole inside, so the knit never touches the forehead directly. That is what you notice on a grey morning with wind coming down the street rather than on a still, cold one. It is the part of the hat you feel first, before the rib and before the weight of the pom-pom.