Is the Cat in the Hat the New Black?

PPQ      We’ve seen them on celebrities, we’ve seen them on Furry Fandoms; and now we’re seeing them on the runway??? 

The animal hat trend has somehow managed to penetrate almost every fashion market.  I first saw the trend several years ago in one of my favorite books “FRUiTS”, a photographic collection of Japanese street fashion.  The hats were worn by fashion crazed teenagers of the Harajuku district.  Slowly but surely, the animalistic hoods have migrated overseas onto the crowns of American teenage hipsters.  Now these hats are worn by the likes of Vanessa Hudgens, Amber Rose, Khloe Kardashian, and many more.  Nicki Minaj even wore one to the Oscar De La Renta  Spring 2012 runway show!

Many of these celebs wouldn’t be caught in anything other than designer duds, so of course designers had to follow suit.  Anna Sui featured the fuzzy faux fur trend in her latest collection, while Givenchy, Maison Michel, and PPQ  presented more toned down, cat-like hats. 

This look can be worn in leopard and other feline prints, but can also resemble other animals such as skunks, wolves, bears, and just about any other animal you can think of.  The website www.spirithoods.com has the broadest collection of trendy animal hoods I’ve seen thus far, with Snow Leopard being the top seller.  Believe it or not, their hoods are actually kind of cute, cover the ears and neck, and have built in little paw mittens!

Tiger by Spirit Hoods

Now that celebrities have found a trend that won’t cause PETA to throw red paint on them, the question remains:  Would you wear this trend?  How far would you go to keep your head, neck, and hands simultaneously warm? Is the Cat in the Hat the new Black?  Is it a Fashion DO, or a Fashion DON’T?  Take the LOVE or LOATHE poll below!