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 Maia Stern writes about the Anzevino and Florence hooded scarf.
New York in the rain with an umbrella is a lot like the video game Paperboy except all the obstacles are other people's umbrellas. The streets are simply too narrow to accommodate both Sally’s polka dot parasol and Bob’s oversized golf umbrella. So here’s a brain teaser: If they happen to be walking past each other on the corner of 23rd & 6th on a power lunch in the pouring rain, and they are equal heights, and Bob wants a sandwich and Sally really wants a smoothie, who ducks their umbrella first?
So to avoid this umbrella duel when the sky cries on the streets of New York City, I just wear my hooded scarf. I picked up this grey Anzevino and Florence scarf about a year ago, and I’ve been dry and stress-free ever since. It’s basically a hooded sweatshirt that has been cut and re-fashioned into something more functional. With pockets at each end, it keeps my hands warm and gives me a great opportunity to act like a muppet whenever I see fit. There's a zipper connecting the two scarf parts so I can trick people into thinking I'm wearing a sweatshirt underneath my jacket. Ha! Joke's on you! It fits perfectly in any bag (unlike the devil umbrella), and I'm not really planning on owning a rain jacket anytime soon—or ever, really. So if I hadn't stumbled upon this gem in a recycled clothing store only a block away from the Anzevino and Florence store in Hollywood, I might've been actively looking for one today. It also helps tremendously in satisfying my elfish style.