Monsoon label white hat with faux fur pompom and pretty pearls. Outfit of the day 722 by Angela Lansbury.
Where I buy bargains
I bought this in St Luke's charity shop which raises funds supporting hospices in London. It cost one pound from the rummage box of second hand scarves and hats and gloves. These shops are all over north London.
Why Buy A Bargain Hat Or Scarf?
I like a bargain. I like something new - new to me. If I am supporting a charity, too, that's good. I need to limit my spending on clothes. And the amount of space they take up in my home, so a small hat is good. A foldable knitted hat or woven scarf can be squashed up beside the others.
Child Size Hats
I tried it on and fitted. You can imagine my eyes widening in surprise when I got home and read the label. It was for 3-6 years! It is stretchy.
It could have said fits all sizes. But the label inside warns that it is unsuitable for children under the age of 3 because of small parts.
Advantages Of Checking Children's Hats
Now I know that I can look at children's hats and try them on to see if they fit me. Cheaper than adult hats. More options, opportunities. More items in white and pastel colours, as well as bright colours.
Why Wear White?
In the old days, the 1900s, you wore white in summer, black in winter, co-ordinatine with the sky and sunlight. Black was practical, a leftover from Victorian times, when washday for clothes was once a week. Wedding dresses were dark. Queen Victoria's daughter's wedding brought in the fashion for a bride to wear pristine white.
Then along came mass production. Larger amounts of fabric, or stretch fabric, so one size fits all. Dieting so that women could move around at work and home, and flexible clothes or varied sizes were needed.
Skiing and winter holidays within the budget of more people became the fashion. White clothes co-ordinating with the snow scene. (The latest rule in 2026 is that for safety a bright colour enables you to find people lost or buried in snow in an avalanche.)
Road safety campaigns have introduced the idea, alliteratively promoted, Wear White At Night. This is so that pedestrians crossing the road can be seen by motorists. This idea seemed a novelty, for rare events, at first.
However, on several occasions when driving in London we have only see a dark skinned person in black clothes at the last minute and narrowly avoided an accident.
Increasing numbers of pedestrians, and increasing numbers crossing the road in a hurry. Others cross without looking, immersed in their conversation. Sometimes they loiter in the middle whilst chatting on their phones without watching traffic.
I now buy only white hats. I wear white hats at night in winter. This is extra important now that I am back in London. Darkness falls in mid afternoon in London all winter, and much of spring, with the equinox in March.
White and Colours In Singapore
Colours in winter and summer are different in Asia. London clothing is unlike Singapore where I used to live. In Singapore by day you are surrounded by bright flowers, along the bridges over motorways. Wearing black is unusual and looks depressing. When I was a teacher I was asked by the head of the school not to wear black every day but to wear a different colour every day.
In Singapore sunset is at seven all year. Most streets are brightly lit. But in London trees often obscure the street lighting. A light bulb can fail. As a pedestrian, you have to be sure to be seen. This means wearing white at night.
London Light By Day & Night
In London I often go out in the morning or afternoon expecting to be back in daylight. But my outing is extended or road traffic and trains are delayed, so I end up walking in the streets. Even if I am going door to door by car, we might park across the road from a restaurant or house. (Many streets have parking on one side only to improve space for traffic flow and large buses, lorries (Americans say trucks) and emergency vehicles. Therefore I wear a white hat to be sure I am seen later, at night, when crossing roads. Every time. That is serious. But one needs some fun in life.
Why I like Mock Pom Poms
Pom Poms are fun. More interest. More fashion, less of a practical warm for the weather, ski outfit look.
Pom poms add height. Good for women, especially those short in stature.
Soothing curves. Feminine.
Soft mock fur. This pom pom is not really rounded enough, too spiky. But I try to squash the centre into a round shape. Then I smooth the mock fur bits which stick out and pull across more mock fur to fill the gaps.
Why I Like Pearls
Pearls add class. Get attention. Light and bright. More curves.
The Soft Fabric
The knitted fabric is soft. In addition, the cap has a lining.
The label says it can be washed by hand in water up to 40 degrees.
The knitted outside is 100% acrylic. The lining is polyester. The mock fur pom pom a combination. Why should I care? When buying blouses I used to check. Cotton was more comfortable. Polyester was easier to keep clean and did not need ironing. Polycotton was the best of both worlds.
The Monsoon Company
To sum up interesting information I gleaned from Wikipedia. Monsoon started in the UK in the 1970s. Later another brand called Accessorize started literally alongside, a shop next door in London. The two merged.
I know Accessorize better than I know Monsoon. I am familiar with the name Monsoon. Accessorize have shops in many railway stations, shopping malls. Their rotating racks inside or outside the open doorway display scarves and often offers. I am always tempted to look at colours and designs and reduced prices or discounts on multibuys.
Wages Worldwide From Monsoon
Another charity connection, in addition to my hat coming from St Luke's. Monsoon's charitable function was to provide employment for impoverished women in Asia.
However, the washing label tells me this hat was made in China.
Another clothing connection. The shop staff were required to wear the company's clothes. Good idea. Benefit for customers to see how clothes fit. Quick feedback to the supplier on how the clothes look.
But an allowance for the cost of the clothes was deducted from the workers' wages. That was stopped from outside. The change was a benefit for UK workers, and I presume those staff in other Monsoon shops such as in Ireland and Italy. For more detail, accuracy, and up to date news, follow the links below and in Wikipedia.
Glossary (mini dictionary)
hospice - shelter - a nursing home providing some medical care but mainly comfort for the terminally ill.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon_Accessorize
The Monsoon company
Monsoon Clothes to buy
https://www.monsoon.co.uk/sale/
https://thrift.plus/products/monsoon-womens-blouse
St Lukes online at ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/stlukeshospice
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