You remember when you were a kid and your mom would always nag you about bundling up when it was cold outside? And when you would argue that your coat alone was enough to keep you warm she would throw at you three scarves, a weird hat that might’ve been your grandmother’s, and gloves three sizes too big?

Despite how dorky you may have looked, you probably noticed that you weren’t getting sick, and had to reluctantly admit that your mom was right about bundling up.

Now, you’re in college, and without your mom’s nagging to guide you, you rely on your own wit and instinct to brave the cold winter months. With that said, DePlague has been terrorizing the DePauw community for too long, making us too sick to go to classes, complete assignments, and go to parties. Fortunately, I have a solution to counter this problem, one that has been hidden in plain sight the entire time and overlooked by the people who are too “cool” to stay warm: the beanie.

As one of the many ways to look cool while staying warm, the beanie is probably the most versatile, coming in different colors and materials for each wearer. No longer will you have to decide between your grandmother’s weird hat or unrelenting cold.

Now, you might be wondering: where can I get said beanie? You can always go to any store and look in the hat section. Or go to an online store and do the same. But to get the quality beanies? That requires a more thorough search.

Now, for beanies with logos and designs on them, I would start out with shops such as Zumiez and PacSun. If you’re a Carhartt fan ( like myself), I would definitely check out Zumiez. They have a bunch of different colors for Carhartt beanies. PacSun has a few cool beanies as well, but Zumiez seems to have a larger catalog.

Some of the beanies may be a little pricey, averaging around $30, but there are some cheaper ones too if you sort the items you’re looking for by price. The Carhartt beanies I mentioned earlier are only $17.95, a price that shouldn’t hurt a college student’s bank account too much.

However, if you’re not a fan of the logos and designs or shops such as Zumiez and Pacsun overall, and want something a little plainer, I would look over at ASOS. The beanies at ASOS aren’t too pricey either; I’ve seen some for as low as $8.

But if you’re the type who hates waiting for a package you ordered to arrive and you want your beanie immediately, I would even check out Goodwill (we’ll talk more about Goodwill in a later issue).

So, at the risk of sounding like your mom, whatever you do in the upcoming winter months, don’t walk out in thirty-degree weather without a hat and suffer unnecessarily. By doing that, you’re just asking to get sick and pass around the DePlague.  

Venture out of your comfort zone and invest in a beanie that you think looks cool. You might end up liking how you look, so you can stay warm and cool at the same time.