Call That a Beanie?

After seeing beanies featured on Broadsheet today, I immediately thought of my nightcap style beanie that I bought at the Crazy House (otherwise and more formally known as the Hang Nga Guesthouse) in Dalat, Vietnam, years ago.

As soon as I glimpsed these nightcaps hanging in the Crazy House gift shop, I was captured. Knit in stripes with a pompom on the end of the very long tail, they looked like something out of a vintage storybook. In short, they were irresistible.

But has it occurred to you that ‘beanie’ is the oddest name for a hat? Where does it come from, I wonder? A beanie is a small, close-fitting hat that sits on the back of the head, with or without a button or pompom on the crown. It can be sewn from leather or cloth, or knit from yarn. According to the OED, the origin is 1940s America, perhaps from ‘bean’ in the slang sense of ‘head’. 

These beanies featured on Broadsheet are pretty darn cute too. Click here for the full slideshow. 

Beanie by Benah. Dress by ACNE. Sweater by Jac + Jack. Image by Nick Blair, from Broadsheet. Beanie by Coal. Sweater by Sportmax. Image by Nick Blair, from Broadsheet.