Six Six Sick: Freak on The Street

Wearing our House of Flora hats out on the town. I think they make us look like Lego people, so we took this picture in front of a Lego display. Christina: Rodebjer top, Erin Fetherston for Target dress, Marc x Marc Jacobs boots. Tiffany: Topshop trench, CDG x H&M blouse, Future Classics top, Safe by Rebecca Turbow shorts, Vivienne Westwood x Melissa shoes, Antti Asplund necklaces.

I've worn everything from fake taxidermy crows and pigeons, leopard masks, and gigantic floral poofs on my head, in addition to numerous outlandish hats, but nothing has ever garnered 1/100th of the attention that this House of Flora PVC Beret gets walking down the streets of Manhattan. Comments usually ranged from "what the hell are you wearing on your head" to "where did you get that" to wordless knocking on the hat. More creative sidewalk commentators noted the semblance of the beret to a condom, a nipple, and a school fire bell. Needless to say, this isn't the kind of hat to wear when you want to go unnoticed, and like our facepaint outfits, I highly suggest avoiding this look if you happen to be in the market for a suitable mate, since it will exclusively attract the attention of people you would probably rather not meet. Seeing as I am married, and Christina is in a relationship of almost ten years, we feel open to the reckless abandon of regularly looking like complete and total freaks. In fact, if I were to compare the look to anything, it might be Schlitze the Pinhead of Freaks (will spare you the picture as it might scare the more sensitive ones out there).

We first became obsessed with the plastic beret when we saw Helle wearing it at her gallery opening two weeks ago, and when a sweet tipster commented that we could find the hats at Opening Ceremony, we headed there immediately and picked up a matching pair of plastic berets for ourselves. Aside from adding that certain freak-factor to our quotidian outfits, seeking out the PVC Beret also lead me to discovering the fabulousness that is the House of Flora, who not only designs hats, but jewelry, and all sorts of editorial-friendly accessories. Based in London and designed by Flora McLean, many of the designs incorporate PVC and plastics, and in addition to designing House of Flora, McLean has collaborated with the likes of Givenchy and Blumarine. I suggest everybody take a wander through her website to see all the magical creations she has made, and believe me, if I ever get the chance, I will be trying to acquire even more freaky plastic headgear in the very near future. I'll just make sure to simultaneously invest in a tazer to ward off all the other freaks and creeps when I wear them.