Balaclava

There's a song called Horchata by this band Vampire Weekend that I'm incredibly obssesed with... At first I thought the words to it were "In december drinking horchata. I'd look psychotic in a ball of clovers". In my head it went something like this: vampires - garlic - clove of garlic - clovers... I know, it's bad. Anyway, the point is I later found out the right words are "In december drinking horchata. I'd look psychotic in a balaclava".

Weirdest thing happened to me. While singing along to Vampire Weekend's Horchata I found myself wondering what a balaclava is - I had no idea. I found out (via wikipedia, of course) that a balaclava is a piece of clothing, a headpiece much like a ski mask actually. Turns out this knitted headpieces were sent to the British troops to help shield them from the cold weather during the Crimean War. They are traditionally knitted from wool, and can be rolled up into a hat to cover just the crown of the head or rolled down into a sort of scarf to cover the neck and upper part of the chest. The name "balaclava" comes from the town of Balaklava, near Sevastopol in Crimea, Ukraine.

Modern balaclavas can be made from a variety of fabrics and materials; including the ones made out of neoprene and acrylic which are used for an assortment of outdoor sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and so on. They also keep the inner lining of helmets clean.

In a more fashionable note, blaclavas have served as inspiration and have been included in collections by designers like Yohji Yamamoto and YSL.

Verdict? Balclavas rule! Plus the word is catchy, balaclava, I can't stop saying it.