Russian people know hats. When I was growing up® almost every Soviet citizen owned some variation of a fur hat. You could tell a person social status by the hat: the cheapest ones were made out of rabbit fur and more expensive ones were made out of fox, wolf, sable, mink, beaver (yeah, I said beaver), etc. The typical Russian hat style is ushanka, which simply means a hat with ear-flaps.

Many years ago my Father had a muskrat hat custom made which at that time was very expensive, several times his monthly wages. I have to say that we got our money’s worth because I still own this hat and occasionally wear it to work to the delight of my co-workers.

And  no, my cat is still alive:

Of course in my hometown wearing this hat didn’t attract as much attention as it does here.

And in the army it was a part of the winter uniform:

Policemen wore them (this one is from Finland, which was a part of the USSR for some time):

Regular people wore them:

And even Kissinger put one on when it got cold enough:

Whatever you do, if you are a heterosexual male do not ever leave your house wearing any variation of ear-muffs, ear-warmers or other partial hats (visors included). These devices are the crocs of the hat world. If you are in a bind and a small animal is within reach you can easily have a do-it-yourself hat within seconds.

By the way, if you are in search of a small furry dead animal, please contact Happy In Bag, he will set you up.