Stealing the spotlight

This is an excerpt of an article that ran in the Los Angeles Times on January 6, by staff writer Melissa Magsaysay Photo by Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times.

The Beret pictured below was designed by Shannita Williams-Alleyne of A Mano Yarn Center in Mar Vista, CA from our yarn Tonalita.

DIY

This Slouchy Knit Beret Practically defines 'effortless.'

Light and fluffy, it's a look favored by Sienna Miller and the Olsen twins, to name a few.

We were in the studio, getting ready to shoot the beret layout you're looking at on the opposite page. We had a stack of sophisticated designer caps, all lint-rolled, brushed and fluffed to perfection.

Then in walked the makeup artist -- in a hat that stole the shoot.

Garen Tolkin was wearing a charmingly floppy beret she had just finished knitting the night before. She spotted it at A Mano Yarn Center in Mar Vista -- "I saw it and I just had to make it," she said. And we felt the same way.

It was designed by Shannita Williams-Alleyne, who owns A Mano with her partner Annette Cutrono. Williams-Alleyne had noticed the slouchy beret around town on everyone from skater kids to celebrities. "People love them," she says. "So many people were coming in looking for the pattern, so I started playing around and ended up with a hat that I like a lot."

The result is a more relaxed version of the traditional beret associated with private school uniforms and mimes. With a slightly droopy shape, it is definitely more weekend boho than Left Bank chic, with a careless slouch that complements effortlessly styled ensembles. It's the hat that the Sienna Miller and Olsen Twins have been sporting with tuxedo blazers and high-waisted jeans, raggedy T-shirts and leggings. It looks just as cozy as it feels and easily hides a mess of unwashed hair.

With these unusually cold days, the nubby beret is a great accessory to keep warm without the drama of an insulated earflap hat. And it can be worn even when you've come inside from the cold. Just push it back on your head a little, and it will just rest in a way that ties together your whole look.