If the Fall /Winter 2003 ready to wear collections are any indication of the weather:  get ready for a cold winter.  A trend for stylish, oversized fur hats dominated the catwalk and gave us loads of fun options in headgear. Anna Sui kick-started this trend at her show in NY with her re-creation of the lumberjack hat - Sui retooled it in fur but added enormous ear flaps. In keeping with her knack for finding treasures at flea markets, her winter wear  was a tribute to 70's après ski -  in particular, the nubby brown fox hood that wrapped  close around the head and looked adorable and warm,  if only slightly like an imitation of a small brown bear.

Karl Lagerfeld had his ski moment  at Chanel when he showed down jackets and furry boots worn with whimsical furry hats. One very chic hat was piled with so many black feathers that it looked like a mop of black curls. Another white hat looked as if the model was wearing a white furry rabbit on her head.

Christian Lacroix for Emilio Pucci outdid himself with his playful ski hats this season  -even though, they did look like the girls were wearing giant stuffed animals on their heads. These big gorgeous multi-pastel puffy cotton candy style hats were pink, baby blue and pale yellow. One looked like a Viking helmet with horns coming out of the side, another like a puffball of cotton candy but my favorite was the Dr. Suess inspired hat in yellow and baby blue.

But it is clear that the idea in all the collections was WARMTH!!! Moschino showed big and furry SENSIBLE hats. Each had a hood combined with a neckwarmer made of fluffy fox that you pull right over the head - helmet style- until it meets  the collar of your coat. Really gorgeous! Celine did a similar helmet style hat in white mink with two white balls at the end of the strings -like a fabulously elegant poodle! And finally Valentino took keeping warm to a new level of chic with his take on the classic lumberjack hat in exquisite beige mink and long earflaps. In all shapes and sizes and materials, animal hats are the key accessory this  winter. Let it snow!