Covering up...
pages by
the hooded ones
Andy: I never saw her again...
Andy: A lovely Winter
Andy:Hoods-on Politics
AM: Pleasant memories of cold and rainy days
AM: Schott in TKMAXX
Andy: Weathering the storms
Andy: Another Good Start
Rude Girlz Rule - big but short v v v v v v v v phat puffy fur hood winter bomber puffa jacket
Cindy - Seemed Happy
Chesterman - How to be happy at least most of the time
Chesterman - Nice to meet and not see old friends!
Clair - Employer puts Health and Safety First
M90 - Newcastle Uni Girl
Who says wearing a hood is a bad idea? - Clair
Brooklyn Masked Hoodies - Chesterman
I bought a Goggle Hoodie - Penny
Hood You Believe it! - Wales on Sunday
GOOD! - Cindy
The Deansgate Hoodies - update
The Swedish Parka bug
Lorraine
I too have caught the Swedish Parka bug having worn them since about 2000.
They are special because of the hood which is a balaclava design and fairly unusual.The effect is that when you put up the hood and zip up the coat the zip comes up over your nose and the hood comes down over your eyebrows.This leaves a narrow horizontal slit so out of yet gives you good vision to the sides. Which is less dangerous when crossing the street than snorkel parkas nor are you in danger of falling down stairs and breaking your neck.
These parkas have a generous padding but are not too warm to wear in England. They are knee length unlike many parkas today and are very well made.They cover you up but not to an extent that you look ridiculous or like a spy or terrorist.They come in olive green which is useful if you wish to hide in an olive grove, though you may find that a climate that grows olives is at the warmer limit of their climate range.I have worn them in the tube and on buses year round in London with the hood up comfortably.
I would recommend them to anyone. Buy them before they are all gone. Certainly get them for the kids. Some very good posts here on the benefits for teenagers for being kept fully hooded. Especially in the summer to stop skin cancer. Laugh at your quotes from government supporting and opposing hoodies.
Chesterman
Dear Lorraine,
Glad to see Ask Lorraine now seems to work.
Another great term for Women Our Selves in uni. We have over a hundred members most of us kkeep to the hoods up rule all the time. Some members I have never seen at all!
Glad to say we found another supply of nb3 style parkas. Made for the US Army but no longer used by them so all our members have appeared ( or not appeared) this term in camo and desert camo snorkel parkas that reach to the knee and are massive.This wimter I have taken to wearing one of these fully snorkeled up over an nb2 also snorkelled up and camo army fatigues and new US Army boots.This lovely and warm and luxurious.
It's amazing to see the ever increasing numbers of hoods to be seen being worn by women and men on the streets and on buses and trains in London. Five years ago to see some one wearing a snorkeled up parka on the tube on a warmish day was odd but now you see it all the time.
Keep you hood up!
Kate
PS A friend in Leeds tells me what a success putting her daughter in the Most Modest Coat has been. Her daughter aged fourteen was hanging out with a gang of local no-good lads and lasses who drank and smoked skunk. An Asian neighbour took her and the daughter to see the coats and hoodies.
The daughter loved the ninja-style hoodies that are made so you can take the hood down as they only have a small opening for the eyes. She agreed to wear the hoodies and Most Modest Coat locked on. Totally concealling her and preventing her from drinking and smoking. Her school work is much improved and she no longer hangs out with the local wasters but has made friends with other Modest Coat wearers and will no doubt appear in uni with us in a few years time.
K
 |
Nineties Hoodies |
Sliding it over his body
Hi Lorraine,
I was interested
to read of the girl and her Swedish army parkas. I have bought my family
(girl fourteen and boy twelve, husband, myself) these. I bought some
a few years ago and bought some more recently from an army surplus store
on the main road east from Worcester. This is fascinating place full
of all sorts of army gear- it even has old tanks parked outside. Google
U.K. Sweddish Parka and you will find it.
Like some of your other contributors we worried about our daughter's safety when she was out on her own. Once she went to high school at eleven she wanted to go out with her friends, to town or just hang out in the local park and grotty skateboard park.
We insisted she wear her Swedish parka done up with the hood up and tied tight al the time when she was out. We thought she could not get into much trouble wearing it. Smoking drinking and kissing bad lads is difficult through the parka hood! She was very good and did as she was told. So much so she lives in her parka and rarely seems to take it off. Her friends have also acquired similar coats and go around with their hoods up all the time.
The boy wears his all the time too. His parka hood drawstings have been pulled as tight as possible and tied in a granny knott to the zip fastener - this he has sealed in a clear hard setting plastic. Only a tiny opening is left in the hood for his eyes. He has to put the parka on by sliding it over his body as the zip is stuck. Several of his friends have also done this.They can not remove their hoods if asked to do so so are banned from some local shops. GOOD!
Cindy
Living in it
Dear Lorraine
Thank you for publishing several of my letters.
I have been wearing snorkel parkas all the time with the hood up since sixth form. I have had little bother except with over zealous police and grumpy university security men. Generally people don't take any notice of you, but do look at me a bit oddly if I'm dressed like an Eskimo in the middle of July. Little boys have shouted "Benny" after me as I look like the character in the tv cartoon South Park. But I don't care and do my own thing.
I have a collection of a dozen snorkel parkas, including Alpha Industries, Schott New York, Addict, North Face and ex UK US and Dutch Army Parkas. I have lots of hoodies including ninja and zip over face designs. I have Army trousers, padded ski pants and track suit sets. I have lots of ski masks, motor cycle masks, leather and neoprene, balaclavas and an Russian Army face mask. I just hope global warming is not happening soon!
My partner Matt is a fellow hoodie.He has a gorgeous Calvin Klein very
long heavy snorkel parka with a large deep hood. He lives in it, but
I have managed to pinch it off him a few times and I love wearing it.
Picture enclosed.
Why wear parkas with the hood up? I love the feeling of warmth and security. It can be very arousing (for both women and men). We in England have more cameras spying on people than any other country in the world. Why? What business is it of the government, the police and especially the Council where I go and what I do.
You see more and more people wearing hoods up round London now than ever before. I would say to people if you want wear a hood just do so. Don't feel embarrassed if asked to take it off. Ask who ever asks you to take it off if they'd ask an Arab woman to take her veil off and threaten to report them to the race relations board. Usually they back off and look all embarrassed! And the police in London I have seen them wearing uniforms with great high black collars that reach over their eyes and helmets or riot gear that comes down over their forehead so they have no face at all!
Keep your hood up.
PENGOCH
2 for £20
Dear Lorraine,
A friend told me to go and look in the army surplus store near where I live for a cover up coat. I have only recently decided I wanted to be covered up like a muslim woman but I have no interest in that or any other religion. I already had a snorkel parka and loads of hoodies but I wanted something else.
I tried to explain to the woman in the shop what I wanted but she seemed to know. She found a rail full of padded dark green hooded norwegian army parkas.I tried one on.
It was a sensation, thick and soft and warm and all embrassing. It reached below my knees and the shop assitant pulled the hood over my head and zipped up the full length zip so it came all the way up to my nose. The top of the hood fall over my forhead leaving a narrow horizontal slit for my eyes. The shop assisant showed me the mirror. In front of me was green figure with out even eyes showing under the over hang of the hood.
I felt a thrill andmore after a few seconds! The shop assistant started to pull the hood drawstrings tight but she didnt need to I was totally concealed. I loved this coat. I had to have it.
I started to take it off. The assistant helped me and asked me my height. I said 165 centimeters, the coat label inside said made for 180cm height.
Tried another one made for 170 cm: just as good a feeling but the hood opening was wider. Shop assistant asking do you wear your hair bunched or loose. The hoods are made to be worn with army helmets. So will fall well down over the forehead. Too big a coat and short hair and you'll see nothing at all.
"How much are these coats?"
"£13.99 or I'll do you two for £20."
"What a bargin."
" There not made any more - these are 1989 issue."
" The coats are the same age as me!"
I came out of the shop wearing the larger one with the hood fully done up, carrying the smaller one. A lovely warm spring day. I was in heaven, it was gorgeous. I was hidden, cocooned, warm, comfortable, loving it.
The bus driver on the way home asked me if I was cold. Some hoodie youths in the back of the bus gave me amused looks.Otherwise nobody took much notice. When I got home I just carried on wearing it. Now I will not be without it. I wear it with the hood up and love it!
Rowena Thomas
Helping Uncle Sam
Dear Lorraine,
I was in the States recently with my ex-husband we visited Washington D C and stayed in Maryland.It was very cold 0 F and of course a hood lovers paradise. Everyone wore thick parkas, heavy hooded coats, ski masks, face masks and ski googles over hoodies etc. No wonder the thick Schott NYC jacket you picture on the Covering Up Pages was made as warm as it was.
While my ex was involved in business I went round the sites with our friends from Maryland.We met some interesting friends of their's.Bounty hunters who round up army deserters. These are a lesbian couple in their thirties who specialise in rounding up women soldiers and return them to an army compound.They are paid by results and seemed to be ruthless in tracking down and returning deserters.Deserters are not liked in the States where a large number of woman are in the army and face the same dangers as male soldiers.
What interested me was they equipment they use on their captured women.Usually they have them handcuffed behind the back with handcuffs with a chain round their waist and legironed.They dress them in old fashioned U S Army parkas that are massive and reach down to the knees and have a large hood. The hood is fastened over the head leaving only a small space by the mouth which is filled n with a ball gag fastened round the back of the head.Their captured deserters are dressed this way for their entire transportation regardless of the time of year.They usually use closed fans to transport their captives two or three at a time to the army compound, sometimes several days drive to the Gulf of Mexico.
This might be the stuff of some peoples sexual fantasy but was pretty hard on some sometimes not well women.They and many people have little sympathy for deserters. They hood and gag them to prevent them attracting attention or trying to alert friends to rescue them.They will not deal with women more than six months pregnant so they said.They leave them to the Military Police.
They did say they "made a few bucks helping Uncle Sam".
Kate
The Buff
Despite global warning scares this winter has seen more hoods up on hoodies, parkas and massive winter coats than ever. You see people of all ages and both sexes wearing hoods up indoors and out. This is so in both London and Manchester.
The Hoodie Club thrives and meets in Manchester and University of London. Not only hoods up but totally hidden faces are to be seen or not seen!
Some women tell me they wish they were muslims as muslim women totally conceal themselves. But there is no need to be a Muslim, if you want to just do it. A good friend is the Buff, a thin tube of material used by outdoor types to cover the neck and head. Wear a hoodie or parka with the hood up and pull the buff up over your mouth, nose and eyes. Pick a buff you can see through but you cannot be seen through.
I wore a large fishtail snorkel parka with the buff totally concealing my face, under the snorkel hood for three weeks over Christmas and new year in London and on trains, tubes and buses and no one said anything derogatory to me about it. Police and officials ignored me or just dealt with me as if they could see me. Lovely and warm, totally hidden and sexy.
Love
Kate
Kate
So nice to hear from you despite the difficulties you are having with the site. I haven't got to the bottom of the problem but could I just ask you to make sure the url you are trying to get to is this one:
www.lakelandelements.com
and not
www.lorraineelement.com
which doesn't work reliably any more...
L
Kate says people are having trouble using the Ask Lorraine button. Don't know what's wrong - it works when I try it myself - ?
Digging out covering ups
There are a number of pix out there at Y!-Groups which show a hoodie sweatshirt with the zip running all through the rim of the hood, so it is closed completely.
Google dumps a few results, but these are not of this kind.
Also Bench Hoodies are unavailable.
The Vexed Parka seems to be still available, after clicking through some hidden links.
I urge your contributors to dig out resources for all these fine garments.
BTW, meanwhile I resort to designing my own covering-up garments, but this takes time, and the garment will take huge amounts of doubly rubberised cotton due to its over generous width and complete cover plus the three full-size veils that provide increasing levels of concealment, eye holes, mesh, and finally, completely closed.
Kind regards
Saccus
Fashion this Fall
Hoody Club still going strong but we are disappointed that good old school-style snorkel parkas seem not to be had in any shops this fall. There is plenty of demand for them. Good to see how many people are to be seen wearing hoodies with the hood up despite the hot summer and September. Not all chavs at all sorts of people.
The trenchcoat lovers must be enjoying this season as many trench coats long and short are to be seen ideally with ahoody with the hood up worn underneath!
Here is a flier circulating amongst religious groups in Yorkshire. Very tempting garments on offer!
Love Kate
Left: extreme weather parka by Schott of New York. With concealing balaclava hood and heavy fur lined hood over.
Thanks to AM Kate and Friends.
Nathan
Alice
AM
Field Report
In January purchased a Schott Bros. parka from local TX Maxx shop. Wonderful garment beige in colour and with big fur hood. Field tested on a British east coast beach in February. A bright sunny fearsome cold day with an easterly gale blowing.
Parked car zipped up Parka hood up scarf over mouth warm mittens and went for walk along beach. Result Snug as a bug in a rug. Wonderful experience.
The Hood
Irma
Jemma
Pengoch
Fright of my life
Vexed parkas
Doctoring a few items
A Family Affair
Saccus Bag
Pengoch
Izzy
Izzy's sprig
Pengoch
Christine
Tartan Snorkel Head
HMG
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