New York City wasn't quite technically freezing on Friday, Dec. 6. Still, a 33 degree forecast was cold enough for me to seriously evaluate which type of coat I'd bundle up in—shearling like Katie Holmes, or structured like Princess Kate?—or whether I'd even go outside at all. Gigi Hadid had the same winter outfit conundrum to face for her morning errand run a few miles away from me in SoHo. In the end, she decided to let a creamy cloud scarf function as her personal space heater.
In an outfit otherwise made up of dark tones—a purple coat that looks like Frankie Shop's, gray-wash jeans, and tough lug-sole boots—Hadid's blizzard-white scarf couldn't be missed. The proportions landed somewhere between Phoebe Philo's viral satin pillow scarf and Lenny Kravitz's memeified knitted version. Her face, concealed by sunglasses and a blue baseball cap, barely poked out of the fabric swathed around her neck. She didn't look like the cold bothered her at all.
Hadid's has always been a pro at winter layering. Owning and designing a knitwear label is a shortcut to expertise in choosing the most well-insulated fabrics and cozy, coordinating textures; so is getting first-dibs on new collections while modeling for Miu Miu, Versace, and Chanel. Still, her Friday morning look was nothing short of impressive from my vantage point (where I first caught photos in my best at-home Ugg outfit, including a crewneck sweater, knit pants, and the aforementioned slipper boots). She managed to work an emotional support accessory into an otherwise casual-cool, polished outfit. A cloud scarf could truly resemble a blanket with an outfit like mine; swapping jeans in for sweatpants and a structured boot for slipper-like shoes kept things cozy without getting too comfortable.
Earlier this week, Gigi Hadid hit Waverly Inn for dinner with Taylor Swift: she layered a leather jacket over a burgundy dress and boots, while her pop star best friend chose a bubble dress and bejeweled handbag. Her dark cherry palette was perfectly on trend, but I still prefer her laid-back cloud scarf. The next time I'm nearly too cold to function, I'll channel my inner supermodel and set out wrapped up in one of the similar options below.