I’m not quite sure when my desire for a Spirit Hood started, or even why, but over the past few years I’ve grown to adore them. There’s just something so whimsical about these furry hats! Harkening back to childhood I suppose, in a rather Neverland’s Lost Boys kind of way. I can’t wear one and not smile (oh don’t worry, there’s an entire blog post of silly derp faces in this hood coming soon).

My favourite animal is the wolf. There are plenty of other animals I am fond of, but my longest zoological love has been for canis lupus. I have fond memories of spending hours at the wolf exhibit at Grassmere Wildlife Reserve (before it became the Nashville Zoo). Later on, I did a short summer program as one of their junior zoologists. Of course that meant scooping the poo out of cages more than anything else, but I didn’t care. I was so happy to be on the “other” side of the fence. From then until the wolf exhibit was taken out of the zoo, I’d come every summer to see those majestic creatures (I’d swear the lone wolf always seemed very happy to see me…). A few years ago I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of shooting with a beautiful Timberwolf rescue named Breeze. (You can see the photoshoot right here!) So when I saw Spirit Hoods, the mature fashionista disappeared and wolf-loving kid Briana showed up instead.

Now, Spirit Hoods run a bit on the pricier side at $99-$300 USD, but that’s due to the high quality faux-fur products being handmade in California. Being the starving artist I am, I had put off getting a Spirit Hood as some future thing, but thanks to a sweet friend’s surprise generosity, I became the proud owner of a Grey Wolf Spirit Hood. I LOVE IT! It’s surprisingly warm with pawkets (oh the puns) and little hidden pocket to store small items like keys or a credit card. A portion of the proceeds also go to conservation of various endangered animals (pretty nifty!). Among them are Predator Defense, Snow Leopard Conservancy, Panthera, Pandas International, and Polar Bears International.

I have way too much wearing this puppy out in public. Not only does it make me happy, but it automatically seems to bring smiles to others (I’ve been known to wear it on set when it gets cold, much to the crew’s amusement). So I decided it was high time to document said happiness. For the first time in years we had snow here in Atlanta, so I batted my eyelashes at my roommates and out we went into our backyard to snap some pictures (complete with cheap fangs I bought a while back for some costume…).

There is also a student discount to get 15% off! (No, this is not a sponsored post. I just really love my Spirit Hood and want to pass on the joy!)

Spirit Hood: Grey Wolf
Photograph: Catherine of The Gluttonous Geek
Coat: Goodwill (I’ve had it since middle school!)