(Celebrity)

Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker Endorsed Winter’s Biggest Accessory Trend

’Tis the year of balaclavas.

by Emma Childs
Gotham/GC Images
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker

It is becoming increasingly apparent that this is the season of the balaclava. Tune into any form of social media — Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter even — and you’re bound to see at least one member of the fashion set in the cozy accessory. For one, Kourtney Kardashian wore a balaclava while on a beach walk with her family over the weekend. But, of course, she put her signature edgy spin on the head-hugging piece. While other iterations of the 2022 winter accessory tend to manifest in a colorful and kitschy manner, Kardashian’s balaclava was quintessential of her newfound “Goth Lite” aesthetic.

Her headwear, which she revealed in an Instagram post, was black and made of an inconspicuous, sleek knit material. It covered her entire face, save for her eyes and eyebrows, which made her balaclava closely resemble a ski mask (as opposed to a colorful knit hood a quirky fashion girl might wear on a matcha latte run). And in what should hardly come as a surprise, Travis Barker wore a matching dark balaclava, too. Kardashian and her fiancé have a history of wearing coordinating outfits, after all. You can see that Kardashian leaned into the dark vibe of her headwear by donning a black hoodie and a gray-green bomber jacket.

The balaclava’s trending status makes sense when you consider the current social implications. There’s the rise in face coverings, as people take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against COVID-19. Balaclavas like Kardashian’s fit perfectly under this mouth-and-nose-shrouded sartorial umbrella. (Although, it’s important to note the CDC has yet to weigh in on the accessory’s capacity to block air particle transmission, so it’s best to still wear a proper mask, too.)

You can also thank apocalypse-core fashion (envision the strategically simplistic costuming of Dune) for giving balaclavas their recent notoriety. Seen within niche trends like gorpcore and all-terrain-proof designs, the end-of-the-world inspired aesthetic emphasizes practicality and function in addition to fashion. Balaclavas, which provide warmth and style, naturally fit into this utility-based subset of fashion.

As for where you can snag the all-around headwear for yourself, scroll onward to find a selection resembling Kardashian’s black number.

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