Forget hats – this £16 M&S piece is the secret to staying warm this autumn

Autumn in Britain isn’t a postcard. It’s sideways drizzle, a sly wind that finds your collar, the morning dash when your hair looks decent and you don’t fancy flattening it under a beanie. We’ve all had that moment when the chill sneaks in and your shoulders tense without you noticing. The fix might be smaller, cheaper, and smarter than you think.

I’m at a bus stop in Walthamstow, watching people pretend the cold isn’t winning. A dad wrestles a buggy with one hand and clutches his scarf with the other, the knot loosening every two minutes. A teenager tucks her chin into a hoodie, face pink, ears exposed, scrolling like nothing’s happening. Then a woman in a camel coat steps up, slides a soft loop of knit over her head, and the wind just… stops at the edge of it.

She isn’t wearing a hat. She’s wearing the £16 M&S snood — the tidy little neck warmer that makes you feel like you’ve cheated the weather. No faff, no hair drama, no scratchy wool that leaves a mark on your forehead. She boards, pulls it slightly higher as the doors open and the air rushes in, and looks instantly more at ease. Not a hat.

Why the £16 M&S snood beats a hat when the wind bites

You lose heat fastest where warm blood runs close to the surface — neck, ears, jawline. A snood hugs that zone, creating a cosy microclimate that a hat can’t touch on its own. The M&S one is soft, fleece-lined, and sits snug without strangling. It warms the air you breathe a touch too, which calms that sharp intake you feel when a gust hits your throat. **A warm neck makes your whole body feel calmer.**

Hats are fine until they tangle with hair, headphones, or reality. On the 07:52, I watched a man juggle a beanie, a coffee, and a phone call, losing the hat twice before London Bridge. The woman with the snood didn’t touch hers once. There’s a reason runners, cyclists and dog-walkers swear by neck warmers: stable warmth beats slipping accessories. And yes, the £16 price point makes it an easy add-on to your weekly shop, not a guilt purchase.

There’s physics to back the vibe. Trapping a layer of still air close to the skin reduces convective heat loss; fleece lining adds loft, so that layer stays warm without bulk. A loop is better than an open scarf because it has no weak points for wind to snake through. *Cold starts at the neck more often than we think.* A hat targets the top. The snood guards the gateway — jaw, throat, collarbone — and that’s where drafts do their sneakiest work.

How to wear it so you actually stay warm (and look good)

Think of the snood as the anchor. Put it on under your coat collar so the fabric overlaps and seals the gap where wind likes to creep. If rain threatens, pull the loop higher when you step outside, then settle it just under the chin once you’re moving. For late trains and early dog walks, tilt it up to cover ears without committing to a full hat. Little shifts, big payoff.

Pick a neutral that goes with your outerwear, then stop thinking about it. Grey mellange with navy, camel with black, oatmeal with olive. Let’s be honest: no one does that every day. The beauty here is set-and-forget. Avoid over-tightening; you want a finger’s space to keep warm air trapped, not squeezed out. If you run hot, choose the lighter knit and wear it lower; if you run cold, tuck the bottom edge into your jumper neckline for a neat thermal seal.

Wash it with your knits on a gentle cycle and lay it flat to dry, so the lining stays lofty. Rotate two if you commute daily; they dry fast and don’t need ironing.

“Once you warm the neck, the rest of you stops shivering. It’s like flipping a switch you can’t see.”

A quick checklist helps on a rushed morning:

• Match snood to coat tone for easy styling.
• Layer under the collar to block drafts.
• Keep a spare at work or in your tote.
• Choose fleece-lined for colder snaps; cotton knit for milder days.
• Machine-wash cold, dry flat, no tumble.

The quiet upgrade that makes autumn feel kinder

There’s something quietly grown-up about investing in the bit that actually keeps you warm. Not a flashy coat, not a trend hat, just a small loop of knit that does its job every single day. The £16 M&S snood is the sort of purchase you forget until you leave the house without it and feel the difference instantly. **It’s comfort you don’t have to think about, which might be the most luxurious thing of all.**

People will still swear by hats, and good for them. But if you’ve ever abandoned yours in a bag halfway through the day, or if your scarf slips open on every crossing, the answer might be sitting in the accessory aisle next to the gloves. Try it once on a breezy platform, as the train barrels in and that metallic gust rolls through. **Notice how your shoulders don’t tense.** Notice how you breathe.

Maybe warmth isn’t loud. Maybe it’s a calm neck and a steady pulse as you walk past the river, not flinching at the gusts coming off the water. On a street of chattering teeth, you’ll feel oddly serene, like you’ve found a small loophole in British weather. You might even share the tip with the next cold-faced friend who says they “don’t do hats.” The secret’s small. The effect isn’t.

FAQ :

• What exactly is the £16 M&S piece?A fleece-lined snood (neck warmer) from Marks & Spencer — a soft loop you pull over your head to cover neck and lower face when needed.
• Is a snood really warmer than a hat?It targets the neck, jaw and throat, where drafts cause a big chunk of heat loss. Many people feel warmer overall with a snug neck than with a hat alone.
• Will it mess up my hair?Much less than a beanie. It sits below the hairline, so styles stay intact while your neck stays cosy.
• How do I style it without looking bulky?Go tonal with your coat, wear it under the collar, and keep the loop relaxed. One size usually sits neatly; tucking the lower edge creates a clean line.
• How should I wash it so it stays soft?Machine-wash cold on a gentle cycle with knitwear, then dry flat. That keeps the fleece lining lofty and comfortable.