Haute hoods: Designers keep your covered

Hoods aren't just for, well, hoodies anymore. Oh, no - they've gone glam.

Stroll through the posh shops at the Americana in Manhasset, and you'll find yourself slipping into cozy hooded knitwear (at Max Mara), a hooded dress (at Malandrino) or a luxe stand-alone cashmere hood from Brunello Cucinelli (at Hirshleifers).

Or click on over to Saks Fifth Avenue's website (saks.com), and you'll find a down coat with sumptuous hood from Moncler.

"It's practical and a great look - a nice face-framing feature," says Saks Fifth Avenue women's fashion director Colleen Sherin. "And it doesn't have to be real fur," she adds.

Or a full-on hood. Saks also has jackets with impressive collars that serve as a dramatic backdrop, plus Burberry snoods and a furry Helmut Lang "tube scarf."

"I'm loving the hood as a separate accessory, too," Sherin says. "You can wear it with a sweater, or with any (hoodless) coat to give it a different look."

So go ahead. Whether you're bundling up with chinchilla (Jitrois), fox (J. Mendel) or, ahem, cotton fleece (American Eagle Outfitters), cozy never looked this stylish.

Spirit hoods

For the wild at heart, there's Spirit Hoods, a new faux-fur line created by Alexander Mendeluk and a "tribe" of buddies. (You may know Mendeluk, an aspiring actor, from his frat boy moment in "Twilight," when he accosts Bella in a parking lot and, well . . . let's just say it doesn't end well.)

The critter caps ($59 to $129, some with long straps and paws) come in a variety of species: wolf, fox, leopard, lion, jaguar, panda and more. A portion of proceeds benefits wildlife conservation groups. To find your own animal spirit (wolves are "social animals" and loyal; pandas, solitary and "great cuddlers"), visit spirithoods.com.