My winter aesthetic could best be described as “like a sheep.” On one recent, particularly bone-chilling morning I found myself piling a white shearling coat over a woolen jacket over an angora sweater, like some sort of fuzzy nesting doll. Rarely do my sartorial choices negatively affect others — but this one did. On my subway commute, snug between two women in black peacoats, I realized that their sleeves were turning white and sheepy. Mortified, I fled the subway a stop early.
Later that day, on the recommendation of my sweater-aficionado roommate, I ordered the Conair Battery Operated Fabric Defuzzer. The de-fuzzer, in both use and look, is a strange blow-dryer/razor hybrid. Its head hides a whirring razor, which shaves the pills straight off your sweater. It has a sturdy “easy-grip” handle, and a detachable “fuzz collector” compartment that slides out easily and which gives me a sort of grim cleaning-behind-my-nails satisfaction when I dispose of the pilly buildup. It is gentle, which means that the de-fuzzing is often slow going but which also means that I trust it on my oldest, most beloved — and most pilly —pink cashmere sweater. But best of all, it really works. I no longer pick pills from my sweaters and inadvertently create holes. I get to go to the dry cleaners far less often. And I can sit on the subway without feeling like a long-haired dog.
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