As LizaCorsillo of the strategist learned after six months of covering masks, the best ones have four things in common
An invention from the L.A. denim brand 69. Photo: Jessica Pettway For the Strategist’s first article about masks, published in late January, we consulted with three infectious-disease doctors who confirmed what we had heard from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the surgeon general, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and nearly every other qualified expert: Don’t wear them. Medical-grade N95 masks worked only if properly fitted and needed to be reserved for health-care workers.
America scrambled. Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general, put out a video showing how to make a face covering from rubber bands and fabric. If you needed a mask in early April, you bought it on Etsy, made your own, or found a friend who could sew. There were a lot of people walking around with what looked like bedsheets on their faces.
In only two days, that post had been read by more than 110,000 people. Clearly, most Etsy sellers weren’t expecting the attention; my editor and I scanned the story in shifts to remove items that had sold out and add new ones. A week later, when Governor Cuomo announced that New Yorkers must wear face coverings in public, traffic to the story spiked again. And it’s stayed spiked: Over the past four months, it has been the fifth-most-read article across all our New York Magazine sites.
The best have a few things in common: They pass the light test, something we learned about from Dr. Scott Segal, who headed up a materials study at Wake Forest Baptist Health. He suggests holding your mask up to the sun. The more light that passes through, the less effective the mask is. They fit tightly to your face. They have a bendable nose strip for a more snug — and if you’re a glasses-wearer, fog-free — fit. They fasten with adjustable ear loops.
Even in such a short time, we’ve watched micro mask trends come and go. Batik and Ankara fabric masks were popular in the beginning, when they were cited as good choices in a study out of Wake Forest. Then came florals, bandanna prints, protest masks, and masks covered in ruffles, lace, sequins, and tassels. Stacey Abrams has a vote mask that benefits her nonprofit. There are limited-edition masks from Proenza Schouler, a $1.5 million diamond-encrusted mask by Israeli jewelry brand Yvel.
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