Unconventional, pretty bicycle helmets My wife and do a lot of urban riding - mostly on bike lanes - and usually we don't wear a helmet for these rides. But I'd like us to start, and I'd like to get her a nice helmet, one that doesn't look like a standard bicycle helmet. I found a couple of companies that make the sort of thing I'm considering - for example - Yakkay, Nutcase or Lazer. Other than being more expensive, do these helmets have serious drawbacks? We live in a pretty hot, humid climate, so ventilation is definitely a concern.

Some clarifications:

I want to point out that even though I described it as "hot and humid" here, lots of people - probably a sizable minority - do ride with helmets. I ride with one on the longer rides, but I have a habit of skipping it for the short urban ones. The two of us agree, in principle, about wearing a helmet, but I think she'll be much happier starting with something pretty.

Here is Tel Aviv, by the way.
Personally, I think that good cycling helmets are beautiful. The lines are elegant. The transitions between the surface of the helmet and the vents are graceful. The way that the helmet increases in size from front to back is reminiscent of the wind. They're really quite astounding pieces of technology, if you really look at them. 

On the other hand, cheap bicycle helmets just look bulky and blunt. And the type that most people seem to be linking to, the "brain buckets" that look like skateboarding or horse racing helmets, are just hideously ugly. 

I know that doesn't really answer your question, but as you mentioned ventilation is a big issue and I really think it's worth it to have a good cycling helmet. And there's a big difference in ventilation between a $40 and a $100 helmet. I think if you drop the money on a good cycling helmet, you'll be much happier with it than you will with a "fashion" helmet.