The Scarf: Easy on-the-go style

I am, what some people might call, a “scarf connoisseur”. 

You will rarely find me on any given day without one. 

It is either draped around my neck, tied to my purse, or hanging out in my hair. Some of my best scarf finds have been at local thrift shops and city artisan fairs. Scarves are one of the best accessories to date, as they come in a variety of colours, patterns, shapes, sizes and textures. While it is fine to have expensive taste, most of us do not have the luxury of buying things like an Hermès scarf. As beautiful as those are, you can find some other amazing selections in a variety of places in any city.

The trick is to find a style/pattern that speaks to your personality. The art of wearing scarves has been around for centuries. To read a quick overview of the history, you can do so by clicking here. 

Much education around the variety of ways to style a scarf can be learned from the streets of Paris. Parisians have long been seducing others through the casual art of flaunting a scarf. Though they are not dressed to intimidate, they instead inspire a splash of attitude with this simple accessory. It appears effortless and elegant. 

While there are countless purposes for scarves, it can often seem daunting to decide how best to wear them.

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TO STYLING

Illustration credit: LineArt Designs



Illustration credit: Lelalondon

HERMЀS

The scarf or carré was introduced in 1928. One of the first ready-to-wear, which was a print of white-wigged females playing a popular game. Hermès oversaw the production of its scarves throughout the entire process, purchasing raw Chinese silk, spinning it into yarn and 

 weaving it into fabric twice as strong and heavy as most scarves available at the time. 



There is so much to be learned about the creation of scarves - especially silk. During university, my costume design professor shared her silkworm pet with us, allowing us to create our own real silk in various shapes (done so by the placement of a paper cutout inside the worm's habitat). Later, while travelling in Turkey, I was fortunate enough to be taught by locals about the production of wild raw silk (first developed in ancient China) into fabric strands for later use. 

 

Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers but loses up to 20% of its strength when wet. It can be weakened if exposed to too much sunlight and it is important that you hand wash (and hang to dry), or dry clean all silk.



This season, try dressing up an outfit or a jacket with a new scarf. It's one of the best accessories for fall and the easiest of all to work with.