tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post7775896859456093129..comments2024-01-02T10:16:13.926+00:00Comments on The Thoughtful Dresser: ScarvesLinda Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09126115924247248057noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-67446243413907433402009-09-11T09:03:54.315+01:002009-09-11T09:03:54.315+01:00I love silk scarves and I have quiet a collection ...I love silk scarves and I have quiet a collection !<br />here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/80849596@N00/fredhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/80849596@N00/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-29572577740307243012008-06-12T04:24:00.000+01:002008-06-12T04:24:00.000+01:00I have seen quite a few scarf designs. Yes, the H...I have seen quite a few scarf designs. Yes, the Hermes, Gucci, etc. Ect. <BR/><BR/>There is a new company out there called Galatin ....I met the company owner the other day and he showed me his 4 designs that will be on the shelves this fall and Christmas. I must say they are amazing. They are geared toward the outdoors woman who enjoys dogs. The subject matter is mostly sport dogs (setters, pointers, etc). They each tell a story. The 36" scarf has amazing colors that POP. .......AND the price is better than Hermes and the others . $250 to $260 (Made in ITaly). They also come with an amazing box. <BR/><BR/>Be on the look out for the GALATIN SCARForvisjunkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09984041372692296564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-70600181857425816422008-05-24T13:11:00.000+01:002008-05-24T13:11:00.000+01:00Lagatta, two good sources for silk scarf blanks a...Lagatta, two good sources for silk scarf blanks are Dharma Trading and Thai Silks.<BR/><BR/>Thai Silks only sells fabric and blanks; they are primarily a bridal/formlawear business; they carry every type of silk fabric under the sun in just about any color. Dharma Trading is mostly a dye company that also happens to sell blanks.<BR/><BR/>Just google them; both are very well known.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-54537231199409848412008-05-23T18:09:00.000+01:002008-05-23T18:09:00.000+01:00lagatta, I designed and painted a silk scarf as a ...lagatta, I designed and painted a silk scarf as a project on my textiles degree 20 years ago. I still have it. The design was paintings of jewellery, there was a brooch, a multi-coloured jewel necklace and bracelet, a diamond ring, a gold chain and an old rusty screw! My idea behind the design was that instead of wearing jewellery you could wear a scarf with jewellery on it. I painted it on white tafetta and still have it somewhere in my archives. I also put the design into repeat and silk screen printed it onto black organza. With the organza I made a puffy shirt in the style of Gianfranco Ferre. I wear it over a short sleeve long black tube dress, sometimes tied at the waist. It's still going strong after all these years.<BR/><BR/>It's great making your own scarf, the feeling of satisfaction is tremendous and you end up with something totally personal and unique!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-50158694900463843042008-05-23T15:08:00.000+01:002008-05-23T15:08:00.000+01:00Have any of the sewing mavens or visual artists on...Have any of the sewing mavens or visual artists on this site designed or painted their own silk scarves? I did silk painting years ago (not for scarves) but haven't touched it in a long time. I guess now with the internet I could read up on how to source high quality paintable silk fabric and the techniques to create a scarf that is wearable art and not a craftsy-waftsy horror. <BR/><BR/>In general, while I appreciate the quality of Hermès scarves, I don't usually like the designs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-9876985102553216502008-05-23T02:35:00.000+01:002008-05-23T02:35:00.000+01:00I've only seen HM The Queen wear scarves in one sp...I've only seen HM The Queen wear scarves in one specific context...associated w/ the country and riding. AFAIK, she never (or hardly ever) wears them as an accent. (Hats are her thing) In many ways, it the epitome of personal style.<BR/><BR/>IOW, she ties her scarf to fit a specific purpose/situation and rarely wears them for any other reason. I don't think she cares how she looks doing it, so I seriously doubt she has any reason to change how she ties it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-1711607293536943282008-05-22T08:42:00.000+01:002008-05-22T08:42:00.000+01:00I have always adored scarves and wraps. Think I in...I have always adored scarves and wraps. Think I inherited the habit from my mother and aunt. They add mystique, elegance, accent, softness or boldness. When the budget is tight, a new scarf is enough for a morale boost. I also agree that softer colors are kinder as one matures. Black is draining, but if one does wear black, a scarf of another color brightens the face. But NEVER EVER wear it tied beneath the chin. I wish the Queen would find an alternative way to wear hers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-2713176689207167932008-05-21T15:19:00.000+01:002008-05-21T15:19:00.000+01:00I have two Hermes scarves I acquired in the eight...I have two Hermes scarves I acquired in the eighties (when I lived in NYC and every small town girl trying to pass as sophisticated thought owning an Hermes scarf gave one chic). I never wore either because I found the colours on one garish, the other too sweet, AND because they were stiff. Everytime I put it on I just felt it made me look like a matron. (I feel the same way about a Chanel jacket. Some things supposedly classic you have to either be an anorexic model to pull off OR really a matron. Then I read an interview with Simon Doonan of Barney's a year or so ago and he said the only way to wear an Hermes scarf is to make it look a bit shabby...wash it a few times, make it less precious. I did this - figuring what did I have to loose I never wore the thing...It didn't run, and now is very soft. It was a mainstay of my wardrobe during a recent trip to London (paired with a t-shirt and rolled up jeans and Chuck Taylors). I received many approving comments re the "ironic" way I wore it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-58939269931537500772008-05-21T12:10:00.000+01:002008-05-21T12:10:00.000+01:00This week I stopped into the Filene's Basement sto...This week I stopped into the Filene's Basement store in Newton MA (right near my office, it's a designer goldmine) and spent some serious time at lunch looking at a huge rack of Givenchy, Chanel and Ralph Lauren scarves marked down from $300.00 to $79.00 (the Chanel's were $49.00). Still couldn't bring myself to buy one thoughAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-65625002200328754562008-05-21T00:48:00.000+01:002008-05-21T00:48:00.000+01:00One more thing...Geri mentioned the neck. The one ...One more thing...<B>Geri</B> mentioned the neck. The one thing I dislike w/ many ways scarves are tied is that they kill the neck in too many people. If your neck isn't super long, you have to be very careful in avoiding the NO NECK look...which looks good on nobody. I think that's where alot of the dowdiness lies for scarves..an unflattering neck.<BR/><BR/>There's a streetstyle blog called Style and the City which mostly focuses on average Parisian people. You see far fewer decorative (ie non winter) scarves than expected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-80765291545881838872008-05-21T00:40:00.000+01:002008-05-21T00:40:00.000+01:00Greying Pixie....I think many British women and pe...Greying Pixie....I think many British women and perhaps American women too (I'm American) get annoyed at the French chic thing mainly because they are always being <B>negatively compared</B> to French women. Perhaps French women appear confident because they aren't constantly being told the English look better? LOL<BR/><BR/>IMHO, being well dressed and looking good is influenced more by culture/climate than merely being from a specific country. There seems to be an idea that there's ONE type of chic which I don't buy. What's considered great one place doesn't work the same place else. Example, Latin America is known for having tons of chic gorgeous women, yet many manage to so do w/o scarves. They wouldn't be appropriate in much of the climate much of the year....not to mention the culture. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I think many British women have their own unique chic and much of what is supposedly chic in France wouldn't work on them. The key to looking good is knowing what looks good on YOU. That's less a national thing than it is a personal one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-14037163207351808062008-05-20T15:18:00.000+01:002008-05-20T15:18:00.000+01:00Like Toby Wollin, I too have three drawers of scar...Like Toby Wollin, I too have three drawers of scarves, including the scarf that I wore for my first job interview out of college in 1980. It was by Anne Klein. <BR/>By 1981 I had adopted my "Zurich Matron" look and started wearing both Celine and Hermes clothes and scarves. Does anyone remember those skirts with the front inverted pleat and the attached bridal bit belt? <BR/>As I aged into my early 30's I chose a more casual look, typically wearing jeans, a white shirt, a scarf and a blazer, with gucci loafers. For the next 15 years whatever my look, the scarf was always there.<BR/>Now, I've basically stopped wearing scarves because I wear stonking jewelry...yeah it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. I can see wearing a scarf with earrings and a bracelet, but how do you wear one with brooches?<BR/>Toby?Belle de Villehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14045827018848979761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-51409307424078201552008-05-20T03:09:00.000+01:002008-05-20T03:09:00.000+01:00One more thing about the scarf - let's not forget ...One more thing about the scarf - let's not forget its more substantive cousin, the wrap which is indispensable in summer, whether to ward off the chill of an English summer evening or the arctic freeze of American air conditioning. And of course to take care of the upper arms...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-75388533032279594752008-05-19T23:48:00.000+01:002008-05-19T23:48:00.000+01:00I have nothing to add to the scarf discussion I'm ...I have nothing to add to the scarf discussion I'm afraid but as for the French women = elegance debate, I much prefer the Berlin look. It is a bit more relaxed and less manicured but shouldn't style be about finding shapes and colours that suit you as an individual and not just 'perfecting' your image according to a set of style guidelines? I would say that a large proportion of both French and British women seem to fall into this trap... (not to suggest that no Berliners do this of course, but its the 'sense of style' I like best out of the three).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-49302486671060324612008-05-19T16:33:00.000+01:002008-05-19T16:33:00.000+01:00You can also get the scarf-tying booklet in PDF fo...You can also get the scarf-tying booklet in PDF format from the Hermes site. In the US version, it's called "Playtime with Your Scarf."<BR/><BR/>I'm not a big fan of the Hermes designs--they're generally too literal for my tastes (an Indian chief? Seriously?), not to mention the price--but I like longer oblongs with jackets, especially when I'm on a business trip and am trying to creatively reassemble the same components day after day. While I too have a short neck that limits the neck-scarf usage, I like to tuck the scarf inside the jacket so that the color is next to my skin in a similar way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-33624632137399529332008-05-19T13:25:00.000+01:002008-05-19T13:25:00.000+01:00The stiffness of the Hermes square does actually g...The stiffness of the Hermes square does actually go eventually after a few dry cleans. It comes from the tightness of the twill weave of the silk and is really an indication of high quality and how long it is intended to last.<BR/><BR/>Many years ago I visited the factory where the silk is woven into fabric. If I remember rightly it was somewhere near Lyon but can't swear to that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-61460191711230262872008-05-19T13:18:00.000+01:002008-05-19T13:18:00.000+01:00I have recently re-activated my love of scarves an...I have recently re-activated my love of scarves and bought several lovely new ones, Pucci, Lacroix and Missoni. I have come to realise that scarves are the most pleasurable luxury you can buy because they don't date and so you know that you really are going to have them forever which is so much more than can be said of a handbag unless it's an absolute classic (and then it's probably a bit boring). But I have no intention ever of buying an Hermes. I find them ugly and as someone else has remarked, the fabric has a stiffness that makes them more difficult to wear. Re the large squares, I think one of the best ways to wear them is not tied at all but just draped. But they have to be soft for that to work. The smaller handkerchief size squares look very chic tied at the neck. <BR/>The other great thing about scarves is that if you travel a lot, as I do, you can take a simple capsule wardrobe of neutral colours and as many scarves as you like to change your look and add colour without adding bulk to your suitcase.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-53811204538756502992008-05-19T08:30:00.000+01:002008-05-19T08:30:00.000+01:00I noticed on Youtube recently a short film clip of...I noticed on Youtube recently a short film clip of Mireille Guiliano (of French Women don't get fat fame) showing you how to tie a scarf the French way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-87909266526264023742008-05-19T08:16:00.000+01:002008-05-19T08:16:00.000+01:00I remember seeing a programme several years ago wh...I remember seeing a programme several years ago where Laurie Turner took a young French and a young British woman of similar age, income, status, etc and made a comparison of how much they considered and spent on their lifestyle, appearance, skin care, underwear, etc. Of course a huge difference soon became apparent. <BR/><BR/>When so many say that they don't like the French uniform look, what are they comparing it with? Surely not with those relaxed chic British women so renowned for their elegance? When I walk through the City (London) on the way to work I can spot the French women a mile off, mainly because they are slim, fit, well groomed, and utterly relaxed in their 'uniforms'. <BR/><BR/>Why does it arouse so much negativity in British women?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-22878062821598717422008-05-19T07:37:00.000+01:002008-05-19T07:37:00.000+01:00Just adding my 2 cents to the discussion about chi...Just adding my 2 cents to the discussion about chic French women. About a month ago I spent a week in Paris. They are normal people! Some are chic and some are not. I think we just love to idealize Paris. I do that as well. But not everybody there is chic and fabulous - trust me, I walked all over the city - rich arrondissements and not so much. But yes, they were all wearing scarves, men too :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-47197557590205974662008-05-19T02:43:00.000+01:002008-05-19T02:43:00.000+01:00I have two Hermes scarves, both gifts from my moth...I have two Hermes scarves, both gifts from my mother-in-law and while they're gorgeous, they are hard to wear.<BR/><BR/>I think the silk twill fabric makes them difficult to tie and keep in place. In fact, one of them has such a beautiful design that I'm thinking of having it made into a pillow.<BR/><BR/>I find I look much older (I'm 45) when I wear a stiff scarf. I have much better luck with softer silk, linen, cashmere or a mix of those fibres. I wear a lot of scarves in the summer to keep the sun off my body (sun cancer survivor) but I need them to have some flow to work for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-35034028029486976372008-05-19T00:17:00.000+01:002008-05-19T00:17:00.000+01:00I have over 50 Hermes carres (my family's traditio...I have over 50 Hermes carres (my family's tradition is to give them for occasions), one cashmere shawl, several pashminas, a half dozen pochettes and one of the new Egyptian cotton scarves- so as you can imagine, I'm biased.<BR/><BR/>Carres, pochette, shawl: bourgeois or not depends on pattern, how worn and your attitude. They are the highest expression of the silk printer's art. I have worn some for 20+ years, and they still fit, still look great. The key is wearing them with the simplest clothes, as Stylespy and materfamilias have. <BR/><BR/>I can spot that Ralph Lauren scarf at 80 feet... that's not criticism for choosing it, it is what it is.<BR/><BR/>Pashmina: not as identifiable, utter luxe.<BR/><BR/>Twilly; for BCBG/Neuilly teenage girls <BR/><BR/>New 'vintage square' (smaller than classic carre): don't bother<BR/><BR/>New triangle: good for summer when carre is too heavy around neck<BR/><BR/>Egyptian cotton square: not issued every summer, but in stores now. Hip, period.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-63334237500307080102008-05-18T21:58:00.000+01:002008-05-18T21:58:00.000+01:00I think we've had the 'chic Parisienne' conversati...I think we've had the 'chic Parisienne' conversation before. I don't get it either. It's a look I couldn't wear because I haven't got a Frenchwoman's shape or complexion either, for that matter. That uniform of black or navy is just so ageing on me. <BR/><BR/>GeriAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-36695778789358183542008-05-18T21:52:00.000+01:002008-05-18T21:52:00.000+01:00I was given a Hermes scarf about 20 years ago as a...I was given a Hermes scarf about 20 years ago as a leaving present from a French company. It's a lovely object, but I don't think I've ever worn it. I get it out from time to time, but that horsey design just isn't me. <BR/><BR/>I don't buy into that line about French women being so chic. When I worked there in the 80s I got so fed up with that uniform of little suits and black velvet alice bands. It was so dull! And as a 5ft 10in "giantess" there was no chance of finding anything to fit me in Paris!<BR/><BR/>I do wear scarves, but I draw the line at brooches. The very word makes me shudder. And I'm always wary when someone in a shop suggests adding a scarf or other accessory to item of clothing. A garment should stand on its own merits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-61669224652633402332008-05-18T21:24:00.000+01:002008-05-18T21:24:00.000+01:00I agree they don't look good on everyone. They lo...I agree they don't look good on everyone. They look rubbish on me because I have a short neck. The only scarves I wear are in winter, to keep me warm. <BR/><BR/>Another thing with scarves - if you're prone to hot flushes there will come a moment when you are going to have to rip it off or you'll think you might die!<BR/><BR/>GeriAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com