This year’s power scarf (you already have one!)
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP Jo Elvin
DuRING a recent, epic clear-out of my wardrobe, I was thrilled to uncover buried treasure: a dusty, long-forgotten box, stuffed with old silk scarves.
There must have been about 40 of the little beauties in there, in every print and colour you can imagine.
I was suddenly transported back to a time, circa 2002, when I never really felt properly dressed without a piece of flimsy cloth, usually paisley print, draped around my neck and trailing elegantly down to the knees of my jeans. (And it was always jeans, devoted as I was to the boho style of the time and its patron saint, Sienna Miller.)
How could I have forgotten this goldmine — and why did I stop wearing them?
It’s true that, somewhere in the early Noughties, silk scarves were suddenly, violently, over. With a hivemind mentality, the fashion crowd killed them off.
Some blame it on the pashmina, an item that reached its peak at the turn of the century and seemed to usher in a hatred of any other accessory remotely like it.
It was a dark time indeed for the silk scarf, which now did not bring to mind the gamine chic of Audrey Hepburn, but rather, the Queen.
And when the minimalist look took hold, tying a silk scarf round our necks just looked unnecessary.
Funny, though, that I never could bring myself to throw away that box and, as it turns out, my rediscovery is a timely one. For silk scarves are back with a vengeance — all the way from sartorial Siberia to 2018’s new power accessory.
THE glorious return to ‘maximalism’, spearheaded by Gucci’s commercial success, has revived a demand for the more superfluous add-ons to our outfits. Luxury labels such as Versace, Balenciaga and Etro have joined Gucci in seeing sales of silk scarves sky-rocket. So now, whether you’re in a Prada or a Primark mood, there is a silk scarf for you.
It’s such an enjoyable trend, not least because it’s so affordable. And the pretty print and colour options are endless.
One humble scarf can add a world of variety to your wardrobe. Why stop at wrapping them around your neck when they also look great fashioned as belts, head wraps, turbans, ties — and even bag straps or wristbands? Iconic scarfwearer Grace Kelly even once famously fashioned a Hermes square as a sling!
For the most Gucci-esque finds on the High Street, try Mango, where I found several pretty floral-print squares. Wear one long for a casual way to give your denim a little something extra.
Its scarf with a double hit of floral and stripe print would add a sweet touch tied around your handbag (£12.99, mango.
com). Customisation has never been so easy or cheap.
Meanwhile, I love the long, skinny version by Donna Ida, named after one of the all-time great scarf muses, rock chick Anita Pallenberg. The neck tie (£95, donnaida.com) comes in black, white and pretty star prints on backgrounds of navy or black, and can be worn long and skinny or tied in a neat, billowing bow at your collar.
A brand that has really captured that Seventies rock chick spirit of late is Rockins, co-founded by Jess Morris, one of London’s Primrose Hill set. Her long, slim scarves come in a huge range of vibrant prints (from £65, rockins.co.uk) and are the ideal length and weight to loop in your belt holes and reinvent your favourite jeans.
Even cosmetics giant Avon has jumped on the bandwagon, enlisting Tabitha Webb, one of Pippa Middleton’s favourite designers, to create a signature silk scarf. Tabitha loves playful prints, and her cute zebra-print number (£35,
avon.uk.com, from February 8) doesn’t disappoint.
A silk scarf is also ideal if you love bold prints, but are a bit scared of them. I’ve long been a fan of La DoubleJ’s adventurous use of retro patterns on shirts and maxi skirts. Wearing one of its geometric prints on a skinny scarf (£105, ladoublej.
com) means you can flirt with something loud.
Meanwhile, Hobbs’s tileprint scarf could make a sweet neckerchief, but twist and tie it around your wrist and it’s a bracelet (£59, hobbs.co.uk).
Another great idea for a dramatic scarf accessory is to tie two together, giving enough fabric to fashion an oversized pussybow at your neck. A small investment for a hit of Riviera glam, I’d find two clashing prints in matching colours: try Liberty’s gorgeous scarves (from £70, libertylondon.com).
However you wear your scarf, there’s no easier way to refresh the clothes and handbags you already own. So, have a dig in the back of your closet. I bet you’ll find at least a few you haven’t looked at since 2002.