Jan 272010

There’s no remedy for winters but to stay warm.

Everyone wants to stay warm during the cold winter days.  The dropping mercury levels bring scarves and neckwear into action.  Heavier knitted and woolen wraps replace lighter chiffon and silk scarf.

As the cold weather casts its spell scarves for women as well as mens scarves become an important dressing accessory. This lose piece of garment also become favorite gift items during the winter season.

Designers seek interesting scarf patterns for neck as well as head scarves.  Labels such as Aquascutum and Louis Vuittion add interesting scarves to their ready to wear collection. In addition to cashmere and pashmina,  fashion gurus seek newer and improved fabrics for style and convenience.

Dec 242009

As an admirer of nature I sometimes wish I were born during the Romanticism period.  Perhaps, I too would have created some breath taking piece of art which would have made me famous like William Blake.

Being a person of this nature and walking around the picturesque streets of Paisley I feel like preserving every scene through my digital camera.  The sublimity of nature and its untamed qualities remind me of the presence of the Almighty.

Downloading the pictures on my laptop and browsing through them casts a magical spell reminding me of all the lovely sceneries.

One picture amongst my album is quite different and unique.  It is of a paisley I once saw on a scarf in a small boutique.  This is the best picture among my collection as it is congruent with the name of the town, Paisley.  I wish I had bought this cashmere paisley shawl but don’t remember the location of the shop.

Having a passion for scarves and putting my thinking hat on, I plan to monogram the paisley onto a chiffon silk scarf and keep it as a souvenir from my trip to Paisley, Scotland.  I have lots of silk and cashmere scarves but none would be like my paisley silk scarf.

My black scarf with a paisley monogram would be my breath taking piece of art and might one day make me famous like William Blake.

Dec 202009

Top 10 words related to a silk scarf include:

Scarves

Shawl

Neckwear

Scarf accessories

Wraps

Pashmina

Shawls

Silk scarf

Women’s scarf

Scarfs

Dec 182009

The word scarf brings to mind ‘a wrap for the neck and shoulder’ but trust me there is a lot more associated with this word!

No doubt, scarves are mostly shawl wraps of different knitting pattern used as head or neckwear to stay warm in the cold or light weight silk scarf to accessorize and outfit during the summers.

However, new and contemporary ways of utilizing the scarf include wearing it as a skirt and as a poncho.

A scarf simply wrapped around the lower body can work as an excellent skirt.  Likewise, scarves draped around the shoulders and pinned at the center can take the form of a poncho.

There garments are easy to craft and can be made with scarves of different size and material.

Square and rectangular scarves make good skirts and sarongs.  Whereas, longer and oblong once are more suitable for ponchos.

All types of material including cashmere, pashmina, cotton chiffon, woolen and silk scarves work equally well  for this style.  Be it tartan, paisley or mission all styles seem admirable when a scarf of either is worn as a skirt or a poncho.

Dec 162009

Designer scarves have always been my weakness and I can’t seem to resist walking down the scarf accessories section of the top labels.

This time my dilemma lies between choosing one from two of my favorite brands, Gucci and Louis Vuittion.

The Gucci scarf my heart is set on is a GG pattern shawl.  It is a dark purple scarf with black GG on it.  The blend is 70% cashmere and 30% silk.  The size is 45.3”L X 49.2”H.  And it costs USD 395.

The other one is Louis Vuittion’s Leopard and Monogram Scarf.  It is a crepe silk scarf with two Louis Vuittion signatures, the monogram and the leopared print.   The size is 70.7”L X 7.9” H.  It is 100% silk and costs USD 281.

Both of the above are excellent fashion scarves and would make great scarves for women.  They can either be worn as a head scarf or as a neck scarf.

The above information confuses me as to if I should go for the purple scarf or the leopard monogram scarf. Both have become my heart throbs but would be too costly for me to buy two.

Can someone please help and advice me what to do?

Dec 122009

When it comes to thinking of scarves we normally think of a warm shawl snuggled around as a neck scarf.  Scarves are an accessory which can be worn year round depending on the material it is made of.

A cotton, light weight linen or pure silk scarf would be one’s summer accomplice.  On the contrary, woolen knitted shawls and those with a higher percentage of cashmere or pashmina would make good winter scarf accessories.

A cashmere silk scarf is quite a unique add on as slightly playing around with the blend can make it adjustable for either weather.  The standard ration is 70% cashmere to 30% silk.  This blend makes the scarfs quite warm.  Altering the ratio by adding more cashmere would make it warmer with 100% pashmina being the warmest.  On the other hand, reversing the blend by adding more silk and lesser cashmere would make it lighter and more suitable for cooler climates.

Dec 102009

Scarves have always been an integral part of women’s clothing. A scarf falls under the clothing accessories section and serves various purposes.

The main purpose of a scarf is protection.  In cooler climates wool and knitted scarves are used to stay warm.  In moderated climates, lighter materials such as a silk scarf are used as fashion scarves.

As compared to the past, today men’s scarf are becoming as popular as women scarves.

Designer scarves are available in a variety of crochet and knitting patterns.  Cashmere and pashmina shawls available in a wide variety of patterns add color to a simple outfit white providing protection against the cold.  May it be a black scarf, a red scarf, green scarf, a white silk scarf or any other color it is sure to add style and serve as an expression of personal taste.

Scarves used as uniforms help identify civil authority figures and different groups.

Ladies scarves and wraps worn as head scarves promote religious dress codes such as Judism and Islam.

Thus, a scarf originally known as a “sudarium” and used as a sweat cloth has many great uses today.

Dec 062009

The falling temperature creates a demand for extra covering from head to toe.  Snood scarves are replacing caps and hats this season as they look more fashionable.  A snood is an ordinary scarf which can be worn like a hooded scarf covering the head against the blistering cold.

These fashion scarves can be knit from wool, made from a simple silk scarf or any other material such as cashmere, pashmina, velvet etc… You can attach accessories such as furs and fringes or even pompoms to make them into a luxury item.

This winter accessory can be of any length ranging from three feet and going up till six feet depending on how many times you want to wrap it around your neck, head and ears.  The general trend is to have very long snoods, wrapped around several times for extra protection and added style.

The color of a snood scarf or snood shawl can vary from a black scarf to a white scarf and anything else in-between such as a red scarf.  But the most hip color of the season is a purple scarf.

Buy lots of shawls and scarfs this season and enjoy wearing them as a snood scarf!

Dec 042009

My passion for scarves began as a teenager.  Teenage is the time when all young adults love independence and are keen to explore new horizons.  I shall never forget my 18th birthday as it brought forward a hidden passion within me.

As a child, I loved to have lots of clothes and always wanted to wear a new outfit every time I went somewhere.  My dad’s job at the time was such that we would travel around a lot and I don’t remember living in one for over three years.  Unfortunately, with all this travelling I could not carry a large wardrobe with me all the time since packing and relocating was a big concern for us.

I had always admired my grandma who had always lived in the same house she was born in.   She had large cartons stored in the attic of used unwanted clothing and other things and never had to think of packing or extra storage space.  Whenever we’d go to granny’s house I’d go to the attic and enjoy playing with the tons of extra clothing.

By chance, we happened to be visiting granny at the time of my 18th birthday.  Each year she would ask me what I wanted as birthday gifts and would get me whatever I asked for.  This time only two days were left till my birthday and she had not even once mentioned anything about a birthday gift.  I kept on waiting till late the night before but still she didn’t ask and I disappointedly went to bed thinking she has forgotten my big day.

To my surprise when I woke up the next morning I was covered with a warm shawl wrap instead of my routine blanket and a bundle wrapped in a silk scarf lay by my side.  The shawl wrap was so soft and comfortable that I wrapped it around my shoulders and reached for the bundle which was tied with a velvet ribbon. A small card attached to the gift said “There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents and only one for birthday presents – With Love from Grandma”.  To my amazement, as I pulled at one end of the ribbon knot the bundle opened and beautiful colored scarves lay in front of me.  There were pashmina, wool, silk, cotton, velvet, cashmere, linen and all sorts of fashion scarves in different shapes and sizes.

Just then grandma opened my bedroom door and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ walked towards me.  Breathless with joy I dashed out of bed and hugged her.  I was so happy that I did not have the words to thank her.

This was the best gift ever.  There were so many scarves yet upon folding they took so little space.  I was so happy as I got so many scarves and could carry them with me everywhere we travelled without having to think of packing space.

Since that day my passion for scarves began as I realized how convenient it was to travel with scarf accessories and add style to your ordinary clothing.

Dec 022009

I love wearing scarves and shawls.  Contrary to the traditional manner of wearing a women’s scarf as neckwear, headwear and as a shoulder wrap today’s modern woman wears the same piece of cloth as a trendy accessory.

Be it pashmina or a simple silk scarf you can tie it around a million objects and flaunt your style.

Use it as a hair ribbon to hold loose hair or simply wrap it around your neck or wrist as a necklace or bracelet.  When bored of your old jeans pass a scarf through the loops and enjoy a colorful belt.  Tie a scarf matching your shoes to an everyday handbag and wear it to work.  During outdoor fun you attach scarves to your umbrellas, keys and sunglasses and impress your friends.