https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:10:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499252 Sun, 31 May 2015 21:33:47 +0000 UK Sue 1499252@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Definitely batting for 'Team Scarf'! As a fully signed-up member of Team Giraffe and with short hair I find scarves very useful for covering the neck/shoulder point and filling in the acreage between my shoulders and chin. Also I prefer to wear plain block colours and neutrals and find scarves a good way of adding a dash of pattern without them being overpowering. Being a geometric rather than floral girl has led to me building a collection of classic Missoni scarves with their interesting take on colour matching. However the now vast range of styles, fabric weights and patterns available means there is a modern scarf for everyone, and is my personal favourite when playing hunt the bargain at TK Maxx........ </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499245 Sun, 31 May 2015 21:21:45 +0000 rachylou 1499245@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wait wait wait. How can scarves be *new*? They're old skool. And what about the Hermes craze of the 1980s? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499244 Sun, 31 May 2015 21:20:53 +0000 unfrumped 1499244@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>F </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499214 Sun, 31 May 2015 20:10:28 +0000 retailgirl 1499214@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi, Laura, Well, I'm on the East Coast and they say trends start in California, so maybe the trend is at the end of its life! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499204 Sun, 31 May 2015 19:51:53 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1499204@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's really interesting, rg - that's the kind I have worn, the long skinny rectangles and the lighter fabric infinity ones - and I am not seeing them in stores around here (Bay Area) at all. Must be a regionalism. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499202 Sun, 31 May 2015 19:49:45 +0000 retailgirl 1499202@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Laura...it's funny you should say that about looking like a stewardess...I have gotten that but since stewardesses were the epitome of style and grace in my youth, I'll take it! :-). I work in retail and the gauzy, lightweight oblongs and infinity scarves have been very popular this spring. We've sold hundreds of them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499201 Sun, 31 May 2015 19:44:36 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1499201@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with Smittie; here among the 'normal people' I'm not seeing scarves very often at all. They were in, particularly the long rectangular ones, a few years ago and have faded into obscurity. Last winter the infinity scarves were around, mostly in chunky form, but as soon as it got warmer they disappeared. </p> <p>Everything is very unadorned right now, actually - the influence of normcore, or something - not many necklaces at all either, and those that are trendy are not chunky like the statement necklaces of a few years ago. Even tops this summer are super-plain - lots of plain shells without even plackets or neckline detailing. </p> <p>I can see that for someone who has to dress business formal, i.e. in a suit, that a scarf would be a welcome parallel to a men's tie and a good way to show personality. I've never been able to wear a silk scarf myself, especially the square ones. Any way I try to tie them ends up feeling choking, and like I'm impersonating a 60s stewardess. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499164 Sun, 31 May 2015 16:55:41 +0000 Echo 1499164@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Scarves are one of the few items in my wardrobe that have a very high initial cost, but CPW is at virtually nothing for the ones I like best. In cooler weather, I wear one every single day. I wear silk scarves, as they are plenty warm enough for me, but in the fall and winter many people only see my coat, scarf and bag, so they matter a great deal to me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499161 Sun, 31 May 2015 16:46:24 +0000 Anonymous 1499161@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love scarfs, but they are the one item in my wardrobe that has an unreasonably high cost per wear. &nbsp;I no longer buy them. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499154 Sun, 31 May 2015 16:26:11 +0000 Staysfit 1499154@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My DH recently told me that if I have a signature style, it's straight leg jeans, a tee or a crew sweater and a scarf. I guess I never realized it before, but I had been wearing them for a long time. I love them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499146 Sun, 31 May 2015 15:52:35 +0000 SandyG 1499146@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Scarves as artwork have great appeal, but my reality is that without arranging, pining and never eating/drinking anything, my scarves wilt, get spotted, or generally look limp around my neck. Plus our summers are too hot.</p> <p>I fill the cravings for color and pattern by lounging with The Vivienne Files. She's big on scarves and they look fab.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499138 Sun, 31 May 2015 15:17:41 +0000 retailgirl 1499138@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love scarves. I think I have every scarf I bought in the last thirty years. It started in the eighties with the floppy bow tie...remember them? Worn with a dress for success suit. ( I've saved those but never wear them anymore). But that morphed into thirty six inch squares. For a year or two in the late nineties I was into small squares, or neckerchiefs. I wear a scarf almost every day. I have three or four favorite ways to tie them, and if a scarf doesn't work with my neckline, I'll tie it on my handbag. I've spent some serious money on some of my scarves, but I still don't have a Hermes! Someday. For winter, I have a collection of cashmere mufflers and wear a different one every day, depending on if I'm wearing my red, black or navy coat. I don't need any new scarves, ( but that doesn't stop me!) if I buy a new jacket or sweater, I almost always have a scarf in my drawer that will coordinate. I think you're a scarf person or you're not. Great article! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499117 Sun, 31 May 2015 14:54:40 +0000 Anonymous 1499117@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh yah, scarves are on my list of accessories to stock up on on the next few years. I think they'll give me some much needed polish and finishing touch. I can't wear squares in the summer- too hot. There was a time where people were wearing scarves in the summer here, and I think ppl realized it was a bit silly, so I don't see it as much. But maybe they're just "out"?</p> <p>There are these thin cravat-style scarves that Hermes makes that you could wear loose around your neck, or around your wrist. That seems like a promising option for summer (would rather find a less expensive brand though!).</p> <p>Anyway, I'm not sure what "power accessory" means but I think they're a nice alternative to statement jewelry. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499113 Sun, 31 May 2015 14:48:09 +0000 Anonymous 1499113@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My love for scarves is no secret here on this forum. &nbsp;This was a really interesting article, Lisa, and thanks for sharing it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499103 Sun, 31 May 2015 14:36:40 +0000 Peri 1499103@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting, because I've noticed fewer scarf wearers in the last two years than previously. I got very interested in them, started a collection, and have worn them continuously in cold weather for about the last 3 years, but as usual for me I felt like I was on the tail end of a trend, just catching on as others were leaving it. So I sure wouldn't call them new! But I will be happy to have the look stick around in any form.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory-for-women#post-1499090 Sun, 31 May 2015 14:15:28 +0000 UmmLila (Lisa) 1499090@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://fortune.com/2015/05/25/are-scarves-the-new-power-accessory/">http://fortune.com/2015/05/25/.....accessory/</a></p> <p>Ferragamo, Fendi and Gucci, once known for leather goods, now produce scarves for women. IMF’s Christine Lagarde regularly sports them. Is this the new way to show prestige and polish?</p> <p>When International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde goes to the G8 summit in June, she may well be wearing a scarf – a fashion accessory that she’s become known for, and one that’s been drawing more and more attention. In fact, the BBC recently identified scarves as a “new power symbol” for women.</p> <p>True, just as some men choose amusing neckties to enliven monochrome suits, many women who work in an atmosphere that requires conservative business apparel will wear scarves to add a fillip of color and distinction.</p> <p>But the trend is anything but “new.” In looking at the history of scarves in the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s clear that the allure and power of scarves has always existed – and persists. The scarf is the most simple form of adornment: a single piece of cloth. For this reason, it’s one of the most versatile clothing accessories, used for centuries across a variety of cultures, for a range of purposes.</p> <p>Many Muslim women wear headscarves for modesty, while ladies of a certain age favor scarves with a triangular fold to protect expensive or elaborate coifs. A scarf can be a political statement, and can denote a wearer’s affiliation or beliefs. Early 20th-century crusaders for women’s rights used their clothing to promote their cause, wearing scarves in the movement’s colors: white, green and purple.</p> <p>During World War II, scarves expressed nationalist sentiments. The British firm Jacqmar produced designs with propaganda-themed slogans. One featured the phrase “Shoulder to Shoulder” on a map of England emblazoned with British and American symbols. Another design mimicked a wall covered with posters urging citizens to “Lend to Defend” and “Save for Victory.”</p> <p>But in Western culture, the scarf is most prominently known for its use as a fashion accessory, one that first gained widespread popularity in the 19th century. The fichu is a typical 18th- and 19th-century style that can be seen as the forerunner of modern scarves. A piece of fabric worn lightly draped on the upper chest and usually knotted in front, it provided modest covering but was also an opportunity to add an especially fine textile – sometimes lace edged or embroidered – to an ensemble.</p> <p>Lightweight, finely woven silk and cashmere shawls from India were one of the first fashionable scarf styles. Empress Joséphine – the first wife of Napoleon – had an extensive collection (thanks to her husband’s travels), and the style persisted through much of the 19th century, spawning cheaper imitations fabricated in other parts of Europe, notably France and Paisley, Scotland. Like much of high fashion, scarves can signal one’s status, and limited edition scarves – often only made available to favored customers – can act as specific indicators for those in the know.</p> <p>For example, fashion houses send scarves, often during the holidays, as thank-yous to loyal clients. Those produced by Parisian couturiers during the 1950s were especially chic, often designed with sketches of the maison; others displayed printed patterns in the whimsical, painterly style of the era. And from the 1950s into the 1970s, the famed Manhattan eating and drinking establishment 21 produced a series of annual scarves and sent them to favorite “regulars.”</p> <p>The restaurant’s owners commissioned well-known designers, and each year’s scarf design referred to some aspect of the restaurant – its famous façade, the collection of jockey statues outside or the number 21.</p> <p>Actress Lauren Bacall, an esteemed regular, donated her 21 scarves to the Museum at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where other pieces from her wardrobe were recently exhibited.</p> <p>As a discrete space, a scarf presents an opportunity for experimentation often not available in other realms of dress that are determined – and restricted – by the shape of the body.</p> <p>In London in the 1940s, Lida and Zika Ascher initiated their “Artist Squares” project, enlisting an international roster of prominent artists to design large scarves, a group that included Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau and Henry Moore.</p> <p>The Artist Squares were sold in major department stores and also exhibited – framed, like paintings – at London’s Lefevre Gallery.</p> <p>To celebrate her new couture salon in 1935, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli made a collage of her press clippings and had it printed as fabric for scarves and other accessories, turning black and white type into a striking motif.</p> <p>A scarf by the American designer Vera offers another variation on lettering as ornament, presenting the titles of international newspapers, each in its distinctive typeface, on a vivid yellow background.</p> <p>Certain labels are particularly associated with high style in scarves. Ferragamo, Fendi and Gucci – all originally esteemed leather goods houses – now produce desirable scarves.</p> <p>But for prestige and polish, Hermès represents the pinnacle of scarf culture. Several aspects of its business have contributed to the company’s reputation. Founded in 1837 as a supplier of equestrian supplies, Hermès began offering scarves, called carrés, in 1937.</p> <p>Their focus on exclusivity has encouraged an almost fetishistic loyalty among customers, many of whom could more properly be termed “collectors.” Limiting the number of designs they offer each season has maintained Hermès’ mystique. The company’s focus on craftsmanship helps justify their reputation and high prices; Hermès takes pride in the impressive number of colors in each design, the hand-printing process and the fineness of their silk, positioning their output as artisanal creations. While not at the level of Hermès, the American accessories company Echo, founded in 1923, also has a loyal following. The firm pinpointed the essence of the scarf with their memorable ad campaign “The Echo of an Interesting Woman,” introduced in the 1970s.</p> <p>In contemporary fashion, scarves continue to serve the same functions as those earlier fine linen fichus and paisley shawls; they denote connoisseurship and sophistication.</p> <p>It’s no surprise, then, that sociologist and image consultant Anna Akbari makes “Put on a scarf” the first entry on her current list of “5 Simple Ways To Hack Your Image,” recognizing their potential for instant uplift and an infusion of individuality.</p> <p>Nancy Deihl is Master Teacher and Director of Costume Studies at New York University.</p> <p>This article was originally published on The Conversation.<br />Read the original article. </p>