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Museum shops as scarf sources?

minimalist

Veteran

Angie's post was timely, as my scarf collection is meager at the moment.

Lately, I've considered looking at museum gift stores as a potential source of scarves. For a long time, gift-store scarves did not appeal to me, because I associated them with 7th-grade quiz images badly printed on cheap silk or polyester. I'm very picky about the feel of anything that touches my neck. Not even all silk is tolerable, on a purely sensory level. Aquaintances who had received gift-shop scarves as presents often re-gifted them to me, since they thought of me as someone who wore scarves. But since coming across a few truly lovely scarves in or from museum shops, I'm now taking this retail stone seriously.

Do you have any museum-sourced scarves? Are there any images you'd particularly like to have on a scarf?

http://www.britishmuseumshopon.....at/scarves

https://boutique.centrepompido.....rfs/c36/1/

http://www.smithsonianstore.co.....es-shawls/

https://www.boutiquesdemusees......-chales/1/

https://store.moma.org/museum/....._Y_Scarves

http://store.metmuseum.org/app.....at/scarves
http://store.metmuseum.org/app.....cat/shawls

https://boutique.musee-rodin.f.....venus.html

I'm sad that museums of industry, science, automotive and so on often have only polyester scarves, if any at all.
http://boutiquemusee.peugeot.c.....8-dkr.html

Shopping

14 replies

Latest reply was from Momo

Diana

Veteran

Not quite an answer to your question, but your comment about the science/automotive/etc prints reminded me of this shop:

https://www.cyberoptix.com/

(Disclaimer: I don't know what the quality of their scarves is. My husband has several of their silk bow ties and they seem pretty nice.)

Jules

Veteran

About 20 years ago I was really struck by the medieval tile floors in the Palais des Papes, Avignon. There was a beautiful silk scarf inspired by them in the gift shop (not cheap by my student travel budget standards) so I bought it for my mother. At the time I did not wear scarves and she always has; she's a francophile and appreciates the decorative arts. I really thought it was a winner.
Her ho-hum reaction was a bit disappointing but gift giving has never been an easy dynamic for us. She still wears the scarf on occasion and I still think it's lovely even if you don't know the reference, which would be my standard for any such clothing... it has to stand alone and not look gimmicky.

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JAileen

Veteran

This company puts NASA photos on silk and other fabric. I'd love to have one of their scarves, but the ones I like always seem to be sold out, plus they're a little pricey:

https://slowfactory.com

I love scarves and have a ton of them. Most were thrifted and a few were gifts. I bought a silk scarf as a souvenir from the Ephesus Archeological Museum in Izmir, Turkey, of the ottoman army. It was perfect: cool image, great colors, preferred shape.

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cindysmith

Veteran

Oh, I could win the lottery and blow every cent of it on scarves from Etsy that are unique or cool or otherwise amazing like some museum gift shop scarves.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/artlab?ref=ss_profile

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1.....:130726232

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2....._gallery_2

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4.....gallery_13

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2....._gallery_1

I could do this all day but I think y'all get the point LOL

Greyscale

Veteran

I found a silk scarf at a thrift store that's the rose window from... well, some cathedral, I haven't looked up which one but I assume somewhere in France. Anyway, for me it is right on the borderline between cool and not current. (I decided on cool.) I feel that way about museum scarves in general but there are definitely some really neat ones out there!

The Cat

Veteran

I am the happy owner of a silk scarf from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a "reproduction" of a painting of a blossoming tree with a beach in the background. Very beautiful. A cherished gift from friends.

As for images on scarves, I would like:
- a painting by van Gogh
- Moroccan ceramic tiles
- landscapes
- butterflies
- cats
- teapots and teacups
- skies
- drops
- mussels
- charming old colourful buildings
Anyway, I would prefer a considerable part of the scarf to be blue or turquoise, as I am always drawn to scarves (and pictures) in those colours.

Gigi

Veteran

I would never have thought of museum gift shops as a source, but there are certainly some very interesting scarves in the links. A good conversation starter, for sure!

Jules, I love the pics you posted! I think that would have been a neat scarf. I'm sorry your mom didn't appear pleased on opening it.

Isabel

Veteran

A couple of my favorite scarves are from museum shops. They tend to have really beautiful and unique things.

LOVE this thread, btw.

krishnidoux

Veteran

I think it is ironic that your aquaintances wouldn't be acquainted enough to know you better... and that they'd think you're a scarf wearer (especially a polyester scarf wearer) when your forum name is "minimalist" typical. I am 100% with you: scarves are difficult. It's always hit or miss, but when it's a hit, it's really a hit. (My scarf drawer - yes, I actually had to dedicate a whole drawer to them... and and IKEA size drawer at that - is full of misses). You are right in stating that meterial is important, it is everything IMO. That's why I would have a hard time shopping online. It will be interesting to see what someone with experience in this will have to say.

Museum scarves can be wonderfully beautiful AND in a workable material, but I think you have to be prepared to pay the big $$$.

I love the Laurel Burch silk scarves, because both of the silk and the vibrant colours she uses.

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Aquamarine

Veteran

I love museum gift stores in general for unique items, even though I don't wear scarves.

Greyscale

Veteran

I just browsed the SFMOMA online store out of curiosity, and found this hilarious scarf. Not exactly my style but I could imagine some of my friends rocking it.
https://museumstore.sfmoma.org.....scarf.html

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JAileen

Veteran

Here's a scarf I really like:

http://store.metmuseum.org/sca.....t/12057337

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The Cat

Veteran

Greyscale, wow, the scarf you found reminds me of those real fox boas which were popular among ladies "of a certain age" in towns and cities decades ago. As a small child, I was a little afraid of them (the ladies as well as the foxes ) Later, when I realized that the foxes were not alive anymore, I felt sorry for them (the foxes) and wondered why the ladies apparently enjoyed carrying dead animals around their necks. I grew up in a village, where no woman would ever wear a dead cow or pig around her neck ...

Momo

Veteran

Two of my favorite scarves are museum shop scarves
Both have pictures of shoes
One from the museum of fine arts museum Boston is from the 1980s ( my mom got it for me when I was a teenager !)
And the other from the Met
I actually have other scarves from the Met. I think they are great quality and are very interesting and not terribly expensive. I even found some on eBay.