The Art of the Scarf

If you'd stopped by Xtabay this afternoon, you would have seen me and Liz at the back of the store surrounding by squares of gorgeously painted silk. "The woman who owned these scarves lived in a fabulous apartment up by Washington Park," Liz said. "The walls were covered with paintings, and the furniture all looked like this." She pointed at the Hollywood Regency loveseat now festooned with chiffon and silk twill scarves. "She had brilliant jewelry, great bags, and all these scarves."

The scarves, a dozen or so, were each painted by hand and signed "Charlotte B., Paris" and dedicated to "Louise" or sometimes "Loulou." Some were painted with extravagant vases of flowers, and others with animals or people. Right away I snatched for myself a silk twill square painted with a stylized hunter, red-collared greyhounds, and stags in each corner, all in pumpkin, sage green, and charcoal. In the middle was painted the name "Saint Hubert."

"There's one I'm keeping upstairs," Liz said. "It's the bondage scarf. It has naked women painted around the border, each attached to the next with chained bracelets. In the middle is a key." Genius!

But, as Liz pointed out, no one really wears scarves nowadays. In my opinion, these scarves should be framed for display, but what about the average silk square? How do you wear it? Here are a few ideas:

• Wear the scarf as a shrug. Take a large, square scarf and tie two of its corners together to form a sort of tube. Put your arms through the armholes you just created, and presto! A shrug. A silk scarf shrug is perfect worn over a 1930s bias-cut, sleeveless gown (or nightgown worn as a gown.)
• Wear the scarf as a top. You can do this two ways. First, just fold a large, square scarf on the diagonal and tie it as a halter. Second, lay the scarf flat, pattern side down, and tie a small knot right in the middle of the scarf. Now, hold the scarf up to your chest, and tie two corners around your neck and two around your back. This looks terrific under a dinner suit.
• With a little fiddling around, you can make a square scarf into a fanny pack or even a sling. Imagine how chic it would be to whip a scarf from your bag and say, "Darling, did you sprain your shoulder? Here, try this sling."
• Definitely, definitely wear a scarf in your hair. My favorite way is to wrap it twice around my hairline when my hair is up. Very 1940s beach.
• More: tie a scarf on your purse Jackie-O style; wear it as a warm but itch-less competitor to the wool scarf; wear it under your bike helmet for a shockingly elegant way to be ecofriendly, keep your ears warm, and be gorgeous at the same time; and I won't even bore you with all the round-the-neck ways to scarf up.
• Still looking for ideas? Try this website by Hermes, called J'aime mon carré. 

If you're interested in a one-of-a-kind scarf, don't waste a minute. Get down to Xtabay now and tell Liz you want to see her scarves. They won't last long. As of today, she hadn't even put them out, so you stand a chance if you hurry.

As for me, I clipped my scarf over the valence of the wooden blinds in my bedroom to act as a curtain. Divine.

~ Angie