Wednesday, 25 March 2009

The Eternal Head Scarf





I don't know about you, but I go in and out of headscarves darling! I wish I was joking. I love the things because Jacqmar silk squares featured strongly in my childhood. My mother's bridge friends would come round in the afternoon and leave their scarves with their scented fur coats over the banisters. I would compare the designs, try them on and replace them very carefully. I also remember being amazed when my eldest sister was given half a dozen Jacqmar scarves for her 21st birthday.




I had some gorgeous Hermes scarves in the 70s, the most conventional era of my life, and then suddenly got embarrassed by them so they ended up in the dressing up box, or as the world's most upmarket security blanket for one of my kids. Ouch. Ouch. Who would have guessed they'd be rehabilitated in the 1980s as must-haves and collectors' items?

And now, apparently, headscarves are the fashion accessory du jour, or were when I last looked. All over the autumn/winter collection catwalks, tied conventionally under the chin. Kate Moss has been known to wear one! This reminded me of a delicious book I have, The Scarf by Andrew Baseman [pub. Stewart, Tabori & Chang NY 1989] and I shall now revisit it and indulge my nostalgia.




The One That Got Away. Hermes 'Promenade de Longchamps' (1970)


Elsie de Wolfe moves the scarf knot from under the chin to the side of her neck



Diana Vreeland styles the model Bijou (1942)



My all-time favourite. Dior's "Roses sur Paris" (mid 1950s)



Bernard Buffet design (c 1959)


Emilio Pucci (1960s)



Detail: 'Hera' by Liberty. The famous peacock feather pattern was designed in 1887 by Arthur Silver




And finally, the world's most iconic wearer of the headscarf, Queen Elizbeth II with USA President Ronald Reagan riding at Windsor 1982

Photo copyright Arthur Edwards

Image at top courtesy shesinvogue.blogspot.com; Jacqmar scarf at http://www.samayalingvintage.com
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15 comments:

  1. ArchitectDesign™26 March 2009 at 11:58

    These women show how to do it right! I love scarfs myself, I think I own about 20 of them (of the male variety, not headscarves!)

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  2. Rose C'est La Vie26 March 2009 at 18:57

    That's good AD. My own favourite is in fact a man's silk cravat/scarf, navy blue with white spots, that I've worn all winter I think.

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  3. P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury13 June 2009 at 20:39

    or this one! I will say my mother (honestly a little bite of Grace Kelly-and has been told so all her life) came really DO a headscarf or kerchief as we say down S. I love those iconic pictures and what a clever post. I might add JACKIE O- she could rock one too.

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  4. Washington Cube23 June 2009 at 23:23

    I wear them. For the head. Mostly Hermes. In cooler months, around the neck. I love doing the Grace Kelly knotted at the back look. When I want to channel QEII, under the chin and Wellington boots. Can you believe I was taught that a lady always wore a silk scarf around her neck, to protect the collar of her coat? Your mother's friends would have worn them to protect the fur.

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  5. Rose C'est La Vie24 June 2009 at 04:21

    Thanks so much for sharing your scarf wisdom. I can remember clouds of loose Charles of the Ritz powder wafting around those women, settling on the fur sometimes.

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  6. Anonymous3 July 2009 at 09:02

    I have been hitting thrift shops for years...collecting designer head scarves...They are so jolly framed as art...and getting harder to find...Curses an informed public...

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  7. Rose C'est La Vie3 July 2009 at 09:23

    Anon' I know, I know. I haven't framed anything yet but it's a great idea.

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  8. John6 July 2009 at 12:43

    Here's a man's vote for more women with the panache to wear a Kelly head-scarf!

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  9. Rose C'est La Vie6 July 2009 at 12:50

    Well said that man! Thank you - we need your encouragement.

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  10. John10 December 2009 at 11:00

    Still waiting for a Kelly head-scarf sighting in Dallas-Fort Worth !

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  11. Rose C'est La Vie14 December 2009 at 11:02

    John, thank you for dropping by. Too few headscarves worn generally these days anywhere!

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  12. My Dog-Eared Pages3 February 2010 at 17:36

    I used to wear a headscarf when I lived in London or was in Paris... but usually not here for some reason? I love the Buffet scarf... it's wonderful!

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  13. Errant Aesthete3 April 2010 at 15:54

    The simple classical style of a scarf is so oft overlooked and underrated. While the celebrities you feature are perfect, your choices of scarves are simply exquisite. Commendable post.

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  14. Rose C'est La Vie3 April 2010 at 17:19

    Errant A. thank you!

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  15. Anonymous24 May 2012 at 10:33

    I like to see the headscarf tied, not under the chin as normal, but in between the chin and mouth. Really sophisticated.

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