Betsy Johnson Scarf
Betsy Johnson Scarf

The art of scarves



"A scarf is, admittedly, not a tapestry, not a dress; it is a mere square of silk or some other material intended to be worn around the head. But it can be treated as a work of art. It can be collected like a rare book or print," said the English art and architecture critic Sir Sacheverell Sitwell in 1947.

That goes some way to explaining the appeal of scarves: while overt fashion trends come and go, this is one designer item that always holds its own. Think Hermès and Pucci and a vision of luxury silk squares, emblazoned with the most desirable ornate silk-screened patterns, springs to mind.

A luxe scarf can be both the punctuation mark of an outfit and an instant mood enhancer as it sensually swathes a neckline, drapes over the head or swings jauntily from a bag. Iconic images of style sirens such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe often feature nonchalantly elegant scarves. Similarly, today's fashion cognoscenti, spearheaded by Alexa Chung, Emma Watson and Sienna Miller, are rarely photographed without a covetable vintage or contemporary scarf, donned with a quirky modern twist. It's no wonder that silk scarves have become so popular and collectable and are fetching high prices at auction and online.

Serious scarf collectors recognise that it isn't only the French and Italian fashion houses that produce exquisite scarves. They are equally interested in the artistic designs of pioneering British labels such as Jacqmar, Liberty and Ascher, plus the American heritage brands including Echo and Brooke Cadwallader, all of whom commissioned well-known artists to produce images for their scarves. Beautifully illustrating its international credentials, the silk scarf is also often referred to as a foulard, carre, fichu or sciarpa.

Scarf aficionados are always searching for iconic and elusive scarves. For example, Hermès' first printed scarf, Le Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches, created by Robert Dumas in 1937, is highly sought after, as is Gucci's vibrant Flora, created by the artist Vittorio Accornero in 1966. According to Frida Giannini the creative director of Gucci, "the Flora was created originally as a symbolic flower bouquet for Grace Kelly. The foulard is still produced and sold, both in its original version and in new ones, in Gucci stores all over the world."

It is both this reinterpretation of signature luxury brand designs and limited edition runs, along with the popularity of vintage and contemporary pieces, that keep the scarf market buoyant. Branding, heritage, artistic prowess and symbolism, plus the use of superior fabrics and finishing, all contribute to the desirability of the scarf design.

"My father began designing ready-to-wear collections in the late 1940s and prints and textiles in the early 1950s, using the beauty of the Italian landscape and architecture as inspiration. His first scarf was a drawing of Capri," says Laudomia Pucci, the deputy chairman and image director of Emilio Pucci, the label known for its signature swirling patterns in clear colourways, punctuated with the distinctive Pucci signature. "We have something like 15,000 scarves in our archive so it is difficult to have a favourite; but my father always considered the prints of his scarves of equal importance to those of his clothes," she says.

A book celebrating the scarf has just been published by Thames and Hudson, boasting a fabulous fabric cover depicting a psychedelic 1960s creation by the British scarf designer Richard Allan. Beautifully illustrated with more than 250 images, Scarves by Nicky Albrechtsen and Fola Solanke is a real treat for collectors, designers and anyone interested in how scarves reflect the changes in fashion, design and society from the start of the 20th century to modern day. There is also a very helpful section on dating scarves and how to identify fakes.

"Generally collectors have an interest that appeals to them, such as motifs with references to animals, commemorative events, perfume, artists or a particular fashion or textile designer," says the costume designer and vintage fashion retailer Solanke. "The scarves in my collection are travel and propaganda scarves from the Second World War plus Franco Moschino scarves."

While silk is often the fabric of choice, scarves in linen, cotton and fine synthetics are equally desirable if the design and label are considered collectable. The fabric often provides a pointer to the age of the scarf as, for example, silk was in short supply during the Second World War when it was commandeered for the manufacture of parachutes. "The definition of a luxury scarf depends on the fabric used,"said Solanke. "A silk twill is considered the best quality and is thick to the touch. The finishing of the scarf's edge is also a good indicator; hand-rolled plump hems are a mark of quality, although today luxury scarves sometimes feature fine silk fringing or machine stitched edges."

The co-author Albrechtsen is also a costume designer and the owner of Vintage Labels, a resource studio for designers, which has a vast collection of vintage scarves. "They are picked for their beautiful prints or colour palettes and nearly all the designers who come to us will use these for inspiration. Recently design teams have been looking for single motifs that they can enlarge in scale and place on garments and scarves; 1970s geometrics have also been a trend."

To ensure serious scarf investments retain their value, Albrechten warns against removing potentially annoying labels, 'Women often cut the label off a scarf because they detract from the design; as with any garment this devalues the item instantly; tacking them to lie flat would be better.'

This is good advice, indeed, as scarves are perfect heirloom items to pass down through the generations. They should be stored carefully away from direct sunlight and heat, and Pucci says the best way to keep scarves looking fresh and soft is to wash them by hand with mild soap. "With time they get softer and their colours remain vibrant."

Recently the popularity of the generous pashmina wrap has led the way to larger scarves, such as the coveted Louis Vuitton Monogramouflage Stephen Sprouse tribute scarf. This season the brand has introduced a new must-have print in the same format as the Sprouse design to coordinate with the designer Marc Jacobs's autumn/winter 2011-12 collection. The collection also includes exotic iris and zebra-print traditional silk squares featuring lavish black leather tassels at each corner.

Continuing the rectangular theme, the zodiac scarves of Amanda Wakeley's current collection have been flying off the shelves and are available online. "My symbol scarves are already collectors' items," says the designer, "I am currently working on an Evil Eye collection, which is looking really gorgeous.'

Alexander McQueen's bold skull print is another modern collectable design. "The classic skull scarf first appeared in the SS03 catwalk show and has since grown to become an iconic accessory of the brand," says the design director Sarah Burton, "Our scarves are so popular that new designs are introduced seasonally where we incorporate the skull motif with the signature print of the season. The 'Floral Skull' is looking to be a favourite this autumn and is available in silk chiffon and a cashmere silk mix. Inspiration for the season comes from nature, so we've used floral blossoms and wreaths and intertwined it with our skull motif for this design."

Available online at net-a-porter.com, the Alexander McQueen scarves are big sellers. "We have offered this skull print in so many colour and fabric combinations, yet its popularity is unwaning," says the buying director, Holli Rogers. "We have a strong customer base in the UAE with scarves by Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo and Valentino the most popular."

In years to come there will no doubt be generations still bidding for those elusive Hermès and Gucci scarves alongside modern classics. Just remember not to cut those labels off if you want to start a serious collection.

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'C'mon C'mon'

Director:Mike Mills

Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO

Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)

Charles 57, Amla 47

Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)

Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9

Bangla Tiger win by five wickets

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Wonka
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Paul%20King%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ETimothee%20Chalamet%2C%20Olivia%20Colman%2C%20Hugh%20Grant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
TOUCH RULES

Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.

Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.

Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.

A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.

After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.

At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.

A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The biog

Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."

Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell 

Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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