SCARF IT UP & DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Article by Cinthia Singleton
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #32

Scarves. So pretty, snappy, dramatic, classic, or feminine. There’s no piece of accessory simpler to add to you outfit. Simple? Yes. SIMPLE. The hard part about wearing a scarf is that it is so versatile, leaving the wearer opportunity to “reinvent” herself each time she adds one to her ensemble. That might be the problem really, how many combinations there are with one (how its worn) and how it lets one improvise and play with it as she puts the look together. Funny, we want creativity, and yet when the scarf says, “Go for it. Show me what you got, my pretty,” we fumble and curse.

So you’re standing in front of the mirror. Dressed and ready to go or not… that outfit looks, well, a little plain. It needs something… something… but what? Instead of adding more jewelry or a brighter lipstick, go for a scarf! Pull your hair up with it pin up girl style. Wrap it loosely around your neck, one end through a looped one. Maybe you like a little more form? Then there’s the simple kerchief style. Of course, how you wear it would depend on the season. Yes, there is a scarf - depending on material, weight and size, of course - for all seasons. Ask your Parisienne amies who wear them year-round.

The concepts to get past are that scarves are strictly for:

|1| Winter and keeping warm.
|2| Old ladies
|3| Those who inherited GrandMama’s and don’t have the heart to donate them to the Goodwill

Consider them the punctuation at the end of the sentence, the bow around the package, both giving clarity and form. Scarves. Between the wealth of tutorials on You Tube and the blogs with photos and diagrams, there’s a scarf style (or at least 30) for you. Try one, then improvise from there. Your features and outfit dictate as well as your balls to dare yourself to TRY something different and experiment. See what happens. When you can work with what’s in the mirror… dash out the door and greet that day. The secret of wearing scarves is that they look effortless; YOU look spirited.

Some basics; Some suggestions…

|1| Wear a scarf that has a color that adds a little pizzazz to what you’re wearing. Maybe it has that little bit of pimento that is also in the plaid of your coat. BAM. Instant ensemble.
|2| Large diaphanous silk scarves worn loosely over the shoulders are fun. In the summer they are a life-saver when that a.c. is on.
|3| Infinity scarves are fun pure and simple… the colors, the different weights in yarn and fabric. In the winter they can be make that drafty room chill less.
|4| Vintage shops offer some great variety in all areas and at all price points. Maybe GrandMama and her generation were onto something with their scarf collections and the parade of design and novelty prints; art for your bod! So many from which to choose, from abstracts to poodles.

Don’t. Fear. The. Scarf. Not any more. Try one as you would a necklace; put it on and see how it enchants, plays with the light and ‘moves’.

A scarf is truly one of the most affordable, jauntiest accessory you can get even if all you do it tie it on the strap of your purse. Till others get wind of this, you’ll stand out. ;)

"Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.”
-Karl Lagerfeld

MORE RAD IDEAS: