Rock that Signature Scarf

Hello!  Welcome to Gloriously Vintage, dear Reader, it is a great pleasure to be writing more thoughts about wearing a signature scarf.

I took the plunge last Sunday and went out in a lovely soft yellow skirt and actually wore 2 scarves as I wanted to rock that signature scarf and show you these two very different scarves with this summery outfit.  It was warm enough to not need a jacket, but not very sunny!  At least I have worn my soft yellow skirt once this summer.

Collecting and wearing scarves, especially silk ones is a great passion for me.   In this post I want to share more thoughts about how a scarf can lift what you are wearing to express your personality and individual style.

 

Wearing vintage style allows for so much variation and scope to be very creative.

 

It has been a rather grey and dreary week weather-wise here in the UK- I am still waiting for the warm summer days and evenings!  We are promised some warmth next week, well dear Reader, the rest of July could be glorious!

 

 

Outfit Details

 

White pointed court shoes   Next

1950’s White framed handbag   Diane Ashman

Viyella Soft Yellow Pleated skirt   Oxfam on Line

Soft White Square Necked Top   Kettlewell Colours

Large Square Silk Graphic Print scarf   Accessorize

Square Polyester Scarf (like heavy chiffon)   Sutton Vintage and Arts Fair, last year

2 Stretch Pearl Cuffs   Dorothy Perkins

2 Rows Lotus Pearls

Large Pearl Stud Earings

 

 

Lipstick Blend:

Bobbi Brown Red lip Pencil + Revlon Red + Revlon HD Lipstick in Poppy

This bright scarf has yellow and white in the pattern.  I originally bought it to go with this skirt as a first foray into wearing yellow and is part of my S/S scarf collection.  It is made of polyester and is like heavy chiffon.  It is un-named and has a machined hem.  The mix of colours attracted me.

The texture of this scarf makes it cling to the top and stay in place well, once positioned.  It is tied in my signature style, which I will call the Elizabeth Drape as it appears regularly here.

 

 

This is a large, whisper fine graphic print silk scarf from Accessorize.  The yellow in the pattern attracted me as it would go well with my soft yellow skirt.

I am delighted to find that my post from April this year is the most read on Gloriously Vintage.  It is Make Wearing a Silk Scarf Your Signature.  What a marvellous feeling to come to the computer and find a comment from one of my Readers!  It is especially marvellous when they feel encouraged to wear scarves more and try out their own collection.

Dear Reader, you see me adding to my collection all the time as scarves are easy to store and give so much to each wearing.

 

Looking back to my April post I made this comment:

“They can finish an outfit better than other accessories”

The three reasons I think scarves can do this are:

1. Expression of personality/individuality

2. Quality and lift to an outfit

3. Pleasure and confidence

What do you think?  I expect a scarf to meet these three reasons and more!

 

 

I have referred to my particular style with a square scarf as the Elizabeth Drape because I have not found that way of tying a scarf in any books or on any websites.

 

A very important point when choosing the scarf to complete the outfit and to strengthen the signature look is to pick a top or jacket that either tones or is a contrast.

 

 

You have seen me wearing a scarf on a plain jacket, but in some of the S/S outfits having a top that tones can make a lot of difference.

 

 

In the chiffon style scarf there is white and yellow – the two key colours in the outfit.  In the large silk square scarf yellow is one of the colours and the background is white so the soft white top was a safe bet!

 

Matching the colour of the top is just as important as how the scarf looks with a jacket.  I love S/S styling because often I do not need a jacket so I am only matching a top!  Here I am wearing a soft peach top to compliment the scarf.

The soft peach also worked well with this Christian Dior scarf.  It does look great if you can remove your jacket and the scarf then looks amazing over the top you have chosen.  My trick if it cannot is to take off the jacket and the scarf and possibly tie the scarf to my handbag.  I have a couple of tops that are ruched at the front.  They are lovely tops but they just do not work with a scarf.

The two scarves featured with today’s summer outfit give very different looks.

 

 

I love the darker scarf, but feel that the large square silk one is dressier.

 

 

This is because of the quality silk brings to the total look and the size of it makes a more dramatic statement.

Silk can slip.  You can see from the photographs that the knot has moved.

 

 

I tied and placed the second scarf without a mirror, just by “feel”.  I will adjust the scarf if I know it is one that slips and am prepared to put up with it because of the overall look.

 

On a jacket a silk scarf can stay in place because of the texture of the fabric – often true of A/W styling or in between season styling.

Do you have any tips for this?

 

My tip for a flat knot that slips out too loosely is to cross the ends and do one extra over in the first part of the tie.  I used to do this with my children’s shoelaces when they were small to stop the tie slipping undone.  I do this with a fine silk scarf and then go on to finish tying the flat knot as usual.  It stays tied securely and there is no need to worry about losing a scarf that is precious.

 

New Season Trend for A/W 2016 – Scarf handles for Handbags.

 

There is a new trend on its way for A/W16 that I read about in the August Edition of Vogue UK –  scarf handles for handbags.  This does not mean the handles wrapped with a scarf, it actually means the grab or shoulder strap is a scarf.

 

Dear Reader, I love a challenge and am now busy thinking hard about how I can adapt clutch bags with an optional chain handle to take a handle fashioned out of one or two scarves.  I may have mentioned that my jeweller had fitted lobster clasps to the chain handles to enable me to remove them, to take the bags on holiday with the heavy handles in my coat pocket – not in the case adding weight!

I am going to find out if rings can be fitted with lobster clasps so that a scarf may be tied on each side of the bag to the ring.  Watch this space for the results of this quest!  There is plenty of time from now until mid September when I want to wear this trend.  I will keep you up to date with my progress.

 

I love the whole idea of another way to rock that signature scarf!

Thank you for joining me on Gloriously Vintage – do chat in the comments and make my day .  In the last photograph I am sitting on “our ” bench in the walled garden – it is where we shared our first kiss, so is very special.

 

A big thank you to Glenn for taking the photographs for this post at Baddesley Clinton, a moated manor house run by the National Trust.

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