You know every once in a while, when you see a woman wearing a scarf and she looks phenomenal? There are many things that come into play in this kind of situation. In no particular order, these include what she's wearing, her personal appearance, how she's carrying herself. And we can't forget the scarf itself- the colors, design, dimensions and texture. These aspects significantly affect the overall look.
But there are two things that are very commonly neglected, particularly with 100% silk and other very delicate scarves: It's: (1) finish and (2) draping. Everything else could be perfect. But if one or both of these things are off, the whole look is ruined.
Even if you begin with doing just these two things, and you may have a very inexpensive/average, light acrylic scarf, this can mark the beginning of transforming your look!
Scarfsensesilk scarves are uniquely qualified to bea great alternative to sending flowers or fruit.And, while comparable (and often somewhat lower in price) to those choices, there are some big advantages: They won’t wilt (as with flowers) or go bad (as with fruit). And every time a recipient wears hers, she’ll be reminded of your thoughtfulness!
Scarfsense features premium quality 100% silk scarves that are timeless and classic and in only vibrant, smart colorsso that it's easy to select the perfect gift for "her", whether she's a mom, sister, aunt or friend.
Scarfsense silk scarves have an ideal weight, 12 mommes.This is not too heavy or light. This weight is significant for a silk scarf today. They cost more to make. Silk scarves in this weight are luxurious, drape well & are not widely available, but can occasionally be found at higher end retail establishments.
Scarfsensesilk scarves have optimal dimensions too, 16” x 60”. This allows them to be used to make the most attractive ties. It is important to keep in mind that aspects of clothing can enhance or ruin a look. For example, under certain conditions slightly over-sized scarves can work. Today, though, some designers are working with the notion that just about any over-sized scarves are fine. This is simply not the case. There are times when they really detract from a potentially good look.
Send aScarfsensesilk scarf to her* this holiday season!
Some of you know how much I adore France and Paris, in particular. And, yes, someday, I'd like to introduce a line of square silk scarves that are the caliber of the famous Hermes scarf. Needless to say, when a customer wrote me this week to say, (I) "Gave my wife your silk scarf for her birthday – She loved it!! She wore it to Paris …… but it blew into the Seine River!!", I couldn't resist saying that my scarf was "a hit" in Paris, even though "hit" here means it fell into the Seine River : ).
Scarfsense now has a Boston area retail location for Scarfsense silk scarves! They're at Stonegate on Rt 117 in Lincoln, MA. This holiday season there will be special introductory pricing and free gift boxing!
Think about sending that special woman, be it your aunt, mother or sister, something different this holiday season! A flower bouquet or fruit basket is nice. But they last only a matter of days. I have given this a lot of thought over many years. And, if you are very careful about certain aspects of a particular choice, your gift this year could be really loved by the receiver!
A knit green or red scarf for Christmas is very thoughtful and appropriate for a teenager or young woman in her twenties. A silk scarf can be elegant and perfect for a refined woman in her 30s and older. When you find one in a wonderful shade of red or green, with a lovely classic design, it will likely be greatly appreciated and worn many holiday season for years to come.
When considering a holiday red silk scarf, look for a gorgeous rich red shade. The color needs to be deep. But you don't want it to have a brown or burgundy hue. Often, manufacturers go the other way and use a red that is too light and looks orange.
When wanting to get a holiday green silk scarf, look for shades of green that remind you of a forest and winter. Mint greens fall flat, generally. Although, if you have found one with white which makes a delicate print, it could be delightful. It could, for instance, work with a black or deep green wool or velvet outfit. A toned down chartreuse that is lime colored could potentially work with a deep green, not on its own.
One of my passions in life is designing and creating premium quality silk scarves. And, I do have a great red as well as a wonderful green scarf you could send! You can order the scarves through Amazon which will give you the option of gift wrapping and free super saver shipping or my scarfsense.com site which lets you purchase the gift box with green grosgrain ribbon shown in the picture here and use a order ahead feature which lets you to specify a preferred ship date so that you can buy gifts ahead of time.
It's not your imagination, some leopard print scarfs look awesome and others, bad. This article tells you exactly what you need to look for to find a leopard print scarf that sizzles: Leopard Print Scarf Article
Appreciating the finer things in life is a good trait. Like anything else, though, striking a balance is important.
If you want to buy a gorgeous scarf, are you going to automatically buy one that is the most expensive?
Why don't you try to find the "next" Hermes instead? It could be a fun adventure and you'd save you a boatload of cash!
Have you ever watched ‘The Voice"? An interesting aspect of this program is the idea that as an expert (here, in vocal music), you could potentially identify a real, unknown musical talent and even be a part of their evolving story. That can be very rewarding. "America's Got Talent" has done something incredible here. Did you watch when they had Jackie Evancho on last year in August and September? She was just 10 years old. Without question, she is a gifted prodigy who sings opera essentially flawlessly.
Would you have any interest in finding the next generation of this or that? If yes, what topics do you think you are qualified to do this? Singers, actors, automobiles, food, clothing? And then, what do you have access, time and/or funding to do? With clothing, especially accessories, access shouldn't be too difficult and you might be able to find the next best ones without spending that much money. For example, have you ever heard of Franco Sarto shoes? They are made in Italy and have beautiful, timeless design lines, the best materials and are incredibly well made. I fell in love with a pair of Franco Sarto pumps several years ago that had a 3" heel and a strap that would cross at the ankle.
For as long as this style was available (about 3 years), I would buy three pair at a time (I was in consulting and on my feet all the time). Believe me, when you consider the shoe, these were incredibly reasonably priced ($65/pair).
Let's talk about scarves. It's true, the top of the line is Hermes. And you pay for them, for sure. I've seen them run from $300 to $800. The price can drop quite a bit just switching to another well known designer. I have a wonderful Ralph Lauren chiffon silk scarf with a delicate paisley design that I paid $75 for. Some seasons Echo may have a couple scarves that have good material, colors and designs. I've paid around $40 for them. But, lately, I've seen that a lot of their scarf products are very faddish and not as high quality as they've been other years.
I think its fun to try to find scarves that approach or are equal to Hermes in terms of quality of silk material, design and color, but are significantly less in cost. You feel like you've accomplished something when you've been successful, not to mention the fact that you have saved a lot of money! In some ways, you might be able to compare this to the stock market. You want to catch a good stock on its way up in price, not when it has peaked, if you can help it, because you'll be paying top dollar for it then.
In your search for the next Hermes, you will surely encounter the fakes. They are out there. Whether their manufacturers are blatant and copy famous existing scarf designs or they just stamp out junk, I am stunned at the proliferation of pieces of material these companies are calling scarves. I wouldn't even want to use any of them for house cleaning rags. Really! The truth is, plan to see very low quality silk, colors, designs and processes during this endeavor.
I encourage you to become an educated shopper in whatever area you decide to try to find the next one for tomorrow. That will allow the process to be fun instead of frustrating. In the case of silk scarves for example, there are very specific qualities you should be aware of and looking for. Have fun!
It's not your imagination. There is something very special about silk scarves. A picture is worth a thousand words. Take a look. What do you see?
I think it's luminousity and softness. In this artice, I explain the five aspects that control quality and need to be considered when making a purchase.
I've been buying silk scarves for 30 years. During this time, I've noticed there is an incredible range of quality that exists for what you can buy. "You get what you pay for.", is something you need to keep in mind.
Here are the five aspects that I recommend you evaluate when you are contemplating a purchase:
Weight Dimensions Design Color Finish
Weight- The heavier the weight, the more it costs to make. Silk is weighed in mommes. Retail labeling does not generally state what this is for a given scarf. But you can tell what it is to some degree just by holding it. If it has a very sheer gossamer look and feel, it's going to be very light, potentially 4 or 6 mommes. If it is fairly substantial with strong coloring that holds up to light, it is probably 10 to 12 mommes. Much heavier than that, you are getting into weights that are better suited for drapery and upholstery. My favorite weight for silk scarves is 12 mommes. It's a perfect weight, not too light or heavy.
Dimensions- Each of the possible shapes of scarves out there comes in different dimensions. The larger the dimension, the more it costs to make. In general, the larger the better. My favorite dimensions in a square are 35" x 35". And for an oblong scarf, 16" x 60". These sizes work the best with the standard ties you can make.
Design- We are getting into more subjective ground to a certain extent. But, if you begin to spend any time studying patterns, you can tell when they are thrown together or not. Yes, it's true, fads can include thrown together looks. A poor design, though, looks tacky, plain and simple.
Beautiful silk scarves have beautiful, well thought out designs. They are attractive to look at. You enjoy gazing at them. They always enhance what they are being worn with.
Color- This is fairly subjective too. I will say though, understanding good colors and how to work with colors seems to come naturally to some and not to others. And you tend to know, with time, which kind of person you are. If you aren't very good at it, get help! It is something you can get better at with a little training and understanding.
Beautiful scarves have beautiful colors, whether they are trendy or classic, timeless colors.
Finish- The main thing to be concerned with when it comes to finish is the stitching used for the edges. There are folks out there that like hand rolled hems. Hand rolled hems can still be done improperly. I have found this to be the case even with extremely expensive scarves (costing hundreds of dollars). When done improperly, the fabric may not be flat enough as it approaches the edge and/or the stitching (thread) can come undone fairly easily. I actually prefer a well executed top stitch, as it can give you a flatter, cleaner result.
There you go. I wish I had this information when I started buying scarves. Practice makes perfect! I'm also glad you can benefit from what I've learned!
I'm not exactly sure why, but I have always bought scarves that seem to reflect how I feel or want to feel inside: happy, beautiful, vibrant, and special. Certain ones seem to be so perfect year after year for those formal important things like job interviews or weddings. But, I also like to wear particular scarves for fun, casual things, like apple picking in October or going to a surprise birthday party. Wearing a scarf is uplifting for you and sometimes even for the people you are with!
It's not that different for me when it comes to music. I listen to music that reflects how I feel or want to feel inside. So what I like in music is pretty distinct and diverse. I am crazy about:
"Early" music from these periods:
Baroque (1600 – 1750), which includes the work of these composers: Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi
Classical (1750 – 1825) which includes the work of these composers: Beethoven, Hayden and Mozart
Romantic (1825 – 1900) which includes the work of theses composers: Brahms, Chopin, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky
Beautifully structured rock. There are too many groups to name. But it starts with early 1960s material (like the Beatles) and even continues through today (Lady Gaga!)
Music in particular is so powerful when it comes to being able to affect how you feel. I can have the most draining day at work. But on the way home, if I listen to a piece of music that is hopeful, energetic, and/or positive, I'm just about guaranteed to be heading in that direction by the time the song finishes.
My dad studied music at Boston University, both voice and instrument (clarinet). He taught music in public schools to children for many years in Massachusetts and Maine. Although I learned to play flute and piccolo in the 1970s (and here I am in this concert photo- the flautist in the striped shirt), I have minimal skill.
My sister Sharon sings and directs choral music and teaches music to elementary school children at a private school in New Jersey. She went to Westminster Choir College, has sung at Carnegie Hall a couple times and sounds like Jessye Norman. It's such a gift! The next generation of children in my family could yield a couple musicians.
And if not, we'll make sure they will know how to enjoy and use music as much as their parents do.