1 February 2010 – A Lot Up Top, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Scarf: origins unknown
- Embellished tee: self-made
- Khaki skirt: thrifted
- Purple tights: Banana Republic
- Wedges: thrifted
End Notes:
(I know my skirt is abysmally wrinkled in these pictures. Does anyone have a foolproof method for keeping one’s skirt from wrinkling while spending large quantities of time sitting at a table and reading?)
While this may not seem like that exciting of a way to kick off scarf month — and I’ll argue that this is a long distance run, not a sprint — I thought it fitting to begin with a) one of my oldest scarves and b) one of my occasional scarf dilemmas. Regarding the former, I purchased this scarf sometime, somewhere during my undergrad years. I don’t think I necessarily expected to get so much mileage out of it, yet it has become something of my problem solving scarf. Outfit too bland? The blue green scarf can fix it. Not sure what matches the rest of the outfit? The blue green scarf probably does.
Regarding the latter issue…sometimes I wonder if a scarf needs to stand alone as the sole neck-based accessory or frippery. Diana of Smiles Go With Everything posted two tutorials last year that prove that you can, indeed, wear a scarf and a necklace simultaneously. So what about a scarf and a tee with an embellished neckline?
As is so frequently the case, I think a lot has to do with balance. I chose a solid, less bulky scarf today and the monochrome nature of the embellishments keeps things from getting too busy as well. Furthermore, I chose to tie the scarf in a way that wouldn’t crowd the fabric flowers and would give some verticality to an otherwise blah color-blocked outfit. I know, multi-tasking scarf, right?
I remember one semester in undergrad when a friend came back from studying abroad in France and convinced all of us on my hall to start wearing our scarves the “French” way. I’ve since seen this knot termed the “European loop.” (S. or our European readers…care to verify?)
Simply fold the scarf in half (though in this case I purposefully folded it unevenly because I wanted one end to hang past the waistline of my skirt)…
European Loop, originally uploaded by academichic.
Wrap the folded scarf around your neck and open up the loop in the folded end…
European Loop, originally uploaded by academichic.
Stick the dangling ends through the loop and arrange.
European Loop, originally uploaded by academichic
For my purposes today, the European loop was especially useful because it can be worn off to the side, giving my fabric “corsage” some room to breathe. What do you think? Do you tend to keep your scarves as the only accessory up top? Are there certain necklines or embellishments that you would not wear with a scarf?
Scarf and embellishment detail, originally uploaded by academichic.
