February 9th, 2010 § §
Sources:
- Scarf – NY China Town
- Navy Sweater – Gap
- Denim Pencil Skirt – BR Outlet
- Pink Long Sleeve Tee – Gap
- Brown Boots – Banana Republic, via DSW
- Earrings- Gift from reader Kathleen
Endnotes:
I am also wearing these sweet little star- or snowflake-like earrings made by and sent from lovely reader Kathleen.
I am calling this tie “the pretzel tie” but I suppose “braid tie” would work too. This tie works best with a longer scarf and a two toned scarf really highlights the braid effect.
Start the tie as you would a “European loop” by folding the scarf in half and laying it over your neck. Instead of pulling both ends through the loop created by the fold, only pull one end through.
Once you have pulled one end through the loop, twist the loop and pull the second end through this newly created loop.
You should end up with a braid- or pretzel-like knot.
Adjust and tighten until you like the way it is laying. Hope you enjoy this new tie!
Category: Color Combinations, Office Hours, Our Best Flatware, Research Casual, Skirting the Issue
Tags: A. > boots > denim pencil skirt > how to tie a scarf > pink > scarf
February 1st, 2010 § §
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)…
Wrap the folded scarf around your neck and open up the loop in the folded end…
Stick the dangling ends through the loop and arrange.
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?
Category: Beltless, Reaching New Heights, Skirting the Issue, Taking Notes, Teaching Outfits
Tags: E. > embellished top > European loop > how to tie a scarf > khaki > pencil skirt > scarf > tights
December 10th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Leather jacket – Argentina, gift from father-in-law
- Cream cardigan – Target
- Blue ombre scarf – Chinatown
- Blue green scarf – origins unknown
- Gray jeans – thrifted
- Boots – Banana Republic
End Notes:
It’s no secret that all three of us at academichic are big fans of scarves, and I am always looking for new ways to tie, wrap, or knot my collection. Today, I was inspired by S.’s use of two scarves at the same time. I grabbed two of my lighter scarves, layered them together, and then tied them using the “knot” method from this video on how to tie winter scarves.
I draped the scarves around my neck, keeping one side longer than the other. Then, I tied a knot about two-thirds of the way down on the longer tail. Finally, I tucked the shorter end through the loop of the knot and then fussed and tugged until I was happy with how things draped. I’m definitely adding this to my usual repertoire of scarf-tying techniques.
Also, I don’t know why it took me so long this season to tuck my gray jeans into these knee high black boots, but now I’m fairly certain you’ll be seeing more of this pairing. Sometimes I feel like it takes me a few weeks of cold weather to get reacquainted with what my freezing-temperatures wardrobe can do.
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Layers Upon Layers, Office Hours, Pants Please, Reaching New Heights, Research Casual
Tags: boots > E. > grey > how to tie a scarf > jeans > scarf
8 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.
