The scarf. A simple piece of a fabric with a surprisingly versatile history.
A practical garment. A sign of military rank. A high fashion necessity.
Scarves are arguably the most enduring accessory of all time, but they weren’t always fashionable.
A Fashion First
The origins of the scarf as a fashion statement can be traced back to Ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti. Brilliant headwraps using silk scarves and jewels made Nefertiti stand out as a fashion icon across the ages and surely had a stunning and regal effect at the time.
Until the Queen rocked her fashion, the scarf was predominately worn by men as a “sweat cloth” in hot climates, a way to keep warm in colder ones, and a rag to clean things up which is as practical as fashion gets.
Beyond that, scarves were historically a military ranking device much like the sashes of the American Revolution or Far East militaries. Check out our Military Uniform article for much more about the evolution of men in uniform.
The Year of the Scarf
If there was one year that defined the modern scarf, it was 1837.
A French fashion house, Hermes, released ready-to-wear scarf designs drawing on inspirations from regions like India. At the same time, Queen Victoria popularized bold graphic print scarves which created a perception of class and high-rank. This new supply and popular demand created a boom where you weren’t fashionable without a stunning scarf.
From then on, the scarf was a mainstay of fashion. Like any fashion, it was innovated upon endlessly. All the fabrics from silk to cotton to muslin and wool. New patterns and designs from simple solids to plaids, herringbone to printed graphics, oversized to infinity.
If there’s an innovation in fashion, you can expect a scarf to complement it.
The Modern Impact
We take the scarf for granted, but it took a long time to truly make it into our wardrobes. This versatile, practical, and fashionable accessory is truly a fashion champion. Where can the simple scarf go from here?
It’s getting a lot of limelight in this Fall 2018 fashion season. We’ve seen a major focus on scarves with entire outfits created with them by Richard Quinn, Tory Burch, JW Anderson, and Marine Serre. It remains to be seen how far into the mainstream designs like these will go, but it’s a signal of the continued love of scarves in the fashion world.
