Having shown you various possibilities for arranging silk squares in your breast pocket, the discussion turns to ...
How To Tie A Scarf
Of all the beautiful scarves made year after year, perhaps the best known maker is Hermes. Themes inspired by hunting, boating, horses, flowers or Indian miniatures from the Mughal period are recognizable the world over as incomparably Hermes -- for their opulent silk twill, for the range and richness of their colors, and for their distinctive designs. Whether worn or collected as art, they're considered treasures.
How many ways can you wear a scarf? The looks are unlimited. Decades ago Hermes published a booklet on scarves. It was a giveaway to good customers and became a collector's item. It was a primer of ideas for starters, as you'll see; after that, experiment on your own. Twist and tie,
wrap and fold...make a game of it. See how many ways you can arrange a scarf. What starts as a game of concentration soon becomes an artful skill. Let the various examples spark your own imagination to create new ways to wear a scarf.
Here are the three basic folding patterns needed to achieve all the effects in the fourteen examples chosen from the booklet. They will be referred to as A, B and C. Directions for tying each style will tell you with which of the three to start, and how many steps to complete. Then a fast finishing touch does the rest.
Folding Pattern A: Lay scarf face down. Follow steps 1 to 5 exactly as illustrated.
Folding Pattern B: Fold into a triangle. Fold back the corner of the triangle (Step 1). Continue to fold into accordion pleats, while holding the corner in place (Steps 2 to 6).
Folding Pattern C: Lay scarf face up and fold accordion style from one edge to the other, in widths of about 5 centimeters or 2 inches.
Far-West. Folding Pattern B, step 1 only. Center triangle across chest. Cross the ends behind the neck and bring to the front. Drape into folds (Fig. 1, 2). Tie ends into a double knot (Fig. 3 and 4).
Very stylish! And I see no reason why the Far-West wouldn't be suitable for a man to wear under an open collar shirt with a V-neck sweater or an odd jacket.
Pierrot. Folding Pattern C. Place scarf around neck. Tie one end over the other, so that the bottom end is longer than the top (Fig. 1, 2, 3). Important: be sure to keep flatly folded throughout. Tie again bringing the longer end over the top, and pull ends sideways to make a flat knot (Fig. 4 and 5). Adjust the central knot snugly against your throat, then open the pleats, fan-like on both sides (Fig. 6).
Cocarde. Folding Pattern B, steps 1 to 6. Place scarf around neck keeping one end longer and make a simple knot (Fig. 1,2,3). Bring the long end over and under the short end and make a loop with it. Pull through to obtain half a bow (Fig. 4,5,6). Adjust the central knot. Fan the loop out into a full round cocarde, turning the ends under.
Noeud Papillon. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 5. Place the scarf around the neck. Tie into a single knot, then proceed exactly as in tying shoelaces into a bow, making sure to start with the underneath end. That's the secret to tying an evenly balanced bow. Spread open each loop for fullness.
Two ways with a waist scarf. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 4. Wrap the scarf around your waist front to back. Cross the ends, bring them to the front and tie a double knot.
The bowed waist. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 5. Tie the folded scarf at the front of your waist, making a decorative bow as described above.
Week-end. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 4. Wrap scarf around neck from front to back, leaving one end longer than the other. Bring the long end across the front and to one side, to meet the short end (Fig. 2). Tie into a simple or double knot as you prefer (Fig. 3 and 4).
For fans of old Hollywood horse operas, you might recognize this style from your childhood heroes of the Old West.
Jabot. Folding Pattern A, seps 1 to 4. Before putting it around your neck, fold the scarf in two, so that the ends are almost together. Tie the ends into a simple knot, without pulling them all the way. This forms the 'jabot' (Fig. 2) at your throat and leaves the ends just long enough to tie around the back of the neck into a double knot. A perfect way to show off the scarf's central motif.
A man could wear a jabot, though I suspect he would choose to tuck in the central motif rather than letting it all hang out.
Collerette. Folding Pattern C. Tie a simple knot at the throat, keeping the folds carefully in place (Fig. 1,2 and 3). The two ends should be of equal length. Take the uppermost end, pull it down, then through the band around your neck from bottom to top, letting it flop over and down again (Fig. 4). Do the same with the other end, moving it in the opposite direction, tucking it through the top of the folded scarf so that the end hangs loose at the bottom (Fig. 5). Spread the ends to suit your fancy.
Au Masculin. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 5. For the polished look of an ascot with no bulk under your shirt. Cross the long end over the short end and tie into a simple knot (Fig. 1 to 3). Center the knot. Take the underneath (the shorter) end and form a loop so that the long end can pass through it to make a flat knot. Tighten the knot and spread to widen it. Then take the longer end, pull it up under the knot letting it fall back over the top (Fig. 7). Arrange into a flat, wide ascot.
Hollywood. This time there is no basic folding pattern. Simply take the scarf by one of its corners and wind it around the neck as indicated in Fig. 1.2. Knot the long end with the short end by a simple knot close to the throat (Fig.3), then make a second knot so that the first can't come untied (Fig. 4 and 5). Turn the scarf, short ends on one shoulder and join them together (Fig. 6). Then take the long end and drape it over the other shoulder (Fig. 7).
Noeud de Cravate. Folding pattern A through step 5. Put the scarf around your neck, leaving one end much longer than the other. Cross the long end under the short end, wrapping it around once, then a second time (Fig. 1,2,3). Next bring the long end in towards the neck (Fig 4), then up over and back into the triangular opening of the knot (Fig. 5). Pull, and adjust necktie fashion (Fig 6).
Torsade. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 5. Twist the scarf tightly around the middle section, letting the ends hang loose. Place it around your neck, one end longer than the other. Make a simple knot, holding the twist in place. Then take one end and wind it all around the twisted section, working toward the left in an up and over motion (Fig. 2,3). Do the same with the other end, working toward the right in a down and under motion (Fig 4). The ends will meet. Tie them together in a double knot (Fig. 5,6,7).
The Torsade is similar to the style of neckerchief worn by Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief, only much more elegant.
Cordage. Folding Pattern A, steps 1 to 5. Take the folded scarf in your hands and twist it moderately tight. Make a rather loose simple knot right at the center. Next make two progressively tighter knots on each side of the center knot. This makes five knots in all, spread out along the scarf. Now take the two ends of the scarf and knot them at the back of your neck like a necklace.
If the 'necklace' was pulled up somewhat tighter around the throat, it could be worn by a man to complement a V-neck or crewneck sweater.
JMB