Scarves Determining what scarves look best on you

[Cookiefiend]

i very much agree! I am an analytical person, and I try to analyze “what colors do I need I my wardrobe” combined with knowledge about existing favorites and questions about “why do I alway reach for this scarf?”
And yet, I seem to have equal luck with scarves bought online with sales goggles om and well thought out buys from the Hermès Store. It is the challenge but also the magic of H that new colors and combinations can surprise when you use them. I will not stop analyzing, but I will also sometimes take a chance....

High five to my fellow Sales Goggle wearer! Woot!
You have it exactly right - it’s the magic of H!

Wow, thanks, this is so helpful! Pretty much all the ones I picked out online were very busy and high contrast, and none of them worked for me. I was frustrated because in my mind LA has high contrast too, but you’re right - there’s more of a focal point, and calmer transitions between colors. I did end up driving to the store a few hours from me, and finally found an Exposition Universelle that works! cw14 blanc/tabac/rose pâle. The background is the same color throughout vs the splotches of background colors in the more vibrant cws, and the crazy details not looking ridiculous on me makes up for the lack of color
View attachment 4934240View attachment 4934241

I very much like this one on you! ❤️

 

[gladhwen]

Dear all, thank you so much for your kind words and your Gute Besserungs-Greetings

I am still feeling not so good, but I had a lot of fun making these pictures.
And again I really want to thank you for opening that thread, I never took pictures of all scarfs on one day (luckily - or sadly I just have a few of them.. ).
So today I put a little makeup on (nothing too heavy) fought with my hair (not successfull) and put each H scarf on I have in my closet, even the ones I bought only for "hanging on the wall" purpose. I am most surely not the best version of myself, so sorry for that unhealthy swollen (?) look.

I'll rank the scarfs from " works for me" down to " hell NO!!!!" (which sadly includes my favorite scarf, So I'll start with a short overview and then from up to down best, second best...

Picture	Name of the scarf and orginial picture	My 2 cents
View attachment 4934245	Fantaisies indiennes / L'abre du vent / early America / Apaloosa
View attachment 4934243	from left to right: Mythiques Phoenix / Sweet dreams / La legende de la foret / l'ombre des pivoines / Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris scarf 90 /Grand Prix du Fabourg / Nuèes imaginaire / Bolduc au carrees	that's an overview of 9 scarfs (could only insert 9 total) - I found it totally interesting, what impact the scarfs have on my apperance
View attachment 4934247	View attachment 4934249Fantaisies Indiennes	Originally bought for the purpose of just "having it" this 140 cm Silk scarf is actually one of my best scarfs (you'll see later why..). The only problem I have are the orange parts of it, as orange won't do anything for me (you'll see later)
View attachment 4934250	View attachment 4934251 L'ombre di pivoines	I felt in love really badly with it and haunted it through half of my country. It was supposed to hang on the wall, as I was afraid that the tiny details wouldn't work for me.
View attachment 4934252	View attachment 4934253 Appaloosa de steppes	I thought that scarf would work perfectly with my Birkin (which is brown, too!). Actually I am having troubles wearing the scarf as I have to make sure that the brown part won't come to near to my face.
View attachment 4934255	View attachment 4934257 Hermes Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris	Actually I like that scarf better on my than the Appaloosa scarf. Actually red is a tricky color for me, yet that kind of red works.

I am only allowed to aattach 12 images, so I'll jump over to the " omg NOOO" section in the next comment (and sorry, I have a flu so I am fighting with words...)

sorry, I can't get rid of the attachments

View attachment 4934259

View attachment 4934262

Beautiful!! The La legende de la foret and l'ombre des pivoines look particularly stunning on you. The white/cream and light blue are perfect

 

[millivanilli]

Now my " won't work for me" scarfs, a few of them I really HAD to have, a few were purchased just for hanging on the wall.

Mind: same day, same makeup, nothing changed. Again up to down: ok-ish to "hell no!"

Picture	Scarf	my 2 cents
	Nuees imaginaires	That scarf I REALLY, and I mean REALLY had to have. Thanks to a dear TPFler I was able to get it. I was hessitant wearing it due to the small items on it, but I realized that the all black background helped. Though one of my most leved scarf, it's not the best I could wear
	L'abre du vent	I do felt in love with that design that I bought 2 CWs. One stayed, the red / pink one had to go. When wearing the brown - brick side up, it makes me look very old and flat. the blue side works better for me. Alas, the colors are very muted when worn on my neck, altough the scarf in itseld has beautiful colors (ok and I laughed as my hausband was making fun of me and moved a little bit)
	La legend de la Foret	My newest addition. Just for hanging purpose Looks amazing on the wall, on my neck: makes me look sick and sad.
	Grand prix du fabourg	Well, what shall I say... I really bought that for the hanging system, as I knew this won't work for me under ANY circumstances. Too many small details, orange, muted blue, what shall I say... But the real bummer was / is the next scarf
	Mystique Phoenix	What can I say... This CSGM has a symbolic connotation (do you say that?) to me. I bought it when realizing through how much *** I went in my life and after deciding " enough is enough". So I had high hopes, that the symbol of the raising phoenix, worn really near to my heart (I know, sounds a little spleeny) would help me raising as well. That was the very last Carre H had, so I bought that, knowing that it wouldn't look good on my. I still wear it, as it really helped me a lot. But it makes me look sickly, pale and tired. (which I was at that time, but... well).

Dear all, I hope it wasn't too much.

And sorry, again, I can't get rid of the last picture. Don't know why. Sorry

 

[millivanilli]

Beautiful!! The La legende de la foret and l'ombre des pivoines look particularly stunning on you. The white/cream and light blue are perfect

Thank you dear! And I love the soft neutral colors you chose- it looks so good on you!

 

[millivanilli]

You look positively gorgeous.

You (my mother and Liza Minelli) rock the colours I'd die to wear but unfortunately, most would kill me. The grass is always greener (or royal purple) on the other side (of the spectrum)

For a brown perhaps try a cool ebony (Ebene)

Thank you dear Papertiger- that helped me a lot as I am stiill on the hunt for a brown that works for me!

 

[eagle1002us]

I don't have an answer to the question of the thread, but I can throw my current relevant dilemma. I wore Trésors Retrouves on Thursday. A picture was taken of me in it. I thought I don't like the way it looks. Boring and blah. I think I will sell it. Then today as I was putting it away, I thought I love the colors in this. What was I thinking? My Trésors Retrouves is the neutral one spiced with fuchsia and purple. This observation highlighted the problem of something can look great close up and not look good at a distance. I want to look good at a distance but want to enjoy looking at my silks while they are in my hand. I can probably solve the problem for this scarf by wearing it with a fuchsia blouse (which I do not currently own). I really want to LOVE every scarf in my collection. Sigh. It is hard to look great in every scarf we own. And it is hard to know how it is going to work until you own it.

ITA with your obs that it's hard to look good in every scarf we own. And I have felt pressure to make up my mind fairly quickly to please the SA (wha?). I don't study the scarf at the boutique. Some people do. Knowing something about a couple of folks in that league I think it's safe to say they get dissatisfied with their purchase just like the rest of us.

I try to examine how the colors of an outfit blend together at some distance from the mirror.
The problem is the scarf is a small accessory for the most part. A while back I posted mod shots of most every lime HS I have. The tpf feedback on that plus how I looked in each scarf was very helpful to me. The camera is objective.

Cordy, at least consider buying a fuschia blouse or wearing one to the store. I know from previously owning a Tresors Retrouves (I had the black & ivory combo) that it's not an in-your-face pattern. Probably I should have experimented with it with several potential outfits. In retrospect it strikes me as a fairly quiet pattern that would be useful in, say, picking up the texture or pattern of the rest of the ensemble. A pattern that blends well.

 

[eagle1002us]

I have dark blonde hair, a light neutral skintone (typically the lightest or second lightest "N" shade in any US-brand foundation, or a light to mid-range Asian-brand foundation), and dark brown eyes.

Ex: I chose a blue cw of Artisans even though I thought I'd prefer the red. It's not necessarily noticeable in this lighting/pic, but the red close to my face just didn't seem to work as nicely. I think that because I'm so fair, sometimes rich colors in certain tones can overpower me, the lighter pinks and blues seem to add some warmth and life to my skin.

Similarly, I really liked the light blue Plumes en Fete on me, and I figured the light pink Into the Canadian Wild would also suit me, given the similar color palette. It gave me the confidence to buy the ItCW blind, without the possibility of a return, and it worked out!

What you're saying and I agree is that you're most comfortable in soft tones. Some people, at times including myself, just don't want to be "out there." I like earth tones for that reason. They're subtle and subdued.

 

[eagle1002us]

Very interesting thread! I have only started buying Hermes scarves last year and don’t have terribly many yet, but I realised that I like / pick scarves that are the opposite to how I dress. I don’t like patterns (except perhaps for the occasional leopard print or a breton top) and I wear very little colour - my wardrobe is mostly black, grey, navy and white. When it comes to scarves, however, I gravitate toward busy, bold and fairly colourful ones. I really like the aesthetics and intricacy of Alice Shirley or Aline Honore and so far have mostly their designs. I’m in my mid-30 and I dress quite simply and so I want scarves that compliment my style but are also fun.

In terms of colour, my skin has a yellow undertone and I look quite good in rich jewel tones, emerald green, turquoise, cobalt, magenta pink, iris, rich purple... I also love warm toned yellows and I find they really brighten my skin. I also look good in bright orange based reds but I really that’s one colour that I feel really uncomfortable wearing and so my predominantly red scarves ended up being re-homed.
I love some of the pastel CWs like the cream and pistachio Toucans but it makes me look insipid. Brown usually doesn’t do much for me either - but I would still try it if I love the design. The yellow CW of Plumes en Fete has quite a lot of brown/ cool beige in is actually very flattering one me.

In terms of size, I feel most comfortable with either the 90s and on my SA’s recommendation have started exploring the smaller formats as well, the 70s, bandanas and gavroches which I find very flattering and and easy to work with. I have one triangular scarf and I love the idea of the silk and cashmere CGSMs but I feel like it’s too much fabric for me to manage and I was also dissuaded from the 140 format by my SA as well.

Ultimately I think it’s all about trial and error, trying things on and out and finding what works for you, your taste, your wardrobe and your lifestyle

I have the yellow Plumes en Fete. I have fair skin and don't wear makeup. I am a little on the fence about the yellow PenF and would love to see how it looks on you. I can't really see the brown (undertones) of the scarf, I see the vivid saturated yellow background and the silvery gray. I like silvery gray, it's a fav color for me. I'm thinking skin tone may be important in pulling out colors of the scarf that people with different skin tones might not "see."

 

[Cordeliere]

Now my " won't work for me" scarfs, a few of them I really HAD to have, a few were purchased just for hanging on the wall.

Mind: same day, same makeup, nothing changed. Again up to down: ok-ish to "hell no!"

Picture	Scarf	my 2 cents
View attachment 4934265	View attachment 4934266Nuees imaginaires	That scarf I REALLY, and I mean REALLY had to have. Thanks to a dear TPFler I was able to get it. I was hessitant wearing it due to the small items on it, but I realized that the all black background helped. Though one of my most leved scarf, it's not the best I could wear
View attachment 4934267	View attachment 4934268L'abre du vent	I do felt in love with that design that I bought 2 CWs. One stayed, the red / pink one had to go. When wearing the brown - brick side up, it makes me look very old and flat. the blue side works better for me. Alas, the colors are very muted when worn on my neck, altough the scarf in itseld has beautiful colors (ok and I laughed as my hausband was making fun of me and moved a little bit)
View attachment 4934269	View attachment 4934270 La legend de la Foret	My newest addition. Just for hanging purpose Looks amazing on the wall, on my neck: makes me look sick and sad.
View attachment 4934285	View attachment 4934273Grand prix du fabourg	Well, what shall I say... I really bought that for the hanging system, as I knew this won't work for me under ANY circumstances. Too many small details, orange, muted blue, what shall I say... But the real bummer was / is the next scarf
View attachment 4934274	View attachment 4934276 Mystique Phoenix	What can I say... This CSGM has a symbolic connotation (do you say that?) to me. I bought it when realizing through how much *** I went in my life and after deciding " enough is enough". So I had high hopes, that the symbol of the raising phoenix, worn really near to my heart (I know, sounds a little spleeny) would help me raising as well. That was the very last Carre H had, so I bought that, knowing that it wouldn't look good on my. I still wear it, as it really helped me a lot. But it makes me look sickly, pale and tired. (which I was at that time, but... well).

Dear all, I hope it wasn't too much.

And sorry, again, I can't get rid of the last picture. Don't know why. Sorry

Your sharing of your decision process and the pictures is fabulous. I am in awe that you could whip out that many pictures in a short time.

 

[Ania]

I have the yellow Plumes en Fete. I have fair skin and don't wear makeup. I am a little on the fence about the yellow PenF and would love to see how it looks on you. I can't really see the brown (undertones) of the scarf, I see the vivid saturated yellow background and the silvery gray. I like silvery gray, it's a fav color for me. I'm thinking skin tone may be important in pulling out colors of the scarf that people with different skin tones might not "see."

Absolutely! I will take some pictures tomorrow in daylight and post them for you

 

[Cordeliere]

ITA with your obs that it's hard to look good in every scarf we own. And I have felt pressure to make up my mind fairly quickly to please the SA (wha?). I don't study the scarf at the boutique. Some people do. Knowing something about a couple of folks in that league I think it's safe to say they get dissatisfied with their purchase just like the rest of us.

I try to examine how the colors of an outfit blend together at some distance from the mirror.
The problem is the scarf is a small accessory for the most part. A while back I posted mod shots of most every lime HS I have. The tpf feedback on that plus how I looked in each scarf was very helpful to me. The camera is objective.

Cordy, at least consider buying a fuschia blouse or wearing one to the store. I know from previously owning a Tresors Retrouves (I had the black & ivory combo) that it's not an in-your-face pattern. Probably I should have experimented with it with several potential outfits. In retrospect it strikes me as a fairly quiet pattern that would be useful in, say, picking up the texture or pattern of the rest of the ensemble. A pattern that blends well.

You make a good observation. It is not an in-your-face patten. I like in-your-face colors and pattern, aka bold. In this pandemic I have noticed my tendency to gravitate to the wall flowers of my collection. I guess I shouldn't be surprised they look boring to me. I need to take pictures of how the scarves look on me. Yes the camera is objective. I avoid it so it won't tell me to lose a few pounds.

 

[AnnaE]

Now my " won't work for me" scarfs, a few of them I really HAD to have, a few were purchased just for hanging on the wall.

Mind: same day, same makeup, nothing changed. Again up to down: ok-ish to "hell no!"

Picture	Scarf	my 2 cents
View attachment 4934265	View attachment 4934266Nuees imaginaires	That scarf I REALLY, and I mean REALLY had to have. Thanks to a dear TPFler I was able to get it. I was hessitant wearing it due to the small items on it, but I realized that the all black background helped. Though one of my most leved scarf, it's not the best I could wear
View attachment 4934267	View attachment 4934268L'abre du vent	I do felt in love with that design that I bought 2 CWs. One stayed, the red / pink one had to go. When wearing the brown - brick side up, it makes me look very old and flat. the blue side works better for me. Alas, the colors are very muted when worn on my neck, altough the scarf in itseld has beautiful colors (ok and I laughed as my hausband was making fun of me and moved a little bit)
View attachment 4934269	View attachment 4934270 La legend de la Foret	My newest addition. Just for hanging purpose Looks amazing on the wall, on my neck: makes me look sick and sad.
View attachment 4934285	View attachment 4934273Grand prix du fabourg	Well, what shall I say... I really bought that for the hanging system, as I knew this won't work for me under ANY circumstances. Too many small details, orange, muted blue, what shall I say... But the real bummer was / is the next scarf
View attachment 4934274	View attachment 4934276 Mystique Phoenix	What can I say... This CSGM has a symbolic connotation (do you say that?) to me. I bought it when realizing through how much *** I went in my life and after deciding " enough is enough". So I had high hopes, that the symbol of the raising phoenix, worn really near to my heart (I know, sounds a little spleeny) would help me raising as well. That was the very last Carre H had, so I bought that, knowing that it wouldn't look good on my. I still wear it, as it really helped me a lot. But it makes me look sickly, pale and tired. (which I was at that time, but... well).

Dear all, I hope it wasn't too much.

And sorry, again, I can't get rid of the last picture. Don't know why. Sorry

I think all of these scarves look good actually, so it’s all more of your mental comfort level than anything else. I don’t mean it in a negative way, as that happens to me a lot — there are some scarves that nominally look great on me, but I don’t like wearing. For me, it’s the scarves with lots of small details and with lots of white space. Can I hazard a guess that you react similarly? La Legende has too many tiny details for me; your CW of Grand Prix looks similarly busy. Those CWs of Mystique Phoenix and La Legend again have too much white for me.

For what it’s worth, I particularly like the L’arbre du vent on you!

 

[surfchick]

Dear all, thank you so much for your kind words and your Gute Besserungs-Greetings

I am still feeling not so good, but I had a lot of fun making these pictures.
And again I really want to thank you for opening that thread, I never took pictures of all scarfs on one day (luckily - or sadly I just have a few of them.. ).
So today I put a little makeup on (nothing too heavy) fought with my hair (not successfull) and put each H scarf on I have in my closet, even the ones I bought only for "hanging on the wall" purpose. I am most surely not the best version of myself, so sorry for that unhealthy swollen (?) look.

I'll rank the scarfs from " works for me" down to " hell NO!!!!" (which sadly includes my favorite scarf, So I'll start with a short overview and then from up to down best, second best...

Picture	Name of the scarf and orginial picture	My 2 cents
View attachment 4934245	Fantaisies indiennes / L'abre du vent / early America / Apaloosa
View attachment 4934243	from left to right: Mythiques Phoenix / Sweet dreams / La legende de la foret / l'ombre des pivoines / Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris scarf 90 /Grand Prix du Fabourg / Nuèes imaginaire / Bolduc au carrees	that's an overview of 9 scarfs (could only insert 9 total) - I found it totally interesting, what impact the scarfs have on my apperance
View attachment 4934247	View attachment 4934249Fantaisies Indiennes	Originally bought for the purpose of just "having it" this 140 cm Silk scarf is actually one of my best scarfs (you'll see later why..). The only problem I have are the orange parts of it, as orange won't do anything for me (you'll see later)
View attachment 4934250	View attachment 4934251 L'ombre di pivoines	I felt in love really badly with it and haunted it through half of my country. It was supposed to hang on the wall, as I was afraid that the tiny details wouldn't work for me.
View attachment 4934252	View attachment 4934253 Appaloosa de steppes	I thought that scarf would work perfectly with my Birkin (which is brown, too!). Actually I am having troubles wearing the scarf as I have to make sure that the brown part won't come to near to my face.
View attachment 4934255	View attachment 4934257 Hermes Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris	Actually I like that scarf better on my than the Appaloosa scarf. Actually red is a tricky color for me, yet that kind of red works.

I am only allowed to aattach 12 images, so I'll jump over to the " omg NOOO" section in the next comment (and sorry, I have a flu so I am fighting with words...)

I like your thought process with your scarf collection. Taking with the scarf tied is a genius idea! I might have to steal it from you. I have a few that I am on the fence about but cant get rid of just yet.

 

[AnnaE]

Dear all, thank you so much for your kind words and your Gute Besserungs-Greetings

I am still feeling not so good, but I had a lot of fun making these pictures.
And again I really want to thank you for opening that thread, I never took pictures of all scarfs on one day (luckily - or sadly I just have a few of them.. ).
So today I put a little makeup on (nothing too heavy) fought with my hair (not successfull) and put each H scarf on I have in my closet, even the ones I bought only for "hanging on the wall" purpose. I am most surely not the best version of myself, so sorry for that unhealthy swollen (?) look.

I'll rank the scarfs from " works for me" down to " hell NO!!!!" (which sadly includes my favorite scarf, So I'll start with a short overview and then from up to down best, second best...

Picture	Name of the scarf and orginial picture	My 2 cents
View attachment 4934245	Fantaisies indiennes / L'abre du vent / early America / Apaloosa
View attachment 4934243	from left to right: Mythiques Phoenix / Sweet dreams / La legende de la foret / l'ombre des pivoines / Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris scarf 90 /Grand Prix du Fabourg / Nuèes imaginaire / Bolduc au carrees	that's an overview of 9 scarfs (could only insert 9 total) - I found it totally interesting, what impact the scarfs have on my apperance
View attachment 4934247	View attachment 4934249Fantaisies Indiennes	Originally bought for the purpose of just "having it" this 140 cm Silk scarf is actually one of my best scarfs (you'll see later why..). The only problem I have are the orange parts of it, as orange won't do anything for me (you'll see later)
View attachment 4934250	View attachment 4934251 L'ombre di pivoines	I felt in love really badly with it and haunted it through half of my country. It was supposed to hang on the wall, as I was afraid that the tiny details wouldn't work for me.
View attachment 4934252	View attachment 4934253 Appaloosa de steppes	I thought that scarf would work perfectly with my Birkin (which is brown, too!). Actually I am having troubles wearing the scarf as I have to make sure that the brown part won't come to near to my face.
View attachment 4934255	View attachment 4934257 Hermes Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris	Actually I like that scarf better on my than the Appaloosa scarf. Actually red is a tricky color for me, yet that kind of red works.

I am only allowed to aattach 12 images, so I'll jump over to the " omg NOOO" section in the next comment (and sorry, I have a flu so I am fighting with words...)

Feel better!

I have to say — you look stunning in the Appaloosa, Fantaisies, and Les Nouveaux Amoreux. I am less of a fan of the Pivoines, although it’s not terrible.

 

[shrpthorn]

ITA with your obs that it's hard to look good in every scarf we own. And I have felt pressure to make up my mind fairly quickly to please the SA (wha?). I don't study the scarf at the boutique. Some people do. Knowing something about a couple of folks in that league I think it's safe to say they get dissatisfied with their purchase just like the rest of us.

My country's boutiques (Canada) only provides a store credit for ANY purchase - no cash refund no matter what the reason (includes QA/QC issues for the C'est La Fete double-sided which were clearly the fault of Hermes). So I try to be super careful to look for pulls, stains etc. (even store fresh scarfs unwrapped from the plastic at the boutique often have these flaws) because if I take it home I've spent that money forever. To try to avoid picking scarfs that don't work for me, I usually take my DH for an honest opinion on how the pattern & colour look on me (I'm lucky as he has awesome taste & has never steered me wrong). It's not that I don't exactly trust my SA, but as other tpfers have pointed out, your SA is not your friend, they are trying to sell you something, so it's nice to have a 2nd, unbiased opinion & my hubs provides that.