Scarves Love it then leave it ,how do you curate your scarf collection?

[Lellabelle]

I agree with everything @bunnycat says on this.

I think most of us start out with some form of ’no multiples’ rule, which usually evolves a little as the collection grows. Our tastes evolve too. For those of us with multiples, it’s usually triggered by one design that we just find irresistible. Once the rule is broken, its basically done; the threshold is lowered for any other design that tugs at the heart.

For me it was Space Derby and Animapolis, two designs I love so much that I have hunted down multiples, even though there is a premium for these designs. Then, Tigre Royale double face earlier this year. I missed the original release and was determined to have one. The rule was already broken, and I ended up with three fairly quickly. That bought me a little stay on ban island!

Yes, it’s a slippery slope, but what I will say is that when it comes to scarf buying, the rules are fairly arbitrary. There is benefit in a collection that has diversity of pattern, colour and format, but there’s also strength in editing down to what you know looks good and works for your wardrobe and needs. For a true collector, completing a ‘set’ (however defined) can be more important than wearability, colour or design.

For me, I am a wearer, not a collector, so ultimately, a curated collection is my goal. What exactly that looks like, and how many scarves that means, changes a little but I’m at the stage where I have a pretty good sense of what works for me, and what I will wear. I have enough that I am starting to slow down, but I also know there will be more acquisitions to come, and I am okay with that. Some will be multiples, and as long as I love the design and it wears well, that’s okay too. If I love it I will wear it, and multiples actually strengthen that association for me, often ending up better value as a result.

Hope some of that helps and sorry for the long post!

 

[bunnycat]

I agree with everything @bunnycat says on this.

I think most of us start out with some form of ’no multiples’ rule, which usually evolves a little as the collection grows. Our tastes evolve too. For those of us with multiples, it’s usually triggered by one design that we just find irresistible. Once the rule is broken, its basically done; the threshold is lowered for any other design that tugs at the heart.

For me it was Space Derby and Animapolis, two designs I love so much that I have hunted down multiples, even though there is a premium for these designs. Then, Tigre Royale double face earlier this year. I missed the original release and was determined to have one. The rule was already broken, and I ended up with three fairly quickly. That bought me a little stay on ban island!

Yes, it’s a slippery slope, but what I will say is that when it comes to scarf buying, the rules are fairly arbitrary. There is benefit in a collection that has diversity of pattern, colour and format, but there’s also strength in editing down to what you know looks good and works for your wardrobe and needs. For a true collector, completing a ‘set’ (however defined) can be more important than wearability, colour or design.

For me, I am a wearer, not a collector, so ultimately, a curated collection is my goal. What exactly that looks like, and how many scarves that means, changes a little but I’m at the stage where I have a pretty good sense of what works for me, and what I will wear. I have enough that I am starting to slow down, but I also know there will be more acquisitions to come, and I am okay with that. Some will be multiples, and as long as I love the design and it wears well, that’s okay too. If I love it I will wear it, and multiples actually strengthen that association for me, often ending up better value as a result.

Hope some of that helps and sorry for the long post!

Yeah- once you break the "no multiple" rule- it's a fast slide downwards!

I keep saying I am slowing down, but when I look at my purchasing notes...hmmmmmm...it doesn't seem like I did it that much!!! I do hope I reach a point where I can say I didn't buy a scarf for X amount of time....but things keep creeping in. Deals are found long time hunted for things get located...etc etc...

 

[Lellabelle]

Yeah- once you break the "no multiple" rule- it's a fast slide downwards!

I keep saying I am slowing down, but when I look at my purchasing notes...hmmmmmm...it doesn't seem like I did it that much!!! I do hope I reach a point where I can say I didn't buy a scarf for X amount of time....but things keep creeping in. Deals are found long time hunted for things get located...etc etc...

Lol, at least your multiples of CS were 70’s !!

 

[greycity]

Thanks for moving my post here and thank you @bunnycat and @Lellabelle (and many others earlier in this thread) for sharing your experiences! Hearing those perspectives is really helpful for me.

Like you, I am also a wearer rather than collector and so am looking to get the best use out of my scarves. The rule around “no multiples” is so tempting to break, because (elsewhere in my wardrobe) I don’t hesitate to buy multiples of a sweater, dress etc. if I find the design works and there are suitable colors. Your point around multiples actually increasing in value if there is a strong association and we wear them a lot is a good one.

 

[eliwon]

Just into my second culling process selling online via our high end auction house. First round ten scarves, bought but hardly used, mainly due to unflattering CWs. Not a financial gain, just relieved to own fewer. This time twelve offered up for sale, five gone, based on the fact they were hardly used. Just got news Colliers des Chiens sold, a bit of seller’s remorse because it had a beautiful lilac edge, but it didn’t match any colours in my wardrobe, so off it went. My weakness in multiples is Astrologie Nouvelle so culling those will be hard. Won’t ever part with my orchid patterns and moussies, they’re just too precious, especially the changeants, besides I know they won’t be recognised by potential buyers here for what they are.

 

[momasaurus]

I've never had "rules" about buying or wearing scarves. I don't see the point. Or maybe I just have no discipline, LOL.
There are 30 designs I have multiples of, the most (more than 4) being Carnaval/Fetes Venitiennes and La Vie du Grand Nord. @greycity - you will probably make mistakes - we all have. There are bumps on the slippery slope. Isn't it great we have such a robust secondary market?

 

[bunnycat]

I think maybe a lot of times, as we start out buying scarves, we are hoping for a "magic formula" so we can get it right on the first try. Sadly, I just don't think that magic formula exists! There's going to be bad choices, good choices, FOMOs (Fear Of Missing Out) multi-purchases, changes of taste or style, and the inevitable selling and trying again. Or sometimes worse having to backtrack on one you should have bought and locate it later on the secondary market leading you directly in to "grail search" territory....I think it's just part and parcel of learning what works for you.

I still stand by some of the things I said at the beginning of he thread. If I have something I haven't worn in a long time and/or I have something similar I reach for more, then it starts moving to the "out" box and I start asking myself the "will I miss this, if I sell it?" question. So far, no real regrets.

 

[eliwon]

Fantastic idea!! Assuming you are in the States .. would you be able to share with us this dealer please? Many thanks.

Sorry, didn’t see your post until now - no, I’m based in Northern Europe - selling with this antiques dealer makes everything so easy - I just visit them, leave the scarves, get a receipt and an evaluation and they take care of the rest - the money from the sale goes straight into my bank account

 

[frou frou]

Here's a great question from @greycity over in SOTD and it seems like it may be ripe for some convo again so I'll give my (current) answer here.


Multiple colorways was definitely a slippery slope for me. At first, I had a hard "no multiples" rule. Then it got "bent" to no multiples in the same format. Then Jaguar Quetzal came along, and I literally spent months second guessing the original purchase with a second colorway. This was before 90cm scarves were over $400 and so I ended up getting 2 colorways.

My second time I second and third guessed myself was Zebra Pegasus giant triangle from last year. Although I still like my (eventual) choice of the pink colorway, there is a little part of me that still wishes I went with the vermillion. Sadly, the price was self limiting and my budget just wouldn't allow 2 of those at the time (maybe I'll find a deal one day on the vermillion, who knows...)

That brings me to Chorus Stellarum and the C'est la Fete connundrum. For me, with C'est la Fete and having missed the CW I would have been most happy with in the original release I ended up with a second choice I found preloved. Then, not liking the colors or price on the double sided re-release, I passed on that. So when I saw CS, which is (to me) just a good a design or better then ClaF, I knew I had to have at least one. Once I had it in my hand, I knew I had to have 2....then can't get my mind off the 3rd. But I've bought and re-homed a number of scarves now over the years to know when something is likely to "stick" with me for a good long time, and CS definitely sets off those buzzers in my head! Not many scarves do that, and this is ONLY one I have ever fallen for 3 in the same season.

Now, this isn't the only scarf I have 3 of...remember I said Jaguar Questzel. Well, after I got the 2 silks, and they matched 2 of my cats so well, I had to get a 3rd for my beloved Finnegan (avatar), who was the third in that trio of cats. He passed away in July, and I bought the giant cashmere in his colors as a commemorative to him back in February, when we received the diagnosis on his heart. So now I have 3 Jaguar Quetzal too, just not all in the same season.

Right now, you've just started. You don't know yet what will hold your attention long term. You won't know what keeps you happy long term without some sort of exploration. Sometimes, that may mean more than one of something you love. It's easy to do. You get more picky as the numbers pile up, and suddenly you have 50 scarves and you're like wooooah there doggies! Then it is cull or keep, which one to do? Buckle down, buy less?

After a few seasons of this, I think you'll start to see a pattern with what you are drawn too, what you consistently like, and what is passing fancy. Neither are wrong impulses to make a purchase on IMO, and fine to also recognize a purchase may be a passing fancy (those I try to limit to one only). But it's a skill I think would be hard to have right off the bat, and more likely acquired over time.`

As for color schemes- personally, I wish H would quit it and go back to choosing colors to fit the scarf rather than their themes. It makes for better designs.

Great post Bunnycat , I love hearing how others rationalise things like multiples.
I think for most of us there are two or three designs that are special favourites and which seem to work for us across colourways and formats .
I’ve just been sorting out an overflowing wardrobe and am embarrassed by how many scarves I have stashed away , I’d forgotten that I own some of them . I think I’m at a point now where I’d be happy to rehome almost all of them , ( though that’s a headache)and just focus on a handful of designs . And yes, I’m including Chorus Stellarum in my forever designs , I also have three which will always be in my collection ❤️

 

[bunnycat]

Great post Bunnycat , I love hearing how others rationalise things like multiples.
I think for most of us there are two or three designs that are special favourites and which seem to work for us across colourways and formats .
I’ve just been sorting out an overflowing wardrobe and am embarrassed by how many scarves I have stashed away , I’d forgotten that I own some of them . I think I’m at a point now where I’d be happy to rehome almost all of them , ( though that’s a headache)and just focus on a handful of designs . And yes, I’m including Chorus Stellarum in my forever designs , I also have three which will always be in my collection ❤️

I hear you. I fear doing full reckoning on what is in my stash.... I finally have pegged about 8-10 that I think would assuage my current "number guilt". Number guilt and "oh my god I have no scarf budget and I need that right meow!" seems to be the only thing these days that triggers me to get off my rear and contemplate a cull....

There you go @greycity! Now you are looking in to the deep dark abyss of a scarf collector's tormented psyche!

Another cure for my "scarf overpurchasing" and to keep scarf number down has been to re-focus my attention to the tableware....

 

[greycity]

There you go @greycity! Now you are looking in to the deep dark abyss of a scarf collector's tormented psyche!

Haha, not a dark abyss but certainly a deep one full of very colorful and lovely pieces! I like the mentality also of balancing being intentional / thoughtful with one’s purchases, but as others have said there is always the secondary market if one gets away or if a purchase doesn’t work out. It’s just shopping after all and meant to be fun

I guess I’m lucky that tableware holds no appeal (yet)…

 

[textilegirl]

I think it just takes time to figure out what works both design and color-wise and to accommodate shifts in personal style and preference. It's not only a slippery slope, but a long one as well, IMO.

I'm a wearer and not a collector (except when I get obsessed with something ); and I've found after considerable trial, error, and broken purchasing rules, that if a design/cw/style works for me, there's no reason to arbitrarily limit myself to just one. But it's gotta be better than what's already in my closet. I don't work on a strict one-in-one-out rule but I have committed myself to periodic reviews and editing.

I've also found that designs and cws seem to go in cycles, and that there are some that are always featured, much to the dismay of many a scarfie (Brides de Gala anyone? Blue scarves?). The key is to be patient, and wait for the one that really suits. "Oooo shiny things" has always lead me to a rather large pile because so many are soooo good. But I've decided that a well-edited pile of things I actually wear (along with a few that are just too beautiful to my eye to release them) better suits my personal goal to simply have less 'stuff'. And I'm willing to be patient. I should also add that nearly $500 USD for a 90 cm silk twill is not insignificant; I can't justify 'meh' at that price point. YMMV of course.

 

[papertiger]

In all seriousness, on this topic… I’m curious for opinions of those who have been collecting Hermes scarves for awhile (I just started this year, was gifted my first one maybe 7 years ago but until recently never had the urge to buy my own).

How much do you try to balance loving a design and getting it in multiple colorways, vs. branching out? (I know we just had a multiples theme!) Same question perhaps for gravitating to a specific/consistent color scheme, even across designs. I’m finding that I really like a few of the current designs such as Robe Legere or Lanternes, and wondering how slippery this slope can be…

Sorry if this is off-topic here!

I'm quite lucky. I have quite a strong instinct for what will come home with me. Once home they usually stay.

If you treat each scarf like it's an investment (in style) in the first place, you should never go wrong. IMHO most people are just too quick, get too carried away esp. with preloved. If you find things at a bargain price and play the market, it's also too easy to keep trading, thinking you can always sell and then buy whatever again. Some designs suddenly take off and some nose dive after a reissue. Unless you just like the dealing, try from the start (or now) to only buy scarves that are must haves for you.

The first thing is stay away from (new or vintage) are (over)hyped designs, unless they make you go weak at the knees - and then don't let the price put you off. Buying new from H is sometimes the cheapest option and the only one that guarantees pristine condition.

Secondly, only buy vintage designs that you absolutely ❤️ size, condition, cw and design. Even if they're a good price, if they're not perfect avoid. There is no such thing as an H beater scarf unless you're adopting a poor broken scarf that would otherwise line a cat basket. Those 'very well loved' scarves are actually a look that works really well for some (me included sometimes) but never buy seconds or second-best knowingly.

We mostly know which colours/shades tints do/don't suit us.
We mostly know which themes we chime with or don't, whether or not we're into geometric or figurative prints
We mostly know which scale look good on us
We should know the size format works best on us

This means you may have multiples and repeats of cows, scale, format and themes. Does it matter? Not if you're using them. I wish I'd bought ALL the La Femme aux Semelles de Vents, but it was one of my first scarves so I limited myself to 2. What an idiot Who knew H would never do anything quite as beautiful again?

I wouldn't say the most breathtaking designs always tie best or a scarf is worth having just for tying either, but at the end of the day, unless it's going on the wall, it must be wearable.

I've avoided several exceptional scarves because they'd be too much of a headache to wear or care for.

and never buy/keep a scarf that you find you're always tying to avoid a colour or feature.

 

[papertiger]

Actually update from Papertiger's vault, I've bought far fewer scarves lately.

SS22 was actually a really good season, some really beautiful scarves, but in the end only one must have. I must say it's not been a pleasant experience to venture into the Hermes store(s) lately anyway. I am actually beginning to dread it (the crowds, the ferocity of the gimme game) whether or not I know what I want. I can't moan most too much, most SAs are always lovely to me.

I really love and enjoy the scarves I have, I'm either more interested in some of the very traditional looking, heritage themes, vintage silks with less clashing colours, or conversely, edgier, wildly-clashing new designs.

 

[Maedi]

Actually update from Papertiger's vault, I've bought far fewer scarves lately.

SS22 was actually a really good season, some really beautiful scarves, but in the end only one must have. I must say it's not been a pleasant experience to venture into the Hermes store(s) lately anyway. I am actually beginning to dread it (the crowds, the ferocity of the gimme game) whether or not I know what I want. I can't moan most too much, most SAs are always lovely to me.

I really love and enjoy the scarves I have, I'm either more interested in some of the very traditional looking, heritage themes, vintage silks with less clashing colours, or conversely, edgier, wildly-clashing new designs.

I didn't enjoy my last boutique visit either. The experience felt foreign to me.