My skin is very sensitive, kinda allergic to wool, but I love warm shawls/stoles and scarves. I don’t like bright colours, large prints or colourful busy patterns in my stoles. I’m fine with small prints in subdued colours, not contrasty or logo-y much. I love jacquard fabric. So, given that, here’s my user experience, excluding the limited/seasonal editions which won’t say anything of the permanent collections’ usability.
If we talk jacquard, then the classic wool&silk LV Logomania shawls/stoles are the softest, silkiest and most pleasant to the touch - these do not irritate my skin at all, but the price for the softness is that the fabric is prone to snags (usually salvageable) & pilling. LV Monogram Shine and others with metallic fibers seem unpleasant to the touch, so I don’t own any. The 1854 jacquard is so textured that it doesn’t feel soft, but it is thicker and sturdy and drapes well (and I love the ‘70s inspired pattern in black&white). The thick winter Logomania woolen scarves (the proper narrow kind) are very soft, fluffy and warm and absolutely do not irritate my neck, and look heavy knit but are very lightweight due to the long fluffy ”loops“ - mind, they aren’t actually knit, they are woven, so naturally the yarn fibers can pull relatively easily; these are absolutely great for someone basically allergic to wool but in need of a warm fluffy knit (knit-looking in this case) woolen winter scarf.
Dior jacquard stoles in wool&silk are thicker and sturdier than LV Logomania and thus also drape better, but are also noticeably less soft and less silky. Like, if I drag these when taking off it feels really irritating to my neck (unlike LV), and if the jacket collar is tight the stole somewhat irritates the back of my neck. Last year Dior redid my favourite Cannage patterned stoles in another fabric with metallic fiber which was very scratchy to the touch (the wool/silk ratio was different I think than it was in mine). This fall they added the Cannage in yet another wool&silk fabric without the metallic fiber (with the cannage pattern going all over incl. the hems), but I didn’t need any of the colours they released, so I didn’t buy and thus can’t comment on the new edition.
Gucci scarves in the classic small GG jacquard print (I think Gucci have lately shifted to a giant GG print, regrettably) are quite sturdy but aren’t the softest, or at least feel so given that they are all wool (or almost all wool), and generally scarves are worn tighter around the neck compared to stoles. Gucci cotton jacquard scarf I own only one, it is dreamy soft and wears very well (bought it last spring for its unique colourway, have worn it a lot since) but I’m not sure how permanent this particular fabric is in their range, so not sure if my experience will transfer to other seasons. I like it that they are basically double-sided and thus offer more versatility colour-wise while keeping a rather reserved look.
Silk: I don’t like the silk in LV and Gucci; Dior’s silk is excellent in 90x90 carré and up but non in the smaller 70x70 (feels too thin; perhaps it differs by year?).
Etro scarves and stoles are soft and quite thin. I would say they are delicate but they are very unique for their print, so durability is not much of a factor in my purchasing decision. Also, their print and overall ethnic/boho style disguise the mild pilling.
I don’t feel the need to include Hermes in here (the quality is excellent, of course, like it should be for the price).
I’m glad you still enjoy your shawl and scarves like when you first got them! Would love to see your modeling pics too… They must look great on you!
