Scarves MYH's Scarf Showcase - and philosophical ramblings about how I built my collection
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When we have a decent group of scarfies that want to go, I'll get the trip organized. 
MYH, I just love how you express your thoughts and how they tune in to my feelings as well! Your Turandot is so perfect for you especially with its accessories! Remember the post you jokingly said about buying accessories to go with our accessories? That made me laugh but is so very true. I landed three grails this past month and now on a SUPER BAN. The only time I can break a ban is for a HG that I've hunted for years for and turandot makes me weak in the knees. I was looking for turandot in red because but I also looked for your colorway too. Seeing the rising prices upwards to 800.00 was a turnoff to me though several were pristine condition. Since I recently fell in love unexpectedly bringing home a deep green mini Roulis along with some cool multi color mini boots, one day I was looking at the eBay threads and a member posted the Turandot on the finds thread. It was close in location to me, but the store had not opened yet. I had to wait for opening hours and then their phone line was busy for almost half an hour. But I had emailed then of my keen interest to buy it and finally they returned my call. It was a consignment store and I wasn't sure of its condition or if it had any issues. Plus no refunds. I had to take a leap of faith and felt I could still be covered by my cc company if it proved to be problematic. When it finally arrived, it was a gorgeous coloration that was perfect for my little Roulis. The hems were flattened by dry cleaning pressing though, but there were no other issues like runs or stains. So I was happy with the transaction in the end, plus it was just about retail price for a new H silk.
As opera goes, this is the only one that I rally love because of its happy ending lol. So it would be so fun for us to attend our Turandot operas wearing our silks! As for tohu Bohu, I do have three GM shawls, love my Pavarotti orange, Gris and aubergine ones, and the white and black twill. It can seem a bit dated in certain colorations, but the design makes me feel happy and fun when I need a pick me up design.
Here are some photos to share and maybe one day the red or your blue orange will finally find its way to me.
What I love about this particular colorway is how the edge stands out and is different from the border of the others which have a wider frame. That maroon and green fretwork just SENDS me. I did not think the golds would look good on me either, but the slate blue helps my skin tones immensely.
As opera goes, this is the only one that I rally love because of its happy ending lol. So it would be so fun for us to attend our Turandot operas wearing our silks! As for tohu Bohu, I do have three GM shawls, love my Pavarotti orange, Gris and aubergine ones, and the white and black twill. It can seem a bit dated in certain colorations, but the design makes me feel happy and fun when I need a pick me up design.
Here are some photos to share and maybe one day the red or your blue orange will finally find its way to me.
What I love about this particular colorway is how the edge stands out and is different from the border of the others which have a wider frame. That maroon and green fretwork just SENDS me. I did not think the golds would look good on me either, but the slate blue helps my skin tones immensely.
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Thank you everyone for joining me on this thread and for sharing all your finds and ideas! It's really fun for me as well. And although I try to respond to everyone, I know that sometimes I miss people so I'm sorry if I missed you. I especially love the new scarf collectors because I remember when I was in that stage. I would buy scarves as fast as my bank account would allow me.I would literally fall asleep at night with iPad in hand looking at the new listings on evilbay and checking out H.com.
OK so since we have a few "newbies' here, I thought I would go over a special category of scarves. The Holy Grail (HG), sometimes even called the Ultimate Holy Grail (UHG). There are many other more seasoned and knowledgable collectors here on TPF so feel free to chime in if you have something to add!! You will see these scarves priced way over retail on reseller sites. Some even in the $800-$1000 USD range. The crazy thing about these scarves is there isn't a book/list called the "Hermes Holy Grail Scarves List" that all scarf collectors refer to. Somehow, scarf collectors all over the world, without much communication except maybe here on TPF (LOL! TY TPF!) decided certain designs and certain cws were "must owns" and therefor created a market where demand outpaces supply. The effect of this, of course, is that HG scarf prices can be astronomical. But it's not any list that's written down or published. It's just out there....in the cosmos.
Now when you buy a new scarf, you will not know for years perhaps if you just bought a HG. And newer scarves don't usually become HGs overnight. It takes awhile. Of course there are some exceptions. Like C'est La Fete. I actually wasn't around when ClF was issued but I heard it sent people running to the boutiques and it was hard to find even that season. And the thing about Hermes is sometimes they will reissue a design years later and sometimes they won't. And very strangely, Hermes seems to know which ones are holy grails and tends to not reissue them again. Just to mess with us. And if they do, it's not quite the same. There was much anticipation this year over C'est La Fete 140cm cashmere because it's definitely on the Holy Grail list. But then...instead of releasing a typical multi-colored version...they release a "finesse" version. Of course, it's still pretty and I know many that bought them. But I decided to sit it out because it wasn't what I wanted.Some others are Ex Libris en Kimonos, Turandot, Zabavushka, Le Pegase d'Hermes, La Femme aux Smelles de Vent, the original ex libris shawl, Fleurs d'Indiennes and many others. In fact, there's even a whole thread about holy grail scarves here. http://forum.purseblog.com/threads/your-grail-scarf.121359/ There are currently 346 pages of people showing their finds and discussing their HG scarves. Now the topic of even discussing these scarves is hotly debated. Some people would just rather not talk about it publicly because it drives prices up. Others are resigned to the fact that certain scarves are already HGs and well, they are already expensive so what the heck? Let's have some fun and talk about them.
Some holy grails stick around on this list forever and some come on and some drop off. It's quite bizarre. I actually think Lumieres de Paris and Pavements used to be on the HG list and now are no longer. I see these scarves priced very reasonably now on evilbay. So you never know! It's like the stock market. LOL.Buy low, sell high. Or don't sell at all and just cherish it. That's what I do.
Also some people have their top secret own HG list. These are scarves that you like or want to own but others don't know about it (yet). Or it's just not on the collective radar. So if you have these scarves on your list, it's actually better not to talk about them openly because you may inadvertently put it on the widely accepted HG list, therefore driving up prices before you can get your hands on one.
OK, are you new scarf collectors thoroughly confused now?Sorry - you'll get the hang of it soon.
So here's one of my HGs. I admit I baby this scarf. I don't wear it as often as I should because I can't replace it at a reasonable cost. I've already covered it before on this thread but took it out today just to admire it so decided to write about it (again). Here's the original post #820 http://forum.purseblog.com/threads/...lt-my-collection.924187/page-55#post-29828955 But since the pics are all small now and hard to see, I thought I would repost some new ones. I actually bought it from a lady that didn't know Turandot in blue was a HG scarf. The only other things she was selling was children's toys. If you ever run across this type of seller, pounce on it. It happens every once in awhile - not often though. It's kind of like winning the lotto. And if it's not listed as BIN, just send them a message and ask to BIN and have them end the auction. I would say 98% of people know if they have a HG on their hands. And if you should want the orange Turandot, it's actually not priced too badly generally because most people are unsure if the orange will look good on them. So that's one to snag if you can wear orange and love the design.
Here are some pics of my beloved Turandot. My dream is to go to the Opera one day wearing mine. And hopefully see other ladies also wearing theirs and we can secretly nod at each other like we are in a secret club.This is on my bucket list of things to do. So is chartering a private yacht for a week in the mediterranean. Anyone want to join me? I've shown some accessories here with my turandot. I love my little orange picotin with it. And I like to mix in VCA with my Hermes as well. The blue leather cuff bracelet at the bottom is actually Reed Krakoff. Sadly, that brand is no longer in business. And the white bracelet is Hermes - it's an illusion bracelet. It's fabulous because it's double-sided. The other side of my white one is capucine.
Thanks for joining me. I hope you enjoyed the post.
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@MYH : Thank you so much for starting such an informative discussion on HG scarves. It's really interesting to note that the scarf you buy today may not be defined as an HG for years and even then once it's on there, it may fall off of the HG list.
The comparison of HG H scarves to the stock market is perfect. I feel that it's fun to learn about HGs simply because you're exposed to the H scarf design archive. I am a little overwhelmed by all of the designs they've released.Thanks for posting the link to the HG thread. That's another scarf thread for me to follow and enjoy. My purse strings are officially tied for scarves, however. I just acquired my first four 90 scarves in less than two weeks which is insane, so I am going to stop now. I actually purchased what was an HG for folks last month. It was the Ex Libris en Kimonos cashmere scarf, but it reeked of perfume and the website failed to list that there were several pulls on it,
so I promptly returned it as I didn't think the price I paid was worth it. I also noticed that the colors, while beautiful on their own, didn't exactly flatter my skin tone. Is the lesson learned simply to buy what you love and what is flattering for you?I, too, would have preferred the C'est la Fete in at least 2-3 colors, but to each their own! I know it's a well-loved design, but I simply won't bow to 'evilBay' to spend $1K on the original design. Ahh, I saw the Zabavushka on eBay and thought it was so cute, but still too $$. Wouldn't it be nice if H allowed it's fans to vote for 2-3 scarf designs to re-release every other season or so? That'd be amazing.
I really love your photos, especially paired with all of your beautiful VCA, H accessories, and your own leather lotus!
Perfection. What a special scarf the Turandot is (those dragons, peonies, and fish!) and I love your story on how you found it! It was simply meant to be. Congrats again and thank you for posting gorgeous detail shots. Please do wear your scarf to the opera. Would love to join you and other scarf experts on this thread on your yacht trip.Oooh, @lanit, the Turandot looks magnificent on you! Yah! I very much enjoyed your story on how you found this HG. I'm so glad you took the risk from that consignment shop and received an amazing design and colorway. Best of luck on your search for the other colorways!
Oh, Lanit,
This CW of Turandot is incredibly beautiful and suits you so well.
You have an amazing collection of silk treasures and you always wear them so well.
Thank you again, @MYH, for your posts and for the EYE CANDY! Your pix here and on IG make me drool, seriously. I might almost be able to understand the lure of pornography. LOLOL.
There were a few other HGs when I first started collecting. Remember the teddy bear scarf? People used to be crazy for that!! Also Les Triples, the cartoon characters doing touristy things in Paris? I will mention one of my HGs, because the prices are already ridiculous, even for a ratty old one with holes and rips: Mont Sanct Michel. I'm a crazy medievalist but not going to spend more than 1K on this!! Another HG for me with a similar theme is Gloires de Guillaume, the Bayeux tapestry scarf. I just can't find a CW that I like! Any suggestions?
Anyway, count me in on the cruise! And for going to the opera. I don't have a Turandot scarf (YET!!), but can give you all sorts of pointers because I'm also an opera nut.
Love you, @MYH, for this thread!!
There were a few other HGs when I first started collecting. Remember the teddy bear scarf? People used to be crazy for that!! Also Les Triples, the cartoon characters doing touristy things in Paris? I will mention one of my HGs, because the prices are already ridiculous, even for a ratty old one with holes and rips: Mont Sanct Michel. I'm a crazy medievalist but not going to spend more than 1K on this!! Another HG for me with a similar theme is Gloires de Guillaume, the Bayeux tapestry scarf. I just can't find a CW that I like! Any suggestions?
Anyway, count me in on the cruise! And for going to the opera. I don't have a Turandot scarf (YET!!), but can give you all sorts of pointers because I'm also an opera nut.
Love you, @MYH, for this thread!!
Dearest Lanit - thank you so much for sharing your new Turandot. Dang! I hadn't considered this cw before but now....
You are a great enabler. You know what? I still learn new things everyday. Your scarf has this gorgeous deep purple/maroon border that I didn't know existed on some cws. My blue one has another shade of blue for the border and I never noticed it was a whole different coloration. And I agree - this additional border takes the design to another level!! Even more reason to love Turandot. *Sigh* And the fretwork in the middle to my eye is not gold but more like a dark beige and it works perfect for your coloring. It's just gorgeous on you. And now that i know what cws your are seeking, I will keep an eye out for you.Thank you so much for dropping by and sharing your Turandot!
I hope someone with an orange one will also share some modeling photos for us. I would love to see the orange one worn as well.
@MYH : Thank you so much for starting such an informative discussion on HG scarves. It's really interesting to note that the scarf you buy today may not be defined as an HG for years and even then once it's on there, it may fall off of the HG list.
Thanks for posting the link to the HG thread. That's another scarf thread for me to follow and enjoy. My purse strings are officially tied for scarves, however. I just acquired my first four 90 scarves in less than two weeks which is insane, so I am going to stop now. I actually purchased what was an HG for folks last month. It was the Ex Libris en Kimonos cashmere scarf, but it reeked of perfume and the website failed to list that there were several pulls on it,
I, too, would have preferred the C'est la Fete in at least 2-3 colors, but to each their own! I know it's a well-loved design, but I simply won't bow to 'evilBay' to spend $1K on the original design. Ahh, I saw the Zabavushka on eBay and thought it was so cute, but still too $$. Wouldn't it be nice if H allowed it's fans to vote for 2-3 scarf designs to re-release every other season or so? That'd be amazing.
I really love your photos, especially paired with all of your beautiful VCA, H accessories, and your own leather lotus!
I think you did the right thing with eLenK if it had a big undisclosed run in it. That's not cool! And I love your idea of voting. Please H, hear our cries! We would love to have a voting system in place for reissues. Let's use popular votes please, not a Hermes electoral college.
I've now got about 5 ppl down on my med yacht list. That would be the ultimate meetup.
Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you are enjoying my posts. It's very heartwarming to hear.
Yes - I remember all the scarves you mention! I'm not too familiar with the HG cws you are searching for so I don't have any suggestions. Maybe somebody else can chime in? Sounds like you still have a few HGs to hunt down?
I will put your name down for an Opera outing as well as the mediterranean yacht!
And thank you for the compliments on my photos. The items in it really do all the work though. I'm just using an iPhone to point and shoot.
I think you did the right thing with eLenK if it had a big undisclosed run in it. That's not cool! And I love your idea of voting. Please H, hear our cries! We would love to have a voting system in place for reissues. Let's use popular votes please, not a Hermes electoral college.
I've now got about 5 ppl down on my med yacht list. That would be the ultimate meetup.
Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you are enjoying my posts. It's very heartwarming to hear.
Love love love your Turandot!!
'Tis still an HG for me but I'm very stubborn and never pay over retail for preowned silks. It just means I have to wait longer and hunt harder
I'm all for the voting and you are right, NO ELECTORAL COLLEGE. I can just imagine the ways that H could make a system like that even more confusing than it already is.
As for the opera, as an opera fan I would LOVE for an H get together at the Met. Maybe they'll bring Turandot back for the 2017-18 season. You can count me in for the cruise also but why not make it a two week trip with Paris tacked on at the end hahaha [emoji8]
I think you did the right thing with eLenK if it had a big undisclosed run in it. That's not cool! And I love your idea of voting. Please H, hear our cries! We would love to have a voting system in place for reissues. Let's use popular votes please, not a Hermes electoral college.
I've now got about 5 ppl down on my med yacht list. That would be the ultimate meetup.
Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you are enjoying my posts. It's very heartwarming to hear.
Yeah, the ELenK was beaauiiitiful but just not for me and those runs (although small, they were there!) really bothered me, not to mention the strong perfume smell. I had paid over $1K for it. Now, I am playing with the Mors scarf ring. I think I'm going to try to incorporate a twilly with it and see how that looks! I won't have to just use them for B handles.
HA re no electoral vote for dream re-issues. I
everyone's stories here. It's the best! Thank you for starting this thread and sharing your scarf collection and your personal anecdotes. 
I just love this thread and everyone's obsessions, @lanit. It makes me feel better that I'm not alone in my H-nuttiness.
Hello MYH, am reading through your whole thread and am enjoyed and delighted! Thank for for sharing, all fun, beauty and knowledge! I didn't plan on commenting since I am very late to the party, but this post about the eLenk got to me. I hunted for exactly the same CW and succeeded as well, like you at an eye watering price. As for your wish for this pattern to be reissued in other formats, I completely agree - would love this in a moussie. As for GM cashmeres, your wish has been granted, and it is getting very ugly in the second hand market. This minute I counted five pieces, all in the range of USD 2250 on the evil bay - it will be interesting to follow the sellers and see if they actually get their asking price. - now on to enjoying the rest of your lovely threadWell DH and I were supposed to go somewhere today but neither of us were feeling 100% when we woke up, so it has turned into a lazy day at home. I swear I haven't been drinking. I'm just in a kooky mood so get ready for a wacky post. If you just want to see pretty pictures, feel free to skip ahead to the end.
Today didn't start off great. Neither DH nor I felt well so we cancelled our fun plans. Then because I had some free time, I decided to take care of some household chores that have been on my list.First I had to call our cable company to complain about our crappy service (seriously, we haven't had on demand or dvr working for 3 weeks now) and hassling our insurance agent about why our insurer doesn't want to renew our policy. It turns out there were a couple of big commercial claims recently with our agent and they got dropped!
and we were in the cross-fire. Ugh! And they are only now working on getting us a new policy and the old one expires in 3 weeks. Seriously, being an adult sucks sometimes.
OK in times like these, that's when I retreat to my happy place. My silk, jewelry, and bag closet.Just seeing the beautiful silks all lined up in my drawer puts me in a much better mood!!!
So I was reviewing the scarves I've already covered and duplicated (LOL!) and realized I have never showcased my 90cm Ex Libris en Kimonos. What's wrong with me? I love that scarf. But I think I know why....I'm afraid of using or wearing that scarf. It's so precious. I think it's the most I have ever paid for a scarf on evilbay. To buy that scarf, I had to write the seller a letter explaining why she should sell it to me. No kidding. Have you ever been the buyer in a seller's market for a house and you need to write a letter explaining why the seller should sell their house to you? Yeah, that was me. And the seller told me she had already gotten 10 other requests similar to mine. And I don't think she was lying. And of course I was trying to negotiate a little discount because the price was sky-high. So in the end, I must have made a pretty compelling argument because she contacted me a few days later and said I have been chosen to be the new owner!So now you see, I'm terrified of ruining this scarf. It's not easy to find another. So I baby it. I just let it rest in the drawer most of the time. You know you have these scarves too. I'm not the only one right? I think my blue Turandot falls into this category too.
OK, now a short rant directed all the all-powerful Hermes gods. Please, please reissue this design! Why do you keep rolling out Chasse en Inde? Everyone who wants that scarf already has it. Don't you want to create a scarf frenzy in your boutiques? If so, reissue Ex Libris En Kimonos. I'm sure we will even be in such an intoxicated state we will buy other scarves as well. Heck, I even might buy a Chasse en Inde as well if you would just reissue this design. And don't do a bunch of funky colors please. Stick to the jewel tones thank you. That way I can buy multiples, back-ups to my back-ups, you get the picture. You will make beaucoup bucks if you would just reissue this design. In all formats too. 90cm, 140cm giant silk, and 140cm cashmere. And oh...70cm too. Why not. And please don't discontinue that format. I think you need to hold a management meeting right away to discuss how it was a bad decision to cut that size out of the lineup. You can still reverse your decision. It's not too late. Thanks in advance! I'll be waiting to see eLenK next season ok?
All righty!! Now that we got that out of the way. What to say about eLenK? I love the Japanese-y woodblock navy waves in the corner. The red crane makes me smile everytime I unfurl the scarf. And the best part is the crane shows up beautifully when the scarf is tied on the bias. The only thing is with this colorway, you gotta stock up on navy clothes. I don't really love it against black. But lucky me! I just bought a navy silk shirt from Apostrophe (another boutique PbP taught me about in Paris) and I now have a navy bag too! My blue indigo Picotin. So I am set. I am a happy girl.
Now I know some of you have hoarded all or almost all of the cws. Would you be so kind as to post pics of them here on this thread so we can all drool and weep silently at our iPads? Pretty please? Think of all us poor souls that only have 1 cw. I have even heard there are a few amongst us that are still searching for their first eLenK. Feel sympathy for us and post your treasures. Thank you!
A few photos of this glorious scarf with some accessories and different knots. Ooh- and look at that crane eyeball I got to show in my George V knot. It takes skill to make hairy eyeballs appear! :lolots:
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Thanks for replying dear! I love it when people tell me their stories too. Yes, I think our cw is high on the list of cws and it goes for a pretty penny. But hey! The pain is over. You paid and now you have it. A moussie in eLenK sounds totally divine!!! I would be all over it.Hello MYH, am reading through your whole thread and am enjoyed and delighted! Thank for for sharing, all fun, beauty and knowledge! I didn't plan on commenting since I am very late to the party, but this post about the eLenk got to me. I hunted for exactly the same CW and succeeded as well, like you at an eye watering price. As for your wish for this pattern to be reissued in other formats, I completely agree - would love this in a moussie. As for GM cashmeres, your wish has been granted, and it is getting very ugly in the second hand market. This minute I counted five pieces, all in the range of USD 2250 on the evil bay - it will be interesting to follow the sellers and see if they actually get their asking price. - now on to enjoying the rest of your lovely thread
As for cashmeres - you know what? I stupidly turned down buying one.
perfect animation there. My SA hunted down the very last one in the country for me and when I tried it on, I didn't think it 100% suited me so said no. What the heck was I thinking???? I should have taken it even if it 60% suited me. Sigh. Bygones. Lesson learned. Nevermind.Well hello there...how have you all been? I think summer is officially here in most places where we all live. Maybe except Australia? I know, I'be been away so long. My apologies. I started a little hobby that kind of morphed into a full-time job. So I have been kind of busy.
But I'm back for now! With some random scarf ties and another scarf to showcase. I'll be honest...I can't remember which scarves I've already shown and which I have not. So I apologize if I start repeating myself.
OK, it's hot! And the last thing most of us want to do is put another piece of fabric around our necks. But as scarf junkies, we still want to wear them. So the formats I've been reaching for our my 70cms and moussies.
I think I've already shown all my moussies so I'm not going to share the long story with you here, but this is my first ever moussie - Peuple du Vent. I was a bit terrified to buy my first because it seemed so thin and was so expensive
I actually think moussies are the easiest format to twist and braid into whatever you fancy so that's what I usually do with it. As an added bonus, I barely feel any warmth from wearing it this way around my neck. So I thought I would show a twisted rope braid today. Sorry for the humongous photos. I'm not quite sure how to make them smaller...I'm going to need to figure it out. Its so embarrassing for you guys to see the wrinkles on my neck.
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What inventive ways of tying differently you com up with - well done! Am twins with you on this scarf and I already love it to bits - my latest moussie but certainly not for long - 140 moussies is the way forward for me - yet so many older 90ies I would love to aqcuire, sigh...
The way I braid the moussie is to bias fold the scarf very carefully, and then loop it around a door knob around the house. Then I start twisting and braiding. The best way I can describe it is to twist and braid the two separate tails at the same time. The trick is to twist and wind the right direction. Take each tail and twist clockwise, then braid counterclockwise. If you do it correctly, it will not unravel. If you do it incorrectly, it will. Here's a hair video showing how to do it. . Also because the scarf is bulkier in the middle and I want the braid to appear the same thickness throughout, I braid a bit tighter at the beginning and then loosen up my twist and braid when I get to the end. I hope this all makes sense if you want to give it a try.
Here are some pics of it worn. Sometimes I leave the braided part showing in the front, and sometimes I leave the tail in the front. And yes my hair is wet because I just got out of the shower.
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