Scarves ........The Fall 2016 Scarves........

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#1,876
On the off chance that there's anyone else in this thread who resides in Indonesia, like I am, you will be pleased to know that the FW 2016 scarves are already available in stores. I rushed past the store just now and spotted Flanerie a Versailles on display. My jaw dropped and I exclaimed to my Husband which caused him to look curiously at me. I was just in the London Sloane Street store last Friday you see, and they did not have Flanerie in stores yet. I was quite disappointed because that was THE scarf of this season for me. Imagine my surprise when I saw it today on display in Indonesia. Funny how H works [emoji848]
 
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#1,877
marietouchet said:
About screened vs ink jet printing, many of the reissues are no longer screened the way they used to be. Hermes has always been quiet about that, to point of letting everyone be blissfully thinking the printing process has not changed. I doubt an SA would know for certain how a design is made.
An obvious difference is the addition of colors in the backgrounds, all that remix stuff, color blocks. That hides the fact that the design itself printed quite differently - fewer screens/colors.
One possibility: new issues have less shades of gold (for ex) in the gold hardware. The result is more comic book / graphic looking than the original printing due to lack of color nuances.
Another possibility is the use of a finesse style - pen & ink line drawing designs which are testament to the fewer screen trend. The tattoo series , the bandanna, this seasons legendes de l arbre are examples, C est la Fete CS scarf.
Ink jet printing is yet another possibility. I think all (most) of the 70s, maxi twillies etc are done that way. Maybe not the twill 90s. Could not say about the 140s. My silk 140s certainly look to have been inkjet printed.
How can you tell? An experienced eye can tell the difference. The easiest way is to put two scarves (new & old) alongside one another and compare some detailed sections. Are they identical ? Does the new designs look blurry ? less crisp ? Those are signs of ink jet printing. Count the colors - fewer means elimination of screens.
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I actually wasn't referring to the difference between ink jet and hand screening but the use of mechanized screen printing. H has publicized the use of screen printing machines for 90cm and 70cm which eliminates the human hand pulling of colors but is still a screen printing process. I believe that Maxi and Twilly are machine printed but I thought they were laser jet printed. Using high quality printers would result in more sharply detailed lines whereas the fabric shifting between screen frames is where you get blur. I would venture that investing in good technology would serve the purpose of improving the print and my 140s show signs of screen pulling if you look at the progression of colors and how they are applied. I appreciate your view on new releases but I see it differently, I myself prefer simpler designs with fewer colors. I find them easier to wear. While I appreciate the scrolling intricate, hardware and jewelry designs, they don't appeal to me as a newer H client. Why H has decided to use fewer colors/screens is likely somewhere in between our two points of view.
 
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#1,880
MrsOwen3 said:
I actually wasn't referring to the difference between ink jet and hand screening but the use of mechanized screen printing. H has publicized the use of screen printing machines for 90cm and 70cm which eliminates the human hand pulling of colors but is still a screen printing process. I believe that Maxi and Twilly are machine printed but I thought they were laser jet printed. Using high quality printers would result in more sharply detailed lines whereas the fabric shifting between screen frames is where you get blur. I would venture that investing in good technology would serve the purpose of improving the print and my 140s show signs of screen pulling if you look at the progression of colors and how they are applied. I appreciate your view on new releases but I see it differently, I myself prefer simpler designs with fewer colors. I find them easier to wear. While I appreciate the scrolling intricate, hardware and jewelry designs, they don't appeal to me as a newer H client. Why H has decided to use fewer colors/screens is likely somewhere in between our two points of view.
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I am ignorant of the technical issues here. But I agree with you completely that the newer scarves with fewer colors appear more contemporary to my eye and I find them easier to assimilate into my wardrobe. I definitely have some older colorful scarves for fun but I find these new less complicated scarves very elegant. I'm willing to give Hermes the benefit of the doubt that it's the aesthetics and not cost cutting that are driving these changes.
 
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#1,881
orchard said:
I'm debating a purchase of a Lalbhai GM after seeing a couple of cws earlier in the week, I was told by a SA they are hand screened. I'm concerned that may not be the case after your post, could you expand?
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Hi, yes, in the past few years Hermes has been digitally printing some scarves (inkjet method some call it), or they use more technology instead of all hand screened like in the past. I read an article years ago where someone mentioned they were experimenting with "new" machines. Then we noticed scarves of the new method came to market. Hermes has been quiet about this, but I had a long discussion with my SA and SM. It's true, and while the products are very beautiful, many longtime collectors prefer the old way.
Wa Ko Ni became collectors grail because it has the most colors/screens (46) and it was done all by hand! It was before the machine. Not sure if it's going to be re-issued how they're going to print it, due to the new technology. Another scarf widely rumored to be inkjet printed is Jardin de Leila (and that season's scarves). If you compare the old Au Coeur de la Vie with the re-issue, there's difference in depth of colors. That's why collectors prefer the original issue (of Au Coeur de La Vie) than the re-issue, hence higher price for the older ones.
Specifically about the new Lalbhai, I haven't seen it in person, so I'm not sure how they print it. The older ones were hand screened.
 
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#1,883
lanit said:
Pardon me, as I have not followed the thread very well....which silks are only printed on one side this coming season?

THNks in advance!
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Hi lanit, thanks for asking, as I'm curious, and also haven't followed closely. But, I'm a bit confused about this. Haven't they always been printed on one side only? There was always just a bit of dye/design bleed through to the reverse. Maybe that's what's not happening with some of the current scarves? Possibly due to the variation in printing techniques noted here?
 
#1,884
The printing industry is one I know well, I have family in it and spent a number of years working in it. While technology has dramatically changed the industry, from a quality perspective, screen printing is far superior to digital/ ink jet.

There is only one reason industries move to digital, and that is cost reduction: the equipment is much cheaper and requires fewer workers with less skill. This type of printing is close to fully automated. From a human perspective, this means fewer skilled craftspeople in the workforce. The technology has improved by leaps and bounds and will continue to do so, but it's still an inferior product in terms of quality. Hermes and everyone else is trading superior quality for acceptable quality. It's all about increasing the profit margin at an acceptable quality level.
 
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#1,885
Monceau said:
The printing industry is one I know well, I have family in it and spent a number of years working in it. While technology has dramatically changed the industry, from a quality perspective, screen printing is far superior to digital/ ink jet.

There is only one reason industries move to digital, and that is cost reduction: the equipment is much cheaper and requires fewer workers with less skill. This type of printing is close to fully automated. From a human perspective, this means fewer skilled craftspeople in the workforce. The technology has improved by leaps and bounds and will continue to do so, but it's still an inferior product in terms of quality. Hermes and everyone else is trading superior quality for acceptable quality. It's all about increasing the profit margin at an acceptable quality level.
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Hmmm.. Interesting. Thank you. Sad if we are losing skilled craftspeople as I'm sure we are.

I guess it's fortunate that I'm am enjoying the trend to more simple designs.
 
#1,888
ms.kim said:
Hi, yes, in the past few years Hermes has been digitally printing some scarves (inkjet method some call it), or they use more technology instead of all hand screened like in the past. I read an article years ago where someone mentioned they were experimenting with "new" machines. Then we noticed scarves of the new method came to market. Hermes has been quiet about this, but I had a long discussion with my SA and SM. It's true, and while the products are very beautiful, many longtime collectors prefer the old way.
Wa Ko Ni became collectors grail because it has the most colors/screens (46) and it was done all by hand! It was before the machine. Not sure if it's going to be re-issued how they're going to print it, due to the new technology. Another scarf widely rumored to be inkjet printed is Jardin de Leila (and that season's scarves). If you compare the old Au Coeur de la Vie with the re-issue, there's difference in depth of colors. That's why collectors prefer the original issue (of Au Coeur de La Vie) than the re-issue, hence higher price for the older ones.
Specifically about the new Lalbhai, I haven't seen it in person, so I'm not sure how they print it. The older ones were hand screened.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the invaluable info. I've compared an original issue Au Coeur de la Vie with a re-issue, on the re-issue some of the detailing isn't as sharp, also the overall colour effect of the scarf appears flatter. Hope I'm making sense. When the original Au Coeur de la Vie was issued it was the twill with the most screens.
 
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