Even before Covid, scarves were an essentially accessory. Regardless of gender or sartorial inclinations, scarves can be handy in any season if you work out of doors, find yourself going from hot to cold or need to dress up what you’re wearing in a hurry.
A head scarf wrapped just so around the neck and a pair of sunglasses are the essence of 1950s Hollywood glam.
Nicky Albrechtsen and Fola Solanke’s new “Scarves” (Thames & Hudson, $40, 304 pages, 257 color illustrations) celebrates all that and more as it plumbs the scarf’s role as an innovative fashion item, beginning in the 20th century.
The authors have rounded up all the usual suspects, from Gucci to Christian Lacroix to Mary Quant, along with resources on conservation, museum collections, vintage fairs and specialist dealers.
And for those who don’t wear scarves, remember: They’re suitable for framing.
For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.
– Georgette Gouveia
