The French do many things well, and we have seen a lot of them in these pages. So since it’s winter and downright frigid this week in France and in North America, let’s take a look at yet another French talent—the art of tying scarves.
A well-tied scarf in France is both a fashion statement and a meteorological necessity. Without une écharpe (long, rectangular wool scarf often with fringe on the short end) around one’s neck in the winter, walking around Paris streets would be chilly indeed. The kicker of course is that the French make something as practical as wearing a scarf a visually compelling event.
How do they do it? Well, for one, they have a gift for tying a variety of knots and twists. They execute the various scarf positions with a sort of ‘swish’ that many non-French find enviable. The French also have a flair for making each scarf ‘look’ appear elegant and comfortable at the same time. And this goes for women and men, young and old, well off and not so well off. I think it must be something in the French gene pool that ensures great scarf tying ability. Or perhaps there’s a secret school of scarf tying that only the French get to attend?!
To sport a good scarf look, we also have to have some nice scarves to choose from in our closets. When in Paris, you can find an excellent collection of scarves at any large department store. You can find les écharpes, les foulards or les carrés (silk square scarves), and even les châles (triangular knit shawls typically worn by grandmothers in times past). Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on the Right Bank are good places to stop. On the Left Bank, Le Bon Marché is where you want to go. You also can find wonderful scarves in many small clothing boutiques around town. This is a great reason to start off walking in Paris and see where your feet take you in search of that next great scarf.
These days, you can also find a fun scarf vendor or two at many outdoor Paris food markets. This vendor at the Boulevard Raspail market a few weeks ago was doing very good business selling wool scarves and hats. And why not? His offerings were 100% wool or silk or a combination thereof, and they were très bon marché (very well priced). In addition, the more you bought, the more he’d make you a deal. At this scarf venue, you could add a lot of scarf color to your wardrobe for a very small investment!
But back to the real issue—what IS the French secret to their art of tying scarves? Consensus seems to indicate that a French person masters two to three scarf styles that look good on her, given her height, her hair style, her personality, and her fashion preferences. Then she decides which one to wear on a particular day with a particular scarf. And last but not least, she ties that scarf that day without trying too hard. It’s that aura of nonchalance in the tying and in the wearing which looks so French and so fabulous.
So cheers to not trying too hard in tying scarves—and enjoy these chilly times as a grand opportunity to fashion your own French scarf moments!
French Take-Out™ ~ La France à emporter
If you’ve been neglecting your scarf tying opportunities this winter, take this peer pressure challenge from the French and give your scarves some new twists. French Affaires is offering a special “French Scarf Tying Workshop” in Dallas in March. In this hands-on class, we’ll master a host of scarf looks from a French scarf expert par excellence and celebrate our scarf accomplishments over French champagne. You can even bring your favorite scarf from home and practice on it to make sure you love the way you tie it. Check our web site in a couple of weeks for complete details on this special French scarf and champagne event.