What do Air France flight attendants and Hermès shoppers have in common with cowboys?
Silk Scarves!
Both the fashionistas and the cowboys claim silk scarves as their heritage. Believe it or not silk scarves are important accessories in both France and the western United States. They are worn both for beauty and for necessity, there’s no sacrificing substance for style. Silk scarves are a great way to stay warm or cool and elegant.
The face, head and upper chest are up to five times more sensitive to changes in temperature as other areas of the body, said Dr. Sessler in a New York Times inteview. This creates the illusion that covering up those areas traps in more heat, but clothing another part of the body does just as much to reduce overall heat loss.
And so we wear scarves around our necks and sometimes over our heads to stay comfortable. Silk is a particularly elegant and easy to wear natural material. It drapes nicely and traps in warm air. And of course it is very light. But silk also helps one stay cool. It is an excellent sunshade for exactly the same reason it keeps you warm. Silk is a natural thermal regulator thanks to the air captured between the silk threads, the heat or cool is kept inside creating an insulation effect. Silk is breathable, it’s natural and wicks moisture without losing those qualities. In fact silk allows you to stay warm even if the fabric is wet. Silk is a great fabric to use as an active person (riding the range for example). It gives you comfort and allows you to move freely.
The Parisian might wear a twilly scarf, a long scarf, a blanket scarf or a carré.
Twilly scarves (The word « twill »refers to a tight weaving technique used for soft, flowy fabrics) are narrow, just three to ten centimeters in width with diagonally hemmed ends. It is a very versatile type of scarf, rather necktie or ribbon-like that can be worn a hundred ways. It can be used, for example, as as a hair accessory, like a tie, a belt, a hat or headband. It is also commonly used as a bag charm or wrapped around bag handles. A long scarf is also rectangular and about 30cm wide.
The oversize blanket scarves (127-140 centimeters square) can be converted as a wraparound top like a tube top or a shawl or as a blanket or you can wear them around your neck.
And the 91cm square carré does it all. Here’s a few ways to wear your carré courtesy of Hermès. Note that the second one Hermès presents is a western motif, western-style of draping and fastened with a scarf slide!
This site offers a few more Parisian ways to wear a scarf.
Incidentally, Hermès first began producing scarves in 1937, a century after the company established its first harness workshop in Paris. Robert Dumas, a member of the Hermès family, created the design for the first scarf using a woodblock; the elaborate, colorful pattern quickly drew attention from women in Paris’s high society and before long, the Hermès scarf was the must-have fashion accessory. Made from imported Chinese silk, the first carrés were twice as strong as any other silk scarf on the market at the time. Not only could the wearer fashion it around her neck or tie it to her saddle, she could use it for more demanding tasks. For example, Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco used her Hermès scarf as a sling when she injured her arm in 1957.
Which brings us to the Western scarf and it’s demanding tasks. Yes they are worn for style, but the cowboy has worn them since the 19th century for all kinds of practical reasons. They are often called “wild rags” and the preferred material is once again silk.
So how does a Westerner wear a wild rag?
Well it depends on the occasion. Working outside? Going to a social event?
A wild rag performs many functions for the westerner who works outside. It is one of the most valuable tools of a cowboy and usually 75-100 centimeters square, so about the size of the Parisian carré. No real cowboy or girl in the old west would work without their wild rag. Mostly it is for warmth, sun or wind protection. It can be pulled over the nose and mouth in a dusty situation or to rob a stagecoach like a bandito, but they don’t do that much anymore. For a working cowboy it can be employed as a cover for a spooked horses eyes which helps to calm the horse. Also used as a hobble, as a hat tie down in windy weather, as a washcloth and towel, as a bandage, tourniquet, napkin, water filter, pot holder, flag, and temporary repair for saddle or bridle. It can also be mosquito protection when spritzed with repellent.
But it can also be worn to gussy up for a social event and then you might want to add a slide. Scarf slides are a decorative accessories used instead of a knot. They are disks or tubes embellished with oak leaf swirls, barbed wire, rope, flower and other motifs usually made out of sterling silver, bronze, brass or leather. On the back they have two rings or slits through which you pass the scarf ends. Then you tighten or loosen it to get the right drape by sliding it up or down. It’s an object somewhere between a bolo tie slide and a belt buckle, or a medallion on a horse’s bridle… if yer followin’ me pardner. Ralph Lauren makes real purdy ones. Here’s mine on a French scarf!
The Outwest Saddlery has a nice selection of slides.
One special western knot with some folklore behind it is the Buckaroo Square Knot. The story goes that there was a crooked Texas Ranger who was said to be in cahoots with the train robbers. The Ranger would wear the buckaroo knot showing the 4 point square when there was gold on the train. If there wasn’t gold, he would flip over the knot showing the backside which looks very different and meant don’t bother to rob that train! Here’s how to tie a buckaroo square knot.
And here’s a cowboy putting on his wild rag tied double for warmth. He’s using the basic square knot where the tags ends are separated. But there’s also the flat Windsor knot that bring the tail ends together like a necktie.
“Wild rags can make a plain dress look more formal for evening wear, be worn as a head covering rather than a hat, or be worn with a blazer and jeans for those in the city browsing a museum. Basically, any time you want to add a bit of western style and cowboy panache, I believe you’ll find the wild rag to be the right choice. … Have fun with them. Show the world your personality. Just remember to wear ’em confidently as you celebrate the heritage of the American West.” – The Cowboy Accountant
A Parisian would say:
“A silk scarf can make a plain dress look more formal for evening wear, be worn as a head covering rather than a hat, or be worn with a blazer and jeans for those in the city browsing a museum. Basically, any time you want to add a bit of Parisian style and French panache, I believe you’ll find the silk scarf to be the right choice. … Have fun with them. Show the world your personality. Just remember to wear ’em confidently as you celebrate the heritage of the French elegance.”
And sometimes elegant French scarves overlap with cowboys wild rags. One noteworthy artist for Hermès is Kermit Oliver. In 1984 Hermès sought an artist to create a western American series in the scarf collection. Oliver was the first African-American, and the only American who has designed scarves for Hermès. Living in Waco, Texas, the artist leads a humble life as a U.S. Postal Service employee and is a painter on the side even though his paintings selling for tens of thousand of dollars. Kermit completed sixteen designs for Hermès starting with a Pawnee Indian chief in vibrant color. Other designs involve figures of American history or Kachina dolls, wildlife native to North America and this magnificent cowboy who is sporting a scarf. Sometimes the silken elegance of Paris and the practical wild rag actually meet.
Tidbits:
- Silk is washable in cold water. It can even be done in a machine on gentle, let it hang dry then cool iron.
- When folks say “silk” to indicate a fabric, they are often referring to silk charmeuse, which is made from fibers produced by domesticated silkworms. Silk fibers can come from several extraordinary creatures, including the mulberry silkworm, caterpillars, webspinners, raspy crickets, and even the pen shell mollusk.
- France used to be a great silk producer. Visit Lyon to learn about the 18th century industry.
- You can get your own « Becoming French » scarf. Visit the FUSAC Boutique , Order the scarf and book 90+ Ways You Know You’re Becoming French together and get 20% off both.