Stylish, dressy professional women's scarves -- and not too big?

November 28, 2014 5:33 AM

Ms. Justice would like to buy a few stylish, professional-looking scarves to dress up and add a splash of color to her business suits and jackets. One difficulty is that many scarves are just too big, giving the impression when worn that one has a small tablecloth draped around one's neck. Can you recommend some upscale, not overly flashy, scarf vendors who sell product suitable for professional office wear that is relatively small and thin?
posted by Mr. Justice to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

I would suggest finding out by measurement what "small and thin" means to you. Is a small thin scarf 7" wide by 50" long, for example?

You may have some difficulty finding truly narrow small scarves - most small scarves IME are square. Has your wife considered scarf tying tutorials? There are a number on the internet, and they can show you how to tie a smaller square scarf in a variety of shapes so that you don't really need a long, very thin scarf.

Silk chiffon is a sheerer fabric - you can tie a quite large silk chiffon scarf so that it is quite small.

Vintage silk scarves tend to run smaller, and because they are smaller they are often cheaper. You might want to try Ebay or Etsy - on Ebay, in particular, you could buy four or five for a small amount of money and just assume that half of them will work out. (And maybe all of them will!)
posted by Frowner at 7:22 AM on November 28, 2014

Do you know if she's looking for something smallish, like the size of a small statement necklace sort of thing, or she simply wants lighter weight fabric that scrunches small?

I have a couple of pashmina scarves I can do nothing with, but some very lightweight scarves of the same size I can wear and they drape nicely and don't give the impression I've wrapped two boa constrictors around my neck.

Can she show you an image of what she is looking for?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:40 AM on November 28, 2014

Like this or this?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:43 AM on November 28, 2014

My one complaint about my Hermes scarves is that I wish they were bigger. They are gorgeous, classic pieces that you can wear every day and pass down to your children.

I agree with Frowner that it can be all about how you tie the scarf. There are some great tutorials!
posted by kate blank at 8:43 AM on November 28, 2014

Traditional, big, department stores. Talbot's. I buy great scarves at Goodwill, but that requires regular shopping. The most reliable source of gorgeous silk and/ or wool scarves is museum gift shops.
posted by theora55 at 9:22 AM on November 28, 2014 [2 favorites]

Hermes includes a booklet of various ways to tie scarves with each purchase. They might be willing to sell them if asked.
posted by brujita at 10:53 AM on November 28, 2014

The Hermes booklet is available for free online.
posted by sea change at 11:44 AM on November 28, 2014

A Marimekko scarf is the fun and funky go-to fixture of any Scandinavian "kultur tante" (or "culture aunt")'s wardrobe.
posted by Queen of Spreadable Fats at 5:36 PM on November 28, 2014 [2 favorites]

Jonathan Adler has some great ones.
posted by Toddles at 11:36 AM on November 30, 2014