Showing off cityscape scarf

January 13, 2019 2:55 AM

I have a huge, beautiful scarf/shawl thing that I would like to make the most of. Do I wear it or hang it on the wall or something else, and in any case how?

My mother recently gave me a huge scarf/shawl thing printed with a gorgeous cityscape design--good New York nostalgia of brownstones, water towers, fire escapes, etc. in exquisite colors. It seems too pretty just to fold it away in my scarf drawer, but what else to do with it?
Specs: it's about...two-three feet high and easily five feet long? Made of "cotton + modal" whatever that is, thin material.
--Do I wear it in the summer as a coverup, the way I do with other lightweight scarf/shawl things? That means a lot of the design will be kind of folded around me and not very visible to me or other people.
--Do I hang it on the wall somewhere? If so, how do I do so without damaging either the fabric or the wall? (Rented apartment, no hammering hooks into things)
--Is there anything else interesting I could do with it?

Thanks.

posted by huimangm to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

Personally I would wear it but if you’re not comfortable with that, you could get a piece of dowel and drape it over and display it that way or get a dressmakers mannequin and use it in the same way. You could also frame it and hang it above your bed or living area, or drape it over your sofa as a throw and pair it with some cushions that accentuate the colours.
posted by Jubey at 3:02 AM on January 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

I’m not a shawl person but something like this I would drape over a couch or chair to be available for an impromptu nap or cuddle.
posted by like_neon at 3:21 AM on January 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

a row of command hooks on the wall that you hang clips from to hang the scarf on your wall. Command hooks are removable and don't damage the wall, and hanging it from clips means that you can still take it down and wear it anytime you like.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:38 AM on January 13, 2019 [6 favorites]

You could set some drywall screws flush with the wall and use tiny rare earth magnets to hold it in place.
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:58 AM on January 13, 2019 [6 favorites]

You could use command hooks to hang a covered cork board or covered foam core board and use tiny pins to secure four corners. I would probably wear it in the warm months. It sounds lovely. You can always showcase more of the pattern by tying it as a top.
posted by loveandhappiness at 5:14 AM on January 13, 2019 [4 favorites]

I was just looking at ways to hang a poster and found some magnetic solutions that might work for you.
This uses magnets on the front side and tabs that are like command strips on the back and small magnets on the front so no damage to fabric or walls.
posted by metahawk at 11:25 PM on January 13, 2019

I would absolutely wear it. It's okay that much of the design isn't visible when you're wearing it folded around you. The design of a beautiful patterned serving plate isn't wholly visible when there's food on it either, but it's still a pleasure to use.

Hanging the scarf on a decorative over-the-door set of hooks, sort of in this vein, lets you admire it when you're not wearing it. (I have some of these positioned on doors so that they're facing out into the room.)
posted by desuetude at 7:57 AM on January 14, 2019 [1 favorite]