Silk… sheer and sensual, is my absolute favorite fabric. It is light, fluid, prismatic and delicate but has a durable tensile strength which with proper care, would last you many years. On a hot summer afternoon in Manila, wearing a flowing silk dress, I found myself in La Maison des Carrés section of Hermès. The vibe of the store is warm and vibrant. An array of beautifully printed silk squares, scarves, twillys and shawls are on display. Clients, armed with champagne and hors d'oeuvres, go around choosing prints and were treated to a lesson in silk styling by Hermès sales associates and representatives. The epitome of luxury, Hermès scarves are made from 100% silk and is considered one of the world's most coveted fashion accessories. However, owning a piece is really more than just the appreciation of silk textile or the brand, more so, it is owning a piece of art, style and tradition. It is Art on a square. The designs printed on Hermès scarves are the works of commissioned and highly-sought artists from all over the world. It will not come as a surprise that collectors, would purchase Hermès scarves and hang it on their wall behind a glass frame. Some are priceless and do belong in a museum. Selecting through an array of scarf designs, is pretty much alike to art-hunting. Whether the art speaks of a story behind the imagery, or a design is a reflection of your personality, or simply because the color scheme or pattern is pleasing, the fun is in the find as a specific print catches your eye or "speaks" to you. It is Style in a square. There are myriad of ways to wear scarves at any age. A knotted head silk square for a touch of whimsy, a twilly wrapped on bag handles to add charm, a scarf turned into an alluring top, or simply as a stole draped over the shoulders for understated elegance. There are no rules, have fun with it! With that said, a beautiful silk scarf never goes out of style. Hermès shows you many ways to style your silk scarf which you can learn from their sales associates, from the booklet that comes with your purchase, or from the website La Maison des Carrés, a site dedicated to Hermès scarves http://all-en.hermes.com/. Lastly, it is Tradition in a square. Staying true to the tradition of silk screen printing, each piece is a masterpiece and a collective effort of several artists and craftsmen. Like all things Hermès, the painstaking process of creating a silk scarf entails several hundreds of hours (almost two years), from the spinning and weaving, to the printing and finishing process. It is simply craftsmanship and design at it's finest. Initially, the price tag for a scarf may come across as outlandish especially for just a small piece of printed fabric. However, an in-depth understanding of the intensive work on how the product is made, would give one an understanding that surprisingly, the price is actually fair and justified. There are several sources on the web that provide testimonies from visits to the Hermès workshops on how an Hermès silk scarf is made. I highly recommend visiting http://www.disneyrollergirl.net/studio-visit-hermes-silk-scarf-workshops-lyon/ for further reading. In Manila, a 90cm silk scarf is priced competitively at Php24,000 (as of May 2017) compared to the USA retail counterpart at US$400. May I recommend the 90cm sized silk square scarf for versatility and more styling options. To discover the collection, visit the Hermès boutique in Manila at Greenbelt 3, Makati, Philippines.
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AuthorI'm Anna and I will be sharing with you my Love for Three things - Fashion, Travel and Food. I hope you find this blog enjoyable as I feature Archives
October 2017
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