Wanted: A Boy Scout

My interest in vintage is not a surprise to anyone who's ever happened to glance at this blog, as well as my love of designer wear. Which inevitably leads to the only logical choice: vintage designer scarves. They are cheaper than actual designer clothes, they lift your outfit out of the ordinary with a minimal effort, and they are indispensable for traveling: silk folds well and packs light, and a couple of scarves can create an infinite variety with a limited wardrobe. Since I'm traveling to Moscow in a couple of weeks and only bringing my carry-on (having learned the hard way that luggage rarely makes connections), scarves are a must.

So I hit Etsy, the veritable goldmine of vintage designer joy. These two totaled less than $25 for yards and yards of pure silk:




(The first one is by Oscar de la Renta, the second -- Ungaro.)

And this brings me to the subject line. Wearing of scarves is an art; when not traveling, I tend to default to my Vilte shawl -- it's gorgeous, textured, and wispy, and is pretty much the best thing ever. It is also incredibly easy to wear -- it looks amazing no matter what. Not so with silk scarves! Those are always at risk of looking matronly.

Thankfully, Simon Doonan has a solution -- he proposed that one for Hermes scarves, but my gut tells me that it would work with any of those dangerously ladylike and patterned wonders: a boy scout woogle (also known as a neckerchief slide). It's that little buckle-like thingy that holds their little kerchiefs in place. The official ones are apparently rare and can only be found on actual boy scouts. Like pelts, I suppose, although unlike pelts they can be given up voluntarily. Since I'm not about to go and accost children in the streets, it occurred to me that some of you, gentle readers, might have at some point been a boyscout; you might still have a woogle lying around the house somewhere. Drop me an email if you're willing to donate it to a good cause -- me looking fabulous during air travel. Otherwise, I will just have to make one out of a hair clip.