Silk Hermes scarf, decorated with mythological animals, France; Treasures & Pleasures Gallery.
As evidenced by the changing leaves and chill in the air, fall weather is upon us and with it, fall fashion. The reigning maker of that staple of cool weather, the scarf, is indisputably Hermes. However, as fashion historian, Polly Guerin reports, Hermes didn’t always make signature luxury goods. When the Parisian company was founded in 1837 by Tierry Hermes, its main products were saddles and harnesses for fashionable stables. As automobiles began to replace horses, the Hermes family had the foresight to shift industries. The silk used for jockeys’ jerseys was used for their first scarf. Today, as evidenced by the scarf above, equestrian themes are prominent in Hermes scarves.
Silk Hermes scarf, decorated with boats, France, late 20th century; Treasures & Pleasures Gallery
Every year, 20 new designs are added to the Hermes silk scarf collection, including classic designs that are reinterpreted for the changing times. Every Hermes scarf is made using a painstaking multi-step process that can take up to 800 hours of engraving and thousands of colors in a single scarf, which is not hard to believe when you see the intricacy and rich palettes on an Hermes scarf. You can see detailed views of the three scarves in this post here, here, and here. See more fabulous vintage fashions from Treasures & Pleasures.
Blue silk Hermes scarf, decorated with butterflies and insects, France, late 20th century.
