Real Men Wear Scarves

Winter may finally be making its well-anticipated exit to make way for the warm spring weather. With it goes plenty of great accessories and other articles of clothing.

Essentially, the concept of layering goes right out the window when spring hits. You hang up your heavy coats, tuck away your wool socks, and bench your sweaters. However, there is one accessory that has transitioned from a winter-only garment to a year-round article: the scarf. For a long time, the scarf had a bad reputation for being a lumpy piece of fabric to keep your neck from getting cold; but, over the years, it has become a fashion staple.

A new level of notoriety came with that transformation. The scarf is no longer only used for its practicality. Now, it is used not only to keep necks warm, but it can also be the deciding factor between a drab outfit and an extraordinary one. A bold, printed scarf can serve as an accent to the classic black T-shirt and jeans combination, making even the most fashion-unconscious person seem trendy. But, don’t be limited; there are plenty of different types of scarves to choose from, including a traditional scarf made from a lighter fabric.

Just think of how fancy you’ll look this spring, riding with the top down and your linen scarf flowing in the wind behind you. Life may not be that fanciful, but you should still give scarves a shot past winter.


Text Jarrod Wadsworth
Image Style.com

Fashion Week Went Neck and Neck With Style

Necks have had opportunities in the past to be wrapped, bundled, and bejeweled with dazzling necklaces and scarves, but New York Fashion Week offered another stylish approach to decking out the neck.

Carolina Herrera, queen of uptown fashion, showed several “neckish” designs for fall. Necks are not just for necklaces any longer, but they are now a place to display a wide array of scarves and structured turtle neck-like garments. Herrera’s fall collection, which was mostly in hues of navy, black and gray, had one thing in common: Intricate neck details. Herrera’s creations were either collars ruffled up to the jawline or garments with matching scarfs. Either way, the look was there.

True, Herrera dressed many of the girls with bundled-up throats, but bare necks were also on display with many of her V-neck elegant gowns. Pick whichever look suits the weather: Wrapped up to brave the cold or exposed to the bare elements.


Text Katelyn Chef 
Image and Source Style.com

Peace, Love, and Shibori

Largely associated with the sixties hippie movement, tie-dye continues to be popular in present day. While the bold print is a major symbol of hippie fashion, you don’t need to be one to appreciate dyed duds. Brooklyn-based clothing brand Upstate is dedicated to art of dyeing fabric and offers a refined collection of textiles that are unlike the psychedelic prints of the sixties.

Originating in Japan, Shibori is a traditional method of hand dyeing, which was practiced centuries before the hippie movement. Using various techniques with the fabric, such as binding, folding, and compressing, the Shibori approach produces simple yet interesting patterns. Upstate complements Shibori style with their own touches that generate ethereal combinations of pattern and color.

The process of hand dyeing makes it nearly impossible to replicate an identical pattern from piece to piece. However, rather than this being a flaw, it’s a strength since each pattern is unique and results in one-of-a-kind pieces. Each piece is also extremely versatile and can be worn as clothing or an accessory. For example, their selection of sarongs can also be worn as scarves, and their handkerchiefs can be worn as head wraps or “cloth bracelets,” as seen in their spring 2012 collection. Essentially, purchasing one piece can yield many types of wear.

Upstate proves that tie-dye can be subtly chic by offering delicate alternatives to the powerful prints of hippie subculture. Check out their collections here.

Text Jennifer Bernard
Image and Source Upstate

Warm Gifts Worth Giving

It's about that time of year again, and with the holiday season comes giving presents to those we care about the most. What better to give than the gift of warmth? Well, a stylish one, of course.

The most perfect of gifts this winter combine stylish with functionality: funnel scarves from Calypso, bright pink cashmere gloves from J. Crew, and the most appealing slouched beanies from Alexander Wang.

Check out FabSugar's list of the 15 best gift options, from which you can choose an affordable Zara Tripe Combination Print Scarf for $36, or a chic yet steep-priced Alexander Wang Marled Beanie for $145. Whether you are shopping for a guy or girl, the gift of a stylish scarf, hat, or gloves is surely considerable.

Text Brittney Schering
Image FabSugar

Best Hats for Your Fall Wardrobe

Fall hats are the perfect in-between before you're stuck wearing a beanie all winter to keep warm. Avoid bad hair days — or skip a shampoo — by opting for a tweedy newsboy cap or a woolly fedora.

How to pull it off:

1. If your fall wardrobe tends to be a bit neutral, spice it up with a red hat or put a feather in your fedora.

2. If your wardrobe leans toward the colorful side, stick with a tweedy grey or black hat.

3. If you're a dude, just head out the door with your hat; you're gonna look cool no matter what hat you wear.

4. For the ladies, try a low ponytail or let braids peek out of your woolly topper. Instantly adorable.

5. For extra cuteness, wrap a cozy scarf all the way up to your eyeballs.

6. Make sure your hat fits snug but still rests on top of your ears. If you're feeling like a gust of wind will send it down the road, it's too big.

Text Rebecca Baust

Photo via Madewell

Neck Candy

There's only so many pieces of clothing that one can thrown on our body to either protect against the cold or come across as a mix and match master. And at one point or another, certain parts of the body get left out, the neck in particular. And the remedy? Beautiful, exquisite, and perfectly complementary scarves. Granted, the summer season has already shined the sun's rays upon us and it would seem ludicrous to rid our necks of even the most meager mounts of air available, but fortunately, scarves aren't limited by the factor of seasonal weather. In the summer, light scarves are just as chic as their bulkier winter alternatives, and scarves in general are equally as fitting for women as they are for men. No matter the size, fabric, or gender, all that matters is the overall image.

Generally speaking, summer style is much less interesting than fall because one does not have many pieces of apparel to work with, unless you are one of the many die-hard fashion obsessed who are willing to sacrifice comfort and oxygen (in the case of the horrible heat) for a stylish strut across town. Regardless, any summer looks can become far more intriguing and eye-catching if one adds one of the most ideal summer accessories: the scarf. Many options exist, however, ranging from the plain colored types to unique printed styles. And while this popular accessory is often times regarded to as a feminine garment, the gentlemen of the past and the present have adopted it as a signature look for classic sportswear.

Text Ricardo Hernandez

Image courtesy of Tommy Ton

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 Menswear Collection presented at Paris Fashion Week

Look out Fashion world there’s a new guy in town. Louis Vuitton’s new Men’s Style Director, Kim Jones debuted his menswear collection at Paris Fashion Week. Jones was inspired by his childhood adventures growing up in Botswana, Ethiopia England and America. With this culturally diverse upbringing, Jones was able to incorporate the fashion of each location into his designs.
The designs include a salute to the Boy Scouts with an outfit of khaki short suits, completed with red and blue checkered scarves. The collection also includes hike-ready sandals and a series of different shorts. In addition to these items, there are high-waisted trousers and razor-cut jackets in navy pinstripes. The jackets were paired with bright colored button-down shirts. The shirts represented African wax print. The collection as a whole was based on a world traveling theme with a different element from each cultural. Jones noted that because of the extensive financial wealth behind Louis Vuitton, there were endless possibilities, resources and freedom to be creative.

Text Stephanie Buscema
Source(s): WWD, New York Times

To Fur or Not To Fur?

When it comes to fashion, and I mean what else would I be talking about here? We can all probably agree that fur is a particularly hot button issue. There are those who are staunchly anti-fur, there are those who are staunchly pro-fur, and there are still others who fall somewhere along the rest of the spectrum. Though I can’t remember if wearing fur is currently a do or a don’t, I will cautiously admit that I personally don’t have a problem with it. [Here’s hoping I don’t get red paint thrown at me for this.] While I will not bore you with the specifics of why I feel this way, I will say that no matter where you stand on the issue, you will have to acknowledge the impending fall 2010 fur trend. Fur of both the real and faux persuasion was seen on countless runways this season and will, no doubt, be spotted on many a fashion fiend once the weather turns crisp. My current fur fave is this Adrienne Landau Mink Loop Scarf which will add polish to any laid back fall look. What do you think?

Text Jessica Best