LIVE24SEVEN // Property & Interiors
A Buyer’s Guide COLLECTING HERMÈS SCARVES
The Hermès scarf, or carré, as it is properly known, has been described as the female equivalent of a Swiss Army knife; in other words, it’s always useful for a girl to keep one about her person.
Worn with varying degrees of flair by characters as diverse as Queen Elizabeth II, Audrey Hepburn and Madonna around heads, necks, waists and wrists, it has enjoyed constant popularity since its launch in the 1930s, when the late Robert Dumas (who became director of Hermès in 1951) was inspired to produce a large silk square to be used as a riding accessory for the company’s wealthy clients. Since then, according to Hermès’ records, more than 2,000 designs have been created for the carré by numerous artists and vintage versions now incite a collecting passion that keeps plenty of enthusiasts coming back for more.
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Hermès was founded in 1837 as a harness and bridle shop in Paris. It took another hundred years before the company would design a scarf, using the same silk that lined its riding jackets. The first print, called ‘Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches’ debuted in 1937 and was created from a woodblock engraving by Robert Dumas, a member of the extended Hermès family. Named after a popular parlour game, the scarf featured a group of women enjoying the sport at the centre, encircled by two concentric rings of horse-drawn buses. Over the next few years, Hermès’ silk canvases would feature such romantic imagery as sailing ships, constellations, jungle animals and, of course, horses.
The 36-inch square silk scarves were soon a mainstay of the luxury goods company, as different artists were commissioned to create their own designs with elaborate detailing and bright colour combinations. An individual scarf typically incorporates 20 to 30 different hues, each printed from a unique silkscreen in a process that can take hundreds of hours to complete.
Since 1987, when Hermès launched ‘L'Année du Feu D'Artifice’ (or ‘The Year of Fireworks’), Hermès have selected an annual theme for its scarves to dictate the season’s subjects. Regardless of the year, the patterns often feature intricately rendered objects, like a collection of antique canes, elegant riding boots, or a hunter’s weaponry and spoils. Many artists draw inspiration from the contents of the Hermès company museum whose collection ranges from silver to Middle-Eastern textiles and even Victorian toys. Other classic scarves incorporate exotic flora and fauna designed with the stylistic flair this well-known Paris design giant have become so well known for.
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The popularity of collecting vintage carrés has, of course, led to a booming market in fakes which often take a trained eye to single out from the real thing; at any one time there are hundreds of carrés for sale on eBay, sadly many of which are counterfeit. Usually, a copy can be spotted by the poor quality of its hand-rolled edge; on the genuine article this will be arrow-straight and beautifully finished. Care labels are also good pointers to authenticity, which should only be in French or English, positioned only in the corners and, on pre-2002 scarves, the lettering should only be black on a white background.
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