As the mercury continues its steady drop, the discerning Dartmouth fashion lover is forced to trade his or her impractical fripperies and fineries for the warmth of utilitarian winter gear. Fun, trendy items are replaced by boring, heavy duty gloves, hats, parkas and, of course, scarves.
A once humble and overlooked accessory, the scarf was formerly as monochromatic, itchy and uninspired as other typical cold-weather essentials.
However, as many stylish students demonstrate, scarves are the most stylish and versatile accessory for Winter 2009, available in wide variety of colors, designs, materials and shapes. The ideal antidote to the wintertime sartorial blues, scarves add a heavy dose of fashion and function, offering endless possibilities for enhancing your wardrobe.
Scarf-wear adds pizzazz and imagination to any ensemble, infusing an outfit as simple as jeans and a tee shirt with the timeless elegance of Old Hollywood (think Grace Kelly or Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack) or the effortless glamour of Bohemian rock and roll (i.e. free spirits like Mick Jagger and Talitha Getty).
A quick scan of any recent issue of Us Weekly shows that contemporary celebrities from Kanye West to Lindsay Lohan have also wholeheartedly embraced the trend, flaunting attention-grabbing prints and patterns. Unlike other celeb-driven looks, which are notoriously un-wearable in the real world (here's looking at you, high-waisted shorts and crop tops), scarves work just as well on the frozen tundra of New Hampshire as they do on the sunny streets of Los Angeles.
When it comes to choosing a style, the possibilities are limitless. From sophisticated Euro-chic metallic silver to cozy New England prepster plaids to the always reliable keffiyah, scarves are the perfect finishing touch to ward off the cold chill of winter while distinguishing yourself from the bundled-up masses. Follow the lead of style icons past and present and jauntily sport a unique scarf for a look that will be sure to impress.
For cool scarves that will keep you warm and turn heads, check out Otrera.com for designer Elle Sakellis's colorful wraps featuring a bright, pop-art Greek evil-eye symbol pattern, and embellished with dangling glass eye pendants from Mykonos. Can't get a plane ticket out of Hanover, but longing for a wallet-friendly version of the ethnic kerchiefs dominating the pages of fashion magazines? Ukrainian-n-things.com has a terrific selection of beautiful, hand-embroidered scarves with ornate Slavic patterns that will add an aura of worldliness to your North Face fleece.
For the guys hoping to add a little something extra to their wardrobe, look no further than old-school Ivy League clothier (and official outfitter of everyone's favorite scarf aficionado, Chuck Bass) J.Press's online store jpressonline.com for affordable and classic renditions of the "power scarf" in silk, cashmere and wool.
