Stay silky smooth with a scarf this fall

If there is one accessory in the fashion world that pays dividends it is the silk scarf, a cheap addition to your wardrobe that is starting to clog up runways this season.

Aquascutum models are already wrapping colorful silk scarves around their heads to match their simple white blouses and tweed pants, while Etro likes to use leopard-striped versions to match its metal-colored suits.

Meanwhile, Emanuel Ungaro and Philosophy are employing scarves as waist belts, Moschino is fashioning them into complicated butterfly knots, and Just Cavali is opting for a more traditional look by hanging them loosely around the neck.

"Scarves are a lot more multi-functional than you may think. They have more roles to play than just keeping your neck warm," said Xue Ruixia, general manager of Kurki Fashion (Beijing) Ltd, which deals with European fashion accessories brand Marja Kuiki.

"Everybody has a black dress which may look boring sometimes, but if you wear a brightly colored scarf at the waist, it will produce a sudden change and make you look very unique and fashionable," said Xue. (See details in sketch 1).

Changing your scarf also means you do not need to change your handbag so frequently. Xue recommends choosing a medium-sized bag and wrapping it with a scarf (see sketch 2) to give it more of a luxury feel.

Marja Kurki recently presented its Fall/Winter Scarf Collection for this year under the theme "Wild Forest". This latest seasonal outing continues the designer's reliance on nature for inspiration, invoking a fairy tale feel with its forest setting and animal and plant motifs. Dramatic colors like dark eggplant, forest green, turquoise, wooden brown and orange glow have become the keynote colors.

(China Daily 08/08/2009 page14)