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On her recent trips to Paris, a skinny scarf has been model Emily Ratajkowski’s pièce de résistance, from the netted naked dress accessory she wore to a Loewe show to the red chiffon version she knotted at the side and teamed with a little black dress. And she’s not alone — fellow model Elsa Hosk also sported the skinny scarf look on her feed in October 2023, and influencers like Claudya Moreira and Matilda Djerf have given us plenty of inspiration for styling the neck accessory this year.
While some TikTok reactions have applauded the resurgence of the popular Y2K accessory, others suggest it’s not very practical and associate it more with Disney stars or the Olsens in the early 2000s than chic Parisian attire à la Kate Moss. Still, recent tutorials abound on how to DIY one, use it to take your look from day to night, or weave it into your jewelry or handbag.
Stylist Risa Kostis summarizes why the trend remains divisive: “Since skinny scarves are a nod to 2000s fashion, which is both celebrated and critiqued, you either love it or you hate it. For some, the return of the skinny scarf brings back fond memories of iconic styles from that era, while others see it as a forever fashion ‘no,’” she tells Refinery29.
Of course, skinny scarves date back much further than the aughts. In the 1920s, they were draped along the bodice of drop-waist dresses (which are also trending this year), perhaps knotted loosely at the center to elongate the frame. “These were the debut days of the bob haircut, so it was common to highlight the hair by accessorizing and experimenting with a barely there piece like this,” Kostis explains.
In the 1950s, we also saw the skinny scarf in patterned fabrics, shorter lengths, and more taut styling — perhaps looped around the neck twice, like a choker, with a bow to play up a colorful poodle skirt. Kostis mentions the skinny scarf’s symbolic references in the 1960s, when it was a nod to mod subculture, especially in splashy geometric prints, which could be interpreted as a rejection of conventional styles at that time. And even later, we saw it during the bohemian rocker move of the ’70s — a look implemented by Moss into the late ’90s — with the scarf nonchalantly thrown over a blouse, and a peek of lingerie, seemingly as an afterthought.
Today, the skinny scarf parallels artistic expression (especially when people are crafting their own). In simpler iterations, the skinny scarf can help achieve the “French girl aesthetic,” commonly associated with Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. “In this context, the skinny scarf symbolizes an innate sense of style and an appreciation for subtlety in fashion,” Kostis says.
Designers have been incorporating skinny …read more
Source:: Refinery29
