In Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson’s strange and stifling vision of English class, weird breakfast orders and high-society tantrums, Daniel Day-Lewis plays the frigid and aloof couturier Reynolds Woodcock, a man with complex views on work and relationships, offset by a truly beautiful wardrobe: wool overcoats, Anderson & Sheppard suits, spit-polished shoes and, the real star of the film’s costume design, silk cravats, worn neatly under Oxford shirts and tweed blazers. Phantom Thread is set in the mid-1950s, an era when clothes, like upper lips, were stiff and, for gentlemen, neckwear was de rigueur.
While many mainstays of formal mid-century menswear — the hats, the briefcases and, increasingly, the ties — have fallen from favour over the years, as fabrics soften and workplaces become evermore flexible and remote, the silk scarf, worn as a cravat, tossed freely across the shoulders or tied bandana-style around the neck, as if its wearer were a golden retriever with lots of personality, is enjoying an interesting and unlikely renaissance as an accessory for right now. A number of designers, both classic and contemporary, are selling fun, colourful and luxurious takes on silk neckwear that can be worn with or without a suit — or access to a crumbling stately home.
“Silk scarves are something we’ve offered since the earliest days of the brand,” says Michael Hill, creative director at influential London men’s outfitter Drake’s. “I think we have seen an increase in popularity recently, as men continue to rediscover the classics.” Rather than Day-Lewis, Hill cites James Baldwin as his exemplar of neckerchief style.
For spring and summer, the tubular silk scarves at Drake’s are in shades of emerald green and soft pink with prints of exotic birds and Mughal hunters. A recent collaboration with New York brand Aimé Leon Dore, pioneer of the popular New Prep look, saw models wear patterned silk scarves with both matching grey tracksuits and dark evening wear, demonstrating the item’s newfound range as a men’s accessory.
“Silk is seen as inherently formal, so pairing a silk scarf with tailoring seems to make the most sense,” adds Hill. “However, they are deceptively versatile and will look just as good worn with a battered old field jacket at the weekend.”
At Hermès, the first name in fine silks and French artisanship, new technology has allowed the nearly 200-year-old maison to create double-sided silk, a world first for the fabric: one piece of silk with different colours and even alternate designs on either side, meaning more opportunity for pattern and colour clashing. This summer, Hermès scarves arrive in orange, yellow and pale blue with art deco takes on that famous horse print. At Paul Smith, in collaboration with London-based artist John Booth, the silk scarf is interpreted in orange, pink, red and teal, featuring original artwork of a male head, flowers blooming from the scalp, for the surrealist-leaning New Dandy. French label of the moment Casablanca’s scarves come in shades of warm green and orange, tied casually around the neck, while Gucci’s are printed with Disney characters.
“Ties will probably have their moment again, now that they have been so underused,” says Becky French, creative director at Jermyn Street shirtmaker Turnbull & Asser. “But neckerchiefs and scarves allow for colour and texture in an outfit without feeling restricted and too formal. We have brought in pops of colour in yellow, ochre, lilac and soft blue for our new spring and summer range of silks.”
For Michael Hill of Drake’s, this is just the beginning of the silk scarf’s reintroduction into fashionable relevance. Hill predicts a boom in post-Covid dressing up.
“Once things begin to return to normality and we can visit bars and restaurants again, I believe many men and women will need very little reason to wear their finest clothes,” he says. “I’m hoping we see a lot of men in suits, and a silk scarf is the ideal accompaniment to tailoring. It’s a perfect finishing touch if you’re looking to stand out.”
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