2008 Woodie Awards
À La Mode
Foreign fashion from students abroad
Magdalena Jensen
Issue date: 1/30/07 Section: B Side
- Page 1 of 1
What's Warsaw's winter ac-cessory? SCARVES. Yes boys, your Polish counter-parts are wearing them here. In cot-ton or cash-mere, rayon or raffia (though that must get scratchy), even if it isn't below freezing outside, no one here is without the ultimate fashion amenity: The Scarf.
I spent several days wandering the streets of my new home city trying to de-termine the one thing that is this winter's must-have item in Warsaw. In Burlington, where you all are experienc-ing colder weather than I am here, I know that most of you are walking around exposing your necks to the winds. Well, I have a simple solution: take a cue from your Polish breth-ren and don a long chunk o' knitted stuff.
If you are totally new to accessorizing, let me help you out with the scarf. Rule number one among Warsaw's fashion elite is that the scarf should not, I repeat, should not match your hat and gloves exactly (think the matching sets I saw Old Navy selling while I was picking up the requisite lounge pants before my trip overseas). In fact, the scarf should lend some color and pizzazz to your outfit.
Chances are you are wear-ing a black North Face fleece (something no one in Warsaw would be caught dead in) so I would recommend a nice knit number, perhaps orange and long so you can wind it around many a time. But, if you happen to prefer more tailored wool coats, invest in a pashmina. Now, when I say "invest," I really mean pause on a street corner the next time you are in New York City and shell out $5 for a "pash-mina." Maybe even buy two so that you can rotate them depending on your mood.
Now that you've got one, the next challenge is how to tie the damn thing. It's tempt-ing, but don't try to clumsily lop it around your neck while you have gloves on. At least take off the gloves and spend a second to drape it nicely. You could, on colder days, really wrap that baby around your neck and make the most of your five bucks, but this look tends to result in what I've dubbed the desperate "Nearly Headless Nick" look.
Instead, I suggest the simplest method that works for all kinds of scarves: hold the center at the front of your neck, loop the ends around back, crisscross them around to the front again and tie them loosely. This look is easily adjustable for warmth and works for men and women. YES, YOU BOYS!
Without even the aid of a crystal ball, I can clearly envision everyone walking around on the UVM campus today: earbuds in, puffy jack-ets on, frozen larynxes merci-lessly exposed to the bitter cold. So why not make like the Polacks? Get a scarf!
I spent several days wandering the streets of my new home city trying to de-termine the one thing that is this winter's must-have item in Warsaw. In Burlington, where you all are experienc-ing colder weather than I am here, I know that most of you are walking around exposing your necks to the winds. Well, I have a simple solution: take a cue from your Polish breth-ren and don a long chunk o' knitted stuff.
If you are totally new to accessorizing, let me help you out with the scarf. Rule number one among Warsaw's fashion elite is that the scarf should not, I repeat, should not match your hat and gloves exactly (think the matching sets I saw Old Navy selling while I was picking up the requisite lounge pants before my trip overseas). In fact, the scarf should lend some color and pizzazz to your outfit.
Chances are you are wear-ing a black North Face fleece (something no one in Warsaw would be caught dead in) so I would recommend a nice knit number, perhaps orange and long so you can wind it around many a time. But, if you happen to prefer more tailored wool coats, invest in a pashmina. Now, when I say "invest," I really mean pause on a street corner the next time you are in New York City and shell out $5 for a "pash-mina." Maybe even buy two so that you can rotate them depending on your mood.
Now that you've got one, the next challenge is how to tie the damn thing. It's tempt-ing, but don't try to clumsily lop it around your neck while you have gloves on. At least take off the gloves and spend a second to drape it nicely. You could, on colder days, really wrap that baby around your neck and make the most of your five bucks, but this look tends to result in what I've dubbed the desperate "Nearly Headless Nick" look.
Instead, I suggest the simplest method that works for all kinds of scarves: hold the center at the front of your neck, loop the ends around back, crisscross them around to the front again and tie them loosely. This look is easily adjustable for warmth and works for men and women. YES, YOU BOYS!
Without even the aid of a crystal ball, I can clearly envision everyone walking around on the UVM campus today: earbuds in, puffy jack-ets on, frozen larynxes merci-lessly exposed to the bitter cold. So why not make like the Polacks? Get a scarf!
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