Tieing Times

Hey All you Athenaites!

The weather is getting crisper, the nights are getting longer, and there's no doubt that winter will soon be upon us. And that's why I'd like to introduce one of my fave new trends - the scarf!

First off, I have to say that I love a trend that keeps me warm in winter - if I open another fashion mag where someone's telling me that open-toed shoes are the new "it" thing for winter, I am going to scream(if you wear open-toed shoes in winter in Ottawa, your toes will not last very long). And gone are the days when a scarf meant that you had to wear it with the matching sets, dull colours, or even just thick, scratchy wool. In fact, over the last spring and summer, thin neck tie scarfs, as well as pashminas (huge, colourful scarves that originated in India) have become intensely popular.

So, how can you make this style your own? First, choose a colour you love. I rarely worry if my gloves and scarves match my coat, because I find that come winter, all of the coats are white, or grey, or black - colours that can go with anything. If you have a brightly coloured winter coat, you might want to take colour into account (or not, and be completely bold with a two-toned bright statement!). You'll also want to consider the thickness - although the scarf is a trend that originally comes in thinner fabrics, if you're planning on it snowing sometime soon, getting a thicker one would make a statement and keep you toasty. Last thing you'll want to think about is the tie!

Of course, we have the most simple - keeps your neck warm and makes sure everyone can see the ends! This could be the best style for patterned scarfs, so you could show off the pattern by showing both ends!

This one is my personal fave: fold your scarf in the middle, and hang the hold at the front of your neck. Then bring around the two folded ends, and put them through the hole you've created with the folds. It creates a nice little knot that stays at the top of your neck!

This one I actually found online - it's a tricky knot that I am trying as I type! Although the diagram looks tricky, it's surprisingly easy to tie - but if you're going to use it, it might want to be on a scarf you're wearing all day, as it's more of a complicated knot to tie (although gorgeous!)

You can also try (although I recommend this more for thin scarves than thicker ones) tying it like a tie! Now, I have absolutely no clue how to tie a tie, so I am consulting the visual aid (and I hope that the aids are working for everyone! If you're not a visual learner, Youtube has many instructional videos that can explain through images and words what you're seeing and knotting).

For any of us who went to girl guides, you might remember this scarf knot - leaving enough room for ends, tie a square knot to create the middle of the bow. If you don't know how to tie a square knot, click on the words "square knot" in the previous sentence - it'll take you to a website that can show you how!

Well, that's all for me this week...if you have questions, comments, or think I've missed a cool way to tie a scarf, comment below!