Q: Ever wear a silk scarf back in the day? They seem like something Truman Capote or Jagger sported at Studio 54 in the late ’70s. I’m intrigued by them, but also puzzled—they’re cool but also kind of pompous and fey.

A: Moi? The silk scarf was not really a part of my youthful attire, but sometimes I like to tie one on in the current era. Scarves provide flair when a look seems unfinished; they cover chest hair, and they make a good tourniquet just in case. I sometimes wear a scarf inside my shirt collar, and by scarf I mean what Americans call an ascot. Pass the end through the loop once in the simplest of knots. I usually wear this look when I’m entertaining at home, where people are less likely to mock me, and if they do I can throw them out. I have a gray-and-white one from Prada and one from Paul Smith that’s navy blue with white polka dots. The latter is quite groovy, as one side has big dots and the other small dots, so when it’s tousled you see both. Tousled is good, because anything so deliberately uncommon can look fussy quite easily. You don’t want to come off like The Odd Couple’s Felix Unger.

October 2005

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