Menu
AutoMobilia Resource
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Magazine
    • Writers
    • Digital Mag
    • Test Drive
    • Read Articles
    • Gift Guides
      • AutoMobilia Holiday Gift Guide 2022
  • Events
  • Classifieds
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Email SignUp
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Magazine
    • Writers
    • Digital Mag
    • Test Drive
    • Read Articles
    • Gift Guides
      • AutoMobilia Holiday Gift Guide 2022
  • Events
  • Classifieds
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Email SignUp
  • Contact

Luxurious Hermés Automotive Scarves

10/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Nov/Dec 2020  edition
Issue #13 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
​Bonnie Singer - Guest Columnist
Hermés scarf Les Bolides
Above and below right: Les Bolides (the Racing Cars): Sold in a variety of different beautiful and vibrant color variations.
In my last article I wrote about the variety of automotive art on vintage silk scarves.  Of those produced by luxury fashion brands, the most sought after remain the scarves made in France by Hermès. 

​Hermès first began producing scarves in the mid-1930s, a product line that has only increased in popularity.  Even with the modern technologies available today, Hermès painstakingly produces designs as they did decades ago.  It takes approximately 18 months for a new design to be created, start to finish.  Each design is produced in multiple color palettes ranging from three or four unique combinations, to over a dozen.
​
These are their four most iconic automotive designs:
    LES BOLIDES (the Racing Cars), first produced in 1967, with re-issues in 1998 and 2003.  The horizontal speeding cars are within a gorgeous floral Art Nouveau border.  The design is attributed to Rena Dumas, an architect/interior designer who worked for Hermès in that capacity while her husband was CEO of the company, but also has been credited to Françoise Façonnet. 
 
​
Hermés scarf Les Bolides light pink green
Hermés scarf Les Bolides green blue
Hermés scarf Les Bolides pink
Hermés Scarf Les Parures du Vent in Blue
Above: Les Parures du Vent (Wind Adornments): Shown here in blue. The black, and white color combinations are pictured below right.
LES PARURES DU VENT (Wind Adornments), first produced in 1991 with a reissue in 1998.  The design by Joachim Metz is of classic hood ornaments and auto club medallions in gold or silver, beautifully rendered in an all-over design.
Hermés Scarf Les Parures du Vent in Black
Hermés Scarf Les Parures du Vent in White
Hermés Scarf Automobile
Automobile: Comes in a variety of different color combinations, with navy pictured here.
AUTOMOBILE, produced for the 1996/97 collection and not reissued.  This is another Joachim Metz design showing a collage of various vintage cars, with the Maybach hood ornament prominently featured.
Hermés Scarf L'Elegance et le confort en auto
L’Élégance et le Confort en Auto (Elegance and Comfort in the Car): Comes in a variety of different color combinations, with yellow pictured above, and red pictured below right.
L’ÉLÉGANCE ET LE CONFORT EN AUTO (Elegance and Comfort in the Car), produced in 1996 and designed by Caty Latham, a scarf designer for Hermès for over 45 years.  The wonderful Art Deco images are about leisure travel and picnics, full of interesting details.  
    I often encounter the question of what to look for in determining authenticity, as counterfeit items in luxury brands are not uncommon.  There are several clear signs to look for with Hermès scarves:

​FABRIC:
  Hermès scarves are made only of heavy 100% silk twill fabric and, regardless where sold, are manufactured only in France.  That being said, the language on the fabric tag may be French or English, but any other language is evidence of a fake.  Likewise is any fabric other than doubleweight silk twill.

Hermés Scarf L'Elegance et le confort en auto Red
Hermés Scarf L'Elegance et le confort en auto detail
Showing detail of Red scarf.
HEMS:  All genuine Hermès scarves, without exception, have hems, hand-rolled to the front (vibrant side), and stitched with thread that is an exact color match with the border.  Hems rolled back and/or machine stitched with an overlock stitch are counterfeits. 

SIZE:  Nearly all measure 35"x35", although there are some special editions that are 24"x24", and some pocket squares that measure 17"x17".

COPYRIGHT:  All authentic scarves have the © Hermès (with the proper accent mark), and/or Hermès-Paris prominently in the design.  

​COLORS: Hermès scarves usually have 32-48 colors per design, with artists spending up to six months developing the palette.  The fakes have far fewer colors, sometimes less than a dozen.
Hermés Scarf Bugattis 100th anniversary
In addition to the new scarves for each seasonal collection, on occasion Hermès has produced special scarves to commemorate a noteworthy event, such as the 2009 spectacular silver and gray scarf to honor Bugatti’s 100th anniversary.  Pictured left.
Hermés Scarf Les 24 Heures du Mans detail
Other times, rather than creating an entirely new design for a commemorative scarf, Hermès altered a single detail within an existing design. 
Hermés Scarf Les 24 Heures du Mans
Above: LES BOLIDES of 1967 served as the original design to honor later Les 24 Heures du Mans, most likely with the 1998 re-issue for the race event’s 75th anniversary.  For this French blue and yellow scarf, instead of the usual flower in each corner, there is a floral “24.” ​
Hermés Scarf Automobile 1996 1997
Similarly, a scarf honoring the 100th anniversary of the Automobile Club of France in 1995 featured a hood ornament near the top of the design with the ACF initials and the dates, which later was produced as the AUTOMOBILE design in the 1996/97 winter collection, with a change in the colors, and substituting the Maybach 12 hood ornament for the ACF one. (see picture left)
Lastly, is an extraordinarily rare early scarf, circa 1962, entitled PETITE HISTOIRE DE L’AUTOMOBILE and designed by Hugo Grygkar that was made by Hermès specifically for the Lord & Taylor department store in New York. Pictured right. Apologies, we didn't have a high-quality picture of this one.

​
​
Hermés Scarf Petite Histoire de L'Automobile
Hermès scarves are readily found on the internet through eBay and other websites, though reproductions are not uncommon. The non-commemorative scarves discussed here come in many color combinations, and prices vary primarily by condition and color desirability. Those in mint or nearly new condition range generally from approximately $295-$695, with the limited issue scarves selling for approximately $750-$1,500 or higher. 

Bonnie Singer

To read more great columns like this one from expert Bonnie Singer...
Subscribe to AutoMobilia Resource

Subscribe!
0 Comments

The Allure of Vintage Automotive Scarves

4/15/2020

0 Comments

 
May/June 2020  edition
Issue #10 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
​Bonnie Singer - Guest Columnist
AutoMobilia Resource Issue 10
Featured on the cover of issue 10 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine!
 In the late 1980s, I first started attending automotive shows, husband/wife vending mostly Porsche parts and literature. I couldn’t help but notice the number of wives and girlfriends, eyes glazed over with boredom, but their faces would light up when they saw that I was wearing a pretty silk automotive-themed scarf.  It was food for thought, so I grew my small scarf collection, and started offering scarves at concours and swap meets.

Out of this, my passion for these pieces of silk with amazing graphics developed.  I quickly learned the sources and designs covered an extraordinary range. There were automotive-themed scarves produced by renowned fashion design houses including Hermes, Chopard and Gucci. ​
There were scarves produced by the auto manufacturers themselves:  Ferrari, Porsche, Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz, among others. And there were scarves produced for specific events or races, many by auto clubs or automotive artists of the day. Let me share some of my favorites with you.

The most recently produced scarf of this group is the wonderfully graphic steering wheel and gauges originally offered by Ferrari in dealership stores and online. It is a scarf that lends itself perhaps more for framing as a piece of art, than wearing where most of the image is lost.  In that same category, I would include the fabulous Italian Isotta Fraschini scarf, produced by Bolaffi with the iconic image of the early Leopoldo Metlicovitz poster.
Ferrari Scarves
Isotta Fraschini Milano Scarf
In the mid-1960s a new upscale store, Hunting World, opened its doors in New York City.  Specializing in luggage, leather goods and fashion accessories, it produced the magnificent scarf, Les Grandes Bugatti, in 1988. [Editor: Hunting World was owned by world renowned car collector the late Robert M. Lee] By designing the scarf with a different Bugatti in each corner, as well as a central image, this scarf was easily as beautiful to wear as to frame. As with many scarves produced by fashion companies, it was available in a number of different color combinations.
Les Grandes Bugatti Scarf
Also, in 1988, Chopard, the Swiss manufacturer and retailer of luxury watches and fashion accessories, became a corporate partner of the Mille Miglia Storica. In this role, it has produced over the years, a number of exquisite scarves honoring the event.  Included here are two that I love: a route map of the rally in fresh pastel colors with bright red highlights, and a very different scarf (produced in multiple color combinations) showcasing some of the event automobiles overlaying a muted background map.
Chopard Holiday Scarf
Chopard Scarf
The Mille Miglia is not the only event that inspired multiple scarf designs; the 24 Hours of Le Mans did as well, with many produced by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.  In one series, the brilliant checkerboard design allowed updated revisions with the passing years.  Each square was illustrated with the winning car, also noting the year of the race, the marque and number of the car, average speed, the drivers, and in some years, additional performance information.  Versions of this design most commonly found are 1923-1964, 1923-1971, and 1923-1981. The scarf shown here for 1923-1992 though more recent, is more rare. 
24-Heures-Du-Mans scarf checkered
Lastly, is one of the rarest vintage automotive scarves: Le 24 Heures du Mans, circa 1955-56 illustrated by Geo Ham with his printed signature in one of the corners.  With unfaded colors, a near flawless example in natural silk twill, this is a perfect scarf to be framed and admired by any serious automobilia collector.  In more than 30 years of scarf acquisitions, I have not seen another.    
24-Heures-Du-Mans scarf
24-Heures-Du-Mans signed by Geo Ham
Most fine automotive scarves are 100% silk, and with some exceptions generally measure approximately 35”x35”.  I use the term “vintage” as an indicator that most of these were produced in limited numbers in the latter half of the 20th century.  Prices vary greatly by rarity and condition.  The scarves I’ve shown here range from approximately $300-$800, except for the Geo Ham Le Mans at $3,300. 
​
Bonnie Singer

To read more great columns like this one from expert Bonnie Singer...
Subscribe to AutoMobilia Resource

Subscribe
0 Comments
    Bonnie Singer Bio Pic
    Bonnie Singer

    Automotive Scarves

    Owner of VintageAutoCollectibles.com

    VintageAutoCollectibles.com
    cygnet2mail@gmail.com

    Archives

    October 2020
    April 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Home
Writers
Articles
Digital Mag
Events
Gift Guide

Subscribe
Classifieds
​Store
Advertise

Contact
Privacy Policy

Automobilia Resource LLC
1217 Cape Coral Pkwy East #178
Cape Coral, Florida 33904
Main office: 954-579-5280
Subscriptions: 224-558-8955
Editor: 631-258-9887
Copyright © 2023     Automobilia Resource LLC.     All Rights Reserved