I'd rather go naked.

Than not wear a scarf.

Due to the fish cake debacle yesterday I realized that I missed the single most important item on the What I Wore Today list: A scarf. And then I decided that it is actually worth a post on its own, because....drum roll...I love scarves. I adore them. I won’t leave the house without one. Ever.

 I had a friend in high school who always wore turtlenecks. We teased her whether she would also wear a bathing suit with a turtleneck attached. I am the same with scarves. I will wear one in any weather and in any situation. In the summer big cotton wraps, in the evening silk squares, in winter (yes, even in Cape Town) anything cashmere. Nothing completes an outfit like a scarf, nothing makes me feel cosier and for no other item of clothing can I justify a bigger spending budget.

Now after years of cramming them into a box or drawer I finally have a place that provides the perfect spot for my collection:

There are probably a few more strewn around the flat who missed the photo-op, but this is essentially it. It’s a small but precious assembly.

The scarf love may be another trade I get from my Mum. Since I can remember she will wear a silk scarf rolled up and tied around her neck. Last winter I got very lucky as I asked her for hand-me-downs from her own closet. Even luckier when I realized, the guys who robbed all my money out of my bag upon return to Cape Town, had left the real treasure: a tiny bundle of silks with the tiny printed names of Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Hermès.

My favourite scarf these days is this little striped beauty. I got it in NY last August and haven’t taken it off since. That fact led to the following conversation with my little niece...

Olivia: Why do you always wear the same stripy scarf?

Me: Because I just got it and it’s my favourite.

Olivia: Aah (not sounding very convinced).

Seeing my scarf collection in all its’ glory when she came to visit led to this interlude...

Olivia: Why do you have so many scarves?

Me: So my little niece won’t bug me that I always wear the same scarf.

Olivia: (giggle)

Children are easily amused. Me too. As long as I have my scarf.