Gavroches
Gavroshes, gavs, pochettes, pocket scarves, pocket squares - by whatever name they are called they are lovely 45cm squares (16"). Sometimes the designs are created for the format, but more often they are adapted from a larger design such as a 90cm carre. Many times with Hermes 45s the scarf title and other hallmarks of a 90cm like the artist signature are absent.
How to wear a gav? I started wearing mine folded on the bias and tied simply around the neck like a jaunty choker, added a basic cowboy triangle to my repertoire, and have recently graduated to pairing two gavs together. (If you see AMIM - that stands for "Ask Me, I Might" and I might be willing to part with something in my collection. Drop me a note if you're interested, and check out that which I've already decided to re-home.)
How to wear a gav? I started wearing mine folded on the bias and tied simply around the neck like a jaunty choker, added a basic cowboy triangle to my repertoire, and have recently graduated to pairing two gavs together. (If you see AMIM - that stands for "Ask Me, I Might" and I might be willing to part with something in my collection. Drop me a note if you're interested, and check out that which I've already decided to re-home.)
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Brides de Gala, Hugo GrykgarYou can't go wrong with the classic Brides de Gala design. The Hugo Grykgar creation originally appeared in the late 1950s. Over the decades it's been on 90s and 140s, given a floral background and put in disorder, repeated in cashmere and on triangles. But this is the original design, and nothing says classic more than black, white and gold.
This was a birthday gift in 2003, the one that opened the world of Hermes to me. Who knew that in just over 10 years I'd be touring the Emile Hermes private collection in Paris?! When I saw the bridle that inspired this design I literally gasped out loud. This little darling is old enough to vote! |
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Early America, Francoise de la PerriereOnce upon a time, Hermes created pochettes from mousseline. I'm not sure what year they stopped producing these, but over the years there has been no shortage of new formats and fabrics. I was delighted to find this orange gem many years ago in a local resale shop, and pull it out of retirement.
The Early America design was first introduced in 1970; the 1979 re-issue added George and Martha Washington in the center, replacing a squirrel from the original design. Peacocks, bears and horses, as well as giant dogs ridden by children, are an odd combination that encircle the Washingtons. |
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Torana, Annie FaivreThis Annie Faivre design first appeared in 1987, and was reissued in 1990 and 2000. It also appears as a design on an enamel bangle bracelet. The design depicts an array of toranas, Indian gateways typically made of stone, marking the entrance to Buddhist shrines or Hindu temples. Toranas are often covered from top to bottom with sculpture, and Annie Faivre design she renders them with exquisite detail.
I tend to stay away from monochromatic scarves, and for awhile this little beauty was on the chopping block. But I've recently started pairing gavs together and the blue goes so well with the oranges in the above Early America and the Pegase Pop below.. Hermes Electrique, Dimitri RybaltchenkoDimitri Rybaltchenko has quietly taken a significant place in my scarf drawer. I say quiet because I've not purposely sought out his work, but rather they've magically appeared unbidden and grabbed my eyes and wouldn't let go. I tend to gravitate to bright colors and busy designs, and yet there is Cheval a Caractere and Vif Argent in my 90cm drawer. Go figure.
And up until 2021 I wasn't realllllly into 45s. But then this adaptation of the 90cm Hermes Electrique appeared and I was powerless. It's hard to tell against a white background but there is a white hem that just makes everything about this just pop. One thing that changed my perspective about gavs is how fun it is to pair them up. With so many great colors in this colorway, this can be paired with just about every 45 in my collection. En Attendant Ulysse, Florence ManlikWaiting for Ulysses to return from the Trojan War, wife Penelope fended off suitors by promising her hand in marriage once she finished weaving a tapestry. As clever as her husband - the creator of the Trojan Horse - Penelope would make a show of weaving during the day, then surreptitiously unravel her work at night. Florence Manlik was inspired by Eastern European folklore and traditional costume to create this lovely floral horse - perhaps a Trojan horse? - from the 2021 collection.
Bright and busy, this little gav is totally in my wheelhouse! I think I like this detail version better than its parent 140cm shawl and I'd love to see this in a 90cm mousseline. A girl can dream! Quatre Chevaux, David BartholomeoAlice Shirley lured me to the men's section of the boutique with Awooooo! (and Grrrrr! and Arrrrrgh!) and it's become as much of a playground for me as the women's section. I read an interview with Nigel Peake, artistic director for men's clothing, where he said that one of his criteria for approving a scarf design is whether it would be at home in the women's section. If yes, then the design is not produced.
So I regularly peruse men's scarves and when this appeared in 2021 I was instantly smitten. I've got my eye on a couple of colorways from the original 100cm cashmere version, but for now this is my lone Quatre Chevaux. And while the colors (and busy-ness!) drew me to it, its 'story behind' made me love it even more. The 100 version features four horseshoes, each representing one of the four elements (NOT the four horsemen!) as well as good luck. And while we see land and sea animals intermingling, there is also the mythical phoenix and dragon. Thus we have balance of elements of nature, and a mix of fantasy and reality. I. Love. This. Scarf. |
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The Three Graces Zoom, Alice ShirleyYes, I have an Alice Shirley addiction! And I have no problem adding multiple colorways or formats of any design; I have a 90cm version of this visual ode to three South African giraffes nibbling delicately on an acacia tree.
Many times, a 45cm adaptation of a 90cm (or 140cm) design is not just a shrunken down version of the original. A lot of times it's considered a 'detail' version that zooms in on one part of the master design. Quatre Chevaux and En Attendant Ulysse are detail versions whereas Brides de Gala and Torana are minimized versions. This is a zoomed in detail adaptation of the original 90cm/140cm creation. The pinks drew me in, but you can see how different the pink here is compared to the pink above in Quatre Chevaux. I read somewhere that Hermes has a library over more than 75,000 colors and much as I love pink there are some shades that make me appear corpse-like. These pinks are NOT in that category though I do struggle with the off-whites. As a result... AMIM |
