Handsome Hanson Silk Scarf

Daniel Hanson of Nottingham

After we featured his incredible dressing gowns — known in the trade as the Sistine Chapel of dressing gowns — Daniel Hanson kindly contacted Tweed Towers in person, and passed on his gratitude and this link to an interview he made for Left Lion. Daniel says that first and foremost they are 'designers and manufacturers of quality apparel'. Timelessness is a key point:

Fashion is the mood of the moment; designers lead through identifying the mood. It’s a transient emotion. I never felt my work reflected that, nothing has a date or time on it – every garment is totally translatable to today. I’m very proud of that. You can hand-tailor a dressing gown or make them like a pair of jeans using the same machinery. You can make it in a hundred different ways, but it always comes out looking like a dressing gown. I’ve spent 25 years exploring.

For the last fifteen years they have transferred the skills, and exquisite selections of cloth, used to create their robes in to making beautiful and equally limited numbers of Daniel Hanson scarves. The scarves are often made from surplus material form the manufacture of the robes.

I won't say its easy to track down a Daniel Hanson scarf. Daniel says that you may see them sporadically in places like Fenwick or Harrods, but he's hoping to make it a little easier when they eventually make a range available through the Daniel Hanson web site. Knowing I might be desperate to wrap one around my neck, Daniel fixed it for me — multiplied by two. I'm showing you the first of the two scarves here. Stay tuned for the other.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Daniel for the effort and generosity in making this happen. I understand how busy they are up in Nottingham, and he understood how much I would like to feature the scarves. I'm one happy pig.

Blue Polka Dot and Dogtooth Pattern Silk Scarf

The Blue Polka Dot and Dogtooth Pattern Silk Scarf you see here is made from the most incredible 'crispy' silk Jacquard, woven in Suffolk. The scarf has a dogtooth background with a polka dot overlay on one side. The same vibrant blue of the polka dots is used in a cross-hatch pattern at the ends.

The scarf has year-round use. Folded in different ways I drape it inside and outside coats or use it as a cravat (like the top picture).

It was a mistake to try and capture the pattern outside  — too much reflection from a shockingly sunny day. Sorry about the feeble fold of the scarf on this picture too. I got a passer-by to take it and they didn't think to tell me to tighten the knot or pull the scarf out from the lapel of the jacket. Like true Brits, they just wanted to get away as soon as possible and remove any attention from themselves.