Help with silk scarf

plousia

plousia

Registered Guest
This is the second of this type of scarf I have found. The first one I didn't buy, which I still kick myself for. It was rayon. This one is silk (burn tested). It is basically just a length of material sewn down one side with straight machine stitch, unfinished seam (shown in last photo). The sewing thread burn tests as cotton.

I sort of assumed it was homemade, but I'm not sure. There is no label.

I see this sort of scarf listed as 30s/40s men's opera scarves? Would that be correct? I don't want to speculate and list it as that and be wrong.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 

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I think if you are comparing directly to items for sale, you should check the track record of the person selling! There are many, many reputable menswear sellers that I consider experts in the field. I can use their forums and sales sites to vet items I am unclear on. If I am not familiar with a seller, I do my own personal vetting of their expertise. This is why VFG members are proud to be VFG members - we are vetted. I just did an image search and I could easily find within one screen full of pictures, images from sellers who's reputation I have vetted, and the era they are using to describe their item, and how others can misuse key words, throw out a year, and be classified with the real deal. That is how google/gem operate - there is no human screening the listings, just an algorithm. While I am unable to handle an item you request assistance with, I can just offer my person experience, based on your pictures and description. I am in no way trying to crush what you have asked about your item. I am saying, searching Gem is very helpful, but only if the source knows of what they speak.
 
Very true. Some of the wider ones do have labels which are clearly older. If only mine had a label that would make it easier...
 
Would it be typical for an 80s scarf to have an unfinished seam and use cotton sewing thread? Does that mean it may be homemade?
 
Ranch Queen Vintage said:
I'm not sure which seam(s) you're referring to.
The short fringe at both ends - basically, purposely unraveling it - is quite common.
I have no insight about the choice of cotton thread.
Click to expand...

Oh, there's a seam along one end on the inside. There's a photo of it in my original post. Basically it's like a fabric tube, a wider piece doubled over and sewn along the open end.
 
Ranch Queen Vintage said:
I'm not sure which seam(s) you're referring to.
The short fringe at both ends - basically, purposely unraveling it - is quite common.
I have no insight about the choice of cotton thread.
Click to expand...

Just coming back to this since this scarf is still kicking around and I'm not sure what to do with it.

I mention the thread material because cotton or silk thread was used up to about the 50s. Polyester thread was invented I think mid-50s but didn't seem to become common till sometime in the 60s. Now cotton is almost never used. If this scarf was 80s I would expect polyester thread and a serged seam.

I probably should stop picking up these very difficult-to-date things!
 
I think cotton thread was used very often in the 80s, and also cotton-covered polyester. Many people used silk thread for silk or wool home sewing. I agree that the loose edge on scarves was common in the 80s and the scarf looks 80s to me.
 
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