The ethics of scarves

Scarves may not seem like the most obvious subject for moral or ethical debate, but my recent choices in this area have left me more contemplative than your average winter accessory buy. The dilemma, if you can call it that, will become clear upon describing the objects at hand:

Exhibit A: A Brown, Jersey, American Apparel Circle Scarf



Exhibit B: An antique fox fur stole



Before you say anything, I am not in favour of seal clubbing or inhumane treatment of animals generally. In fact I was a vegetarian for a long time. However. There's no denying that fur both looks and feels good - so soft, so warm. Humans have been wearing it for thousands and thousands of years. Go to siberia, it's not a luxury there, it's a necessity. Not that this applies in London, but I think that when it comes to fur - yes, a lot of it is inhumanely killed or farmed, but vintage fur is already long dead and not wearing it doesn't benefit the animals. In fact, wearing a fur - especially a complete fur like mine - is a preservation of the creature's beauty, and as much of a memorial as they would ever get. You can argue that wearing a vintage fur still glorifies the trade, which does have some truth... but beauty always hurts, n'est pas.

And my circle scarf comes guilt free, from the sweatshop free icon itself. So on balance, I'm just an imperfect human. With nice scarves.

This almost makes up for not being able to afford the burberry snoods...

Burberry eases the pain of an impending Autumn

I love Summer. More than I can probably say. I love the sunshine, I love the heat, I love the relaxed attitude, I love warm evenings where you can sit outside drinking with friends, I love going to the beach. I could go on. In Britain, as everyone is aware, Summer is hit and miss, though the last couple of weeks have been pretty decent, but Autumn on the other hand is reliable. You know what's coming: increasingly short, cold days with lots of rain. Lots. I dread it with every fibre of my being; not even the colourful leaves crisping under your feet and the poetic melancholy bring me any sort of happiness. However, reading this September's particularly excellent issue of Dazed & Confused I came across something which did cheer me up about the impending doom - sorry, season - in the form of a snood. A Snood? I hear you say, Isn't that a glorified sports scarf that joins the whole way around? Yes, yes it is. But this season, Burberry have taken the Snood and transformed it into a must-have item. In four prints, including the nova check, which I am just not a fan of, it looks snug and stylish - and I loved D&C's tip to wear it as a cummerbund when you're not protecting your neck. This is what everyone should be using to shut out the cold!