It might finally be fall in Boston, but it’s also very rainy and very gross. Despite the wet weather though, I’m rejoicing because I can finally break out my collections of scarves without having to worry about uncomfortable neck sweat. (As I’m getting older, I’m finding that there are very few places where I don’t sweat at this point.) I don’t think I owned a single scarf when I lived in Florida. Now, I probably own about ten or so in varying lengths, colors, and thickness, and I’m always looking to add more to my collection. I’m not big on accessories in general, so this is the one extra piece of clothing in which I’ll indulge.
Storiarts is a husband and wife team who run a literary-themed apparel website. They offered to send us a scarf to check out and review because it’s probably obvious that we’re suckers for gifts that have something to do with books. A few days later, I was unwrapping a lovely package with cute tissue paper and a bookmark (that I actually still use – it’s currently sitting in my copy of Dirty, Rowdy Thing). Inside was a Pride & Prejudice infinity scarf in an off-white color with black text.
The fabric is pretty thick and very soft. I could easily wrap it twice around my neck without feeling like I was being strangled by the fabric. It lacks the fluffiness of a knit scarf, meaning you can’t really fluff it up and manipulate it for maximum scarfiness. I’m hoping you’ll know what I mean.
Next, it was time to take it for a test drive. We’re big sports fans in my apartment, so my roommate and I grabbed tickets for the Celtics season opener. It was cool, with some chances of rain later in the evening. However, we’d be watching the game all evening, so I wasn’t too worried. I wore jeans, a t-shirt, my fleece North Face jacket, and my fancy new scarf. Apologies in advance for my face.
A minute or so into my walk to the subway station, it started raining. I scrambled into my purse for my rain jacket and put that on, zipping it up. I should also note that I hate using umbrellas because I have this thing about keeping both of my hands free, so I tend to rely on my rain jacket and its hood to keep me dry. In this instance, that was a mistake.
While the scarf did keep me warm up to a point, it held water like no one’s business. Soon, the water soaked up by the scarf started getting my shirt wet. Obviously, these things are supposed to be for cold weather, not wet weather. So this was definitely a user error. I ran into a CVS and grabbed a bag to carry my now wet scarf around it.
What amazed me most is how quickly this puppy dried. I thought I’d have to wring water out of it and that there’d be no way I could wear it later. I had resigned myself to carrying around a soggy scarf for the rest of the night. However, it had dried in the bag in about a half hour. It was definitely fine to wear again by the time the basketball game ended. There was also no bleeding of the ink either.
If you’re looking for something for the book lover in your family, I’d definitely recommended checking out Storiarts. They have a great selections of classics in scarf-form in styles that match the text. For example, Anne of Green Gables is on a pretty green-colored fabric. I’d love to see some customizable options. I don’t often wear light colored clothing because I’m a child and I’m constantly spilling something on myself, so I probably prefer an option to get scarves in different colors. They also offer other items like writing gloves, pillow covers, and a few really awesome shirts. I’d love to see their shirt selection get bigger because the ones they have now look awesome and I want more.
Yes! My husband bought me the Persuasion scarf last year for Christmas. (Of course it contains the text of Wentworth’s letter. How could you think otherwise?) I find it’s great for in-between weather: chilly enough that you want a neck wrap, but not so cold you require wool.
I totally sent the link for the Anne of Green Gables writing gloves to my sister as a hint for a Hannukah gift because it is FREEZING COLD in my office, and they would be very useful for keeping my hands warm while I’m analyzing data.
At first I wasn’t impressed with the scarves as the pictures on the site didn’t show much detail, but clicking on an individual scarf let you see the full size (63″ infinity scarf) and text. Now I just have to decide which one I want.
I wish that they were not infinity scarves as I like to be able to tightly wind a scarf around my face a couple of times when it’s really cold, but these would be great for wearing at work. More color options would be nice as I too am dangerous around light colored clothing, but I realize that a small company has limitations on what it can offer.
The shirts are cool and the women’s are not all crew neck! They even have men’s sizes.
Has anyone tried the writing gloves? My daughter wants a pair, so I’d love to see a review before buying.
I have a pair of the Persuasion writing gloves – I do love them because they’re comfy and keep my paws warm without restricting my fingers. However, I’d love for them to be just a bit larger. I’m 5’8″ and a size 16 so I have Big Girl Hands, and these are just a little snug on me. Even though the images show them going up to mid forearm, I don’t even attempt to do anything beyond bunching them around my wrists. They’re super cute and I love them and I’m not complaining, but if you’re anything other than slender, the gloves won’t look on you the way they do in the photos.
Marvelous looking scarfs but I would really like to see more colored ones. The Alice in Wonderland in pale blue or very pale violet would be lovely. Romeo and Juliet in soft pink. Treasure Island in yellow gold (for the treasure, of course). Folks, if you know a librarian or a teacher these would be lovely gifts and would be great talking points at librarian or teacher conferences.
I have a thing against logos or text on clothing but these are so tempting. Want.
I appear to have the same glasses as Amanda, so obviously this scarf would make me appear as clever and adorable, right?
What a wonderful gift idea! I know what to get my old roommate for Christmas now. Also I appreciate the analysis on the infinity scarf double wrapping. I hate when I can’t wrap it twice because then I’m cold, but I also like oxygen.
Adorable.
I always thought infinity scarves are more accessory than for cold weather wear. I also don’t understand the need to accessorize with a scarf in summer–unless the office a/c is really that cold. (not really into layers in summer–too hot and humid here)
@kkw: My glasses are from Warby Parker! And I’m sure a scarf would looking adorable on you!
Now I’m debating between The Raven themed gloves or scarf. Both look amazing.
Looks like a very cool scarf! There is another company I hear from regularly that has t-shirts, bags, etc. that have the entire text of a book printed on them, with a sort of “cut out” design that pertains to the book. Very cool. Thought a crew of readers like y’all would be amused by this idea:
http://www.litographs.com/
I haven’t actually bought anything from this company yet, since I can’t decide what book I can’t live without!
@PattiCake – Thanks for the review! My teen has surprisingly small hands for a girl who’s over 5’7, so she should be good to go with them.
@Karen – I have the Emma poster from Litographs, and I love it. I haven’t tried their clothing, but I recommend the posters.
I was gifted the Pride and Prejudice writing gloves and did happy present squee! I love them. They’re comfy and loose without being bulky, you can actually write in them without getting finger chilliness or having them interfere. They make me feel so author-y!
I gave my (English-major daughter) the P&P scarf for Christmas last year. There may have been tears and squeeing. I think younger daughter (with very cold hands) needs some writing gloves this year.