This was only the second Scarf of the Moment posts that I wrote for the blog back in 2017, after Le Jardin de la Maharani. As I was still finding my way back into writing, I hadn’t quite developed the style that I have now settled upon for this series of posts. Now that I have written so many, as my Hermès collection has developed, I am working through my older posts and updating them to reflect the style. This is now a work in progress!

(Updating began on 05/01/20).

The Savana Dance by Hermès

Savana Dance by the Ardmore Artists for Hermès

I bought The Savana Dance at the same time as Le Jardin de la Maharani, trying to beat the January 2017 price increase! This gorgeous scarf was designed by the Ardmore Artists for Hermès’ Spring/Summer 2016 collection as a 70cm and then again as a gavroche for Spring/Summer 2017 and has also appeared as a cashmere/silk shawl, a twilly and a mousseline. The design has become so popular that Hermès also used The Savana Dance on clothing, jewellery, ceramics and other items. It has now been offered as a wash silk 140cm for Spring/Summer 2020.

Description

My version of the scarf is in heavy twill silk and measures 45cm each way. This size is called a pocket square or gavroche. It has the famous Hermès rolled hem and the colours are wonderfully harmonious. They are cream, denim blue, and powdery pink with other shades of blue and pink. The rolled hem is pale grey and there is a lovely pattern around the main central image of the leopard and the monkey with stylised foliage.

Colourways

The scarf was originally offered in Hermès’ Spring/Summer 2016 collection as a 70cm. Here are some of the colourways (I will add more if I find suitable images):

There were lots of alternative colourways for the Spring/Summer 2017 gavroche, so it was very difficult to choose the right one for me, which was 07:

Savana Dance has returned to the Hermès collection in Spring/Summer 2020 as a 140cm wash silk:

Please note that Hermès deliberately put muted images of scarves on their website to combat fraud, so the pictures here don’t show the true beauty of the colours. If I find clear images of the other available formats in the future, I will add them to this page.

Design Story

Another lovely thing about Hermès scarves is that each one usually has a “scarf story” as well as a name. These stories seem to appear on the website in a rather serendipitous manner! Kind friends on The Purse Forum site (link in the sidebar) gave me the story of this scarf:

“Chased by a leopard, a vervet monkey turns to face its predator, his expression anxious and uncertain. In Zulu culture, the leopard symbolises royalty, while the vervet monkey represents intelligence and wit – fine qualities, though they may not be enough to save his life here. But who knows? Giant King Protea blooms (South Africa’s national flower) surround the two protagonists, and the carré is framed with a border of amazumpa motifs, used in Zulu pottery. Ardmore is a collective of Zulu, Zimbabwean and Sotho artisan potters, founded in 1985 by Fée Halsted, in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Today, the group numbers seventy members: creative artists dedicated to reinventing traditional styles, united by their recognition of what our common humanity and fraternity truly mean: that each of us exists thanks to others. This carré marks the beginning of a new collaboration between the collective, and the house of Hermès.”

Details

Here is a slideshow with the details of the scarf:

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How I wear the scarf

Savana Dance – Hermès – collage #01

The collage above shows some clothes I might wear with this scarf. In the winter: grey cashmere jumper, navy wool mix cardigan, velour jogging pants or jeans, navy cashmere jumper with enamel bracelets by Halcyon Days. In summer I would switch to linen pants, a white or blue t-shirt and navy sandals.

Further collages below show some other alternatives:

Savana Dance – Hermès – collage #02

Savana Dance – Hermès – collage #03

Here are some more recent collages, showing possible outfits:

Outfit of the day 22/05/18 with Hermès’ Savana Dance scarf

Outfit of the day 15/11/18 with Hermès’ The Savana Dance gavroche

Outfit of the day 22/02/19 with Hermès’ Savana Dance gavroche

Scarf ties

I will upload some images of scarf ties as soon as possible.

Background information

Ardmore Ceramic Artists
Main page
Website for the Ardmore Artists

Ardmore Artists Fan Club on The Purse Forum
Ardmore Artists Fan Club
Lots of information and discussions about the artists and their work for Hèrmes.

The Fashion Plate
Hermès’ Unveils New Scarves By South African Sculpture Artists’ Ardmore
Very short article introducing the scarf.

House and Leisure
A Collaboration to Love
Interesting article about the early stages of Hermès and the Ardmore Artists work.

The quality, the designs, the colours, the artists, the stories – these are the reasons that I love Hermès scarves!

I hope readers have found this exploration Savana Dance both interesting and useful. Once again, if you find any errors or have any additional information that I could add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Edited:

• 01/04/17 to add in alternative colourways of the gavroche.
• 05/01/20 to change into standard format, correct some mistakes, and add in alternative sizes and colourways plus some new modelling photos.