Scarf of the moment: Plumes en Fête

Introduction

This is an unusual Scarf of the Moment post in that it includes two amazing formats of one design. I have done this before, with the 90cm and twilly versions of Dans un Jardin Anglais, but I feel that this is on another level: here are the 90cm silk twill scarf and the 140cm cashmere/silk shawl versions of the gorgeous Plumes en Fête by Aline Honoré. Information about both will be interspersed throughout this post.

The silk twill scarf

In the Autumn of 2019, I had firmly decided that my small Hermès scarf collection was complete. There are probably loads of reasons why I shouldn’t purchase any more scarves: I am now in my 60s, I am very ill with multiple chronic conditions, I hardly ever leave the house so rarely get an opportunity to “dress up”, and storage space is getting very cramped. But the new season’s offer started to appear and I began to slide down the slippery orange slope once again…

So, let me introduce you to my purchase for the Spring/Summer 2020 season:

Plumes en Fête scarf by Aline Honoré for Hermès

Plumes en Fête, colourway #09, product code H003433S 09, designed by Aline Honoré.

Description of the silk twill scarf

On opening the iconic orange box and gently taking out the scarf, a swirl of beautiful feathers sweeps into view. They have a sense of movement around a central empty space, as if the wind has caught them in an eddy. With the scarf laid out flat, the feathers appear to begin from the top right and bottom left-hand corners, with a clockwise motion. Even the corners of the scarf are filled. There is no border to the scarf which also has a lovely contrast hem. The whole scarf is a study in pattern and movement. Each feather is drawn in amazing realistic detail with beautiful markings and use of colour.

I chose the colourway #09 because I love blues and, yes, there are many shades of that colour in this masterpiece. There is also a vivid green, turquoise, white, a subtle purple and pale orange. The contrast hem is another shade of purple. Some of the other versions of the scarf have more variety in their colours, others are more like the shades available in nature, some are vivid and fun, and others are subtle or pastel. I think that there is a colourway for almost everyone!

Colourways for the silk twill scarf

The colourway for my scarf is #09: Bleu Cobalt/Turquoise/Vert. These are all of the versions offered for the silk twill, 90cm, Spring/Summer 2020 season. If you click on any of the images, you will be able to see a larger picture with the Hermès purchasing code.

During the Autumn/Winter 2020 season, this amazing 90cm exceptional scarf appeared online. As you can see, it is made of silk and covered with beads, sequins and embroidery, which apparently took over 135 hours to complete by hand. It is, at the time of writing, currently available for $4850 on the US website! Here are some images, the purchasing code is at the bottom of the first picture:

H593433S 02

Here is another photo, which really shows off the beautiful beading:

And a modelling shot:

The cashmere/silk shawl

During the Summer of 2020, the new scarves and shawls began to appear in discussions online. I had been thinking for some time that I had really run out of storage space for more scarves and that I should really restrict my purchases. Lovely Husband agreed that I should buy only a few more and so I decided that I would look at the extremely expensive cashmere silks and consider whether I could save up for one!

So, I had a look, thought for a while, and then dived in!

Plumes en Fête shawl by Aline Honoré for Hermès

Plumes en Fête, colourway #04, product code H243433S 04, designed by Aline Honoré.

Description of the cashmere/silk shawl

I have already described the artwork of this amazing shawl in the “Description of the silk twill scarf” paragraph above, so I will not repeat it here. I will say that the effect of the swirling feathers is even more beautiful in this larger version.

Since I changed my second wardrobe neutral colour from brown to grey, I have purchased quite a lot of clothing in shades of this colour, mainly for my Winter wardrobe. My scarf collection, on the other hand, contains very few scarves with grey even in small amounts. As I already own a Liberty of London shawl in blues, I decided that I should choose an Hermès shawl to look fantastic with grey.

My final choice was colourway #04: Gris Chiné, Mauve, Rose. That background colour is a light grey and the feathers are depicted in a lovely blue, pink, mauve, greenish-yellow, tomato red and orange. The contrast hem is a lovely deep orange. There are also touches of black and a bright white.

These colours are completely beyond my usual choices and I felt a bit uncomfortable when I opened the orange box. As Hermès scarfies will know, the images on the website are different from the real scarves, usually varying subtlely. But this time the difference is quite marked! See what you think when you see the “real life” photos further down this post.

Colourways for the cashmere/silk shawl

The cashmere/silk 140cm shawl colourways for Autumn/Winter 2020 can now be seen. Once again you can click on any of the images to see a larger picture with the Hermès purchasing code.

Design story

Details of the silk twill scarf

Here are some close-ups of my scarf in a slideshow format:

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Details of the cashmere/silk shawl

Here are some close-ups of my shawl in a slideshow format:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

How I wear the scarf and shawl

At the time of writing this post (beginning of January 2020), I haven’t yet worn the scarf with any of my outfits, so have been unable to make my usual “Outfit of the Day” collages. When I do wear this gorgeous scarf, it will be with cobalt, navy blue and also with white. I might also see what it looks like with other shades of blue. I would be interested to know if readers of the blog would try it with other colours. There is a lovely shade of bright green in the scarf, but I don’t have clothing in that colour.

The same applies to the shawl, as the weather is not suitable for wearing it yet!

When I can make some collages, they will be added here.

Scarf ties

I have taken some quick photos of possible scarf ties. In truth, there really are endless ways of using this scarf to show its beautiful features. I think that the waterfall knot looks particularly amazing, although it’s not very practical for daily life!

Plumes en Fête – scarf ties

1) Top row L to R: simple bias fold, cowl knot, cowboy cowl knot.
2) Middle row L to R: waterfall knot, simple tie, edo knot.
3) Bottom row L to R: criss-cross knot, asymmetric wrap, half-bow knot.
Many of these scarf ties were made using a MaiTai mother-of-pearl scarf ring.

Shawl ties

Here are a few photos of my first attempts at tying this scarf – some more successful than others:

Plumes en Fête – shawl ties

Background information

I tried to find some information about the designer of the scarf, Aline Honoré, but was unable to track down very much worth linking to here. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful.

First, a video featuring Plumes en Fête:

HSCI Hermes Scarf Catalogue
Aline Honoré
Some of the wonderful scarves designed by the artist.

Next, I have just seen that the amazing MaiTai also has a Plumes en Fète scarf. It is included in this interesting recent post on her blog:

MaiTai’s Picture Book
Palmier knot

…with a major post about it here:

MaiTai’s Picture Book
Spring postcard with a new scarf, scarf rings and Liberty of London inserts

I though that I would also include a detailed article about feathers…

Wikipedia
Feather
Comprehensive article with links and references.

Ooh, by the way, Hermès have produced gorgeous enamel bangles in the Plumes en Fête design! Here are a couple of photos:


I hope readers have found this exploration of Plumes en Fête, scarf and shawl, 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.

Best wishes,

Anne

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Updated 10/08/20 to add information about the cashmere/silk shawl, general updating and some new links.

Updated 14/09/20 to add details and photos of the exceptional silk beaded 90cm scarf.

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Update 07/08/20 with a beautiful reveal!

Before I begin, I just want to say that it is so hot here today that I have virtually collapsed onto my bed. So those lovely visitors hoping for a full range of modelling photos will have to wait until the weather cools down a bit!

Yes, after a few years of collecting silk scarves from the famous and iconic Hermès, I finally succumbed to this…

First of all, the smooth and beautifully designed shipping box (I keep these just in case):

The shipping box is open – everything is well protected:


The lovely orange box, with its Bolduc ribbon, larger than usual for me:

The box is open to reveal:

The beautiful shawl is lifted out and unfolded a little:

More views of Aline Honoré’s gorgeous Plumes en Fête, the 140 cashmere/silk version in Gris Chiné, Mauve, Rose, (code number H243433S 04):

I am planning to take some better detailed shots of the shawl and also modelling photos over the weekend. Also, I am aiming to either add all of the shawl information (including photos and a full description) to the Plumes en Fête Scarf of the Moment post or write a separate one. What do readers think?

More information about this wonderful shawl will appear in Monday’s post, all being well.

Hoping that you have a wonderful weekend.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 05/08/20

Well, I have a confession to make – I didn’t finish any books last week! You see, I started one and read about a fifth of it then gave up (more about this below). Then I chose another one, read a few chapters and realised that parts of the plot were ringing bells in my mind and that, perhaps, I had read it before! At least that is another good reason to use Goodreads: I could check on there to see if I had reviewed the book – and I had, two years ago!

So, I then turned to a book that I had been saving for a “rainy day” and this book was the perfect choice. Thank Goodness! As I only started this one yesterday, you will find out which book it is in next week’s Reading Roundup.

Now, for the book I started after last week’s Roundup…

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

One of the wonderful things about books is that there is at least one for everyone, in my opinion. Well, I have to think that, as a librarian! I was brought up to finish every book that I started and to feel very guilty if I couldn’t. It is only recently that I have shrugged this daft idea off. I only have a limited reading life left, even less if I have another stroke, so I feel that I should be a lot more selective and only read books which I enjoy. Reading should bring pleasure, not pain and guilt.

On that note, I will post the blurb for The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry:

London 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Accompanied by her son Francis – a curious, obsessive boy – she leaves town for Essex, where she hopes fresh air and open space will provide the refuge they need.
When they take lodgings in Colchester, rumours reach them from further up the estuary that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a previously undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter’s vicar.
Like Cora, Will is deeply suspicious of the rumours, but he thinks they are founded on moral panic, a flight from real faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, he and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart, eventually changing each other’s lives in ways entirely unexpected.
Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different guises it can take.

Looking on Goodreads, I can see that several of my friends have reacted to this book. Some have really enjoyed it, others are more neutral. That’s exactly as it should be. I have decided that I won’t write a review for the book. I feel that it wouldn’t be fair when I didn’t read much of the book and gave up on it so soon. I don’t intend to put others readers off it as many people have truly loved it. In many ways, I am quite an immature reader in that I have to have action in my books. I don’t go for long descriptive passages and I need something to happen at fairly frequent intervals!

And there is nothing wrong with that!

Now, I can finish off this post and then turn to my lovely ebook that I am thoroughly enjoying…

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 03/08/20

I am currently sitting in bed with a large pot of tea and some lovely jammy bread, feeling very pleased with myself but also exhausted.

Yes, Lovely Husband took me out today!

I had planned to write a proper Outfit of the Day post as I actually managed to wear something very nice for once. Well, that was the plan, but I am so tired now that I simply cannot face writing and putting together a collage to show you my outfit.

So, in the meantime, here is a quick photo…

Outfit of the day 03/08/20 with Hermès’ Escales Mediterranéenes scarf

Now I will have more of a rest!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 31/07/20 with lovely Hermès Plumes en Fête

This is a really quick update at the end of the working week. I’m currently sitting in bed, with a large fan next to me, and I am absolutely gasping for breath in the heat. Earlier, I went out into the garden to hang out the washing and I couldn’t believe how warm it was.

Sadly, my serious mental health issues mean that I only feel safe and secure in my bedroom. If I put my head outdoors, I am immediately terrified. So, whilst I can do very quick outdoor tasks, I still cannot bring myself to sit outside with a book, as I would have done in previous summers. I will try again tomorrow.


Apparently, Hermès UK should be putting some of the new Autumn/Winter 2020 scarves and shawls online from tomorrow. I do hope so. I have been following the relevant thread on The Purse Forum for ages and I think I now know which scarves and colourways would work for me. But it is so hard to decide!

I have a plan to buy a shawl this season. They are humongously expensive, but, as I don’t spend my money on lavish (or even basic) entertainment, I think that I can save up for one. Add in my birthday money (November) and Christmas cash (yes, this is serious forward planning) and maybe one will be within my reach!

One of these gorgeous Plumes en Fête 140cm cashmere/silk shawls is my goal (if you click on an image, you will see a larger version plus the code number in small type beginning with an H)…

… but which would be best? As I already have a 140cm cashmere/silk shawl in blues from Liberty of London, I am thinking of getting a colourway which will look lovely with grey. Any ideas? (Bear in mind that the colours in these images are not quite accurate, to help prevent fraud).

Please let me know your preferences in the comments. It would be so helpful.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 29/07/20

First of all, I must apologise for the missing post on Monday. I was feeling really down in the dumps and couldn’t think of anything positive to write about. The good news is that I have read two books this week, so I can write about those today.

Hitler’s Secret by Rory Clements

Rory Clements’ Hitler’s Secret (Tom Wilde #04), was the first book of the week. I have already read the first three in the series, so was really looking forward to this one. Here is the blurb:

In the Autumn of 1941, the war is going badly for Britain and its allies. If the tide is going to be turned against Hitler, a new weapon is desperately needed.

In Cambridge, brilliant history professor Tom Wilde is asked by an American intelligence officer to help smuggle a mysterious package out of Nazi Germany – something so secret, even Hitler himself doesn’t know of its existence.

Posing as a German-American industrialist, Wilde soon discovers the shocking truth about the ‘package’, and why the Nazis will stop at nothing to prevent it leaving Germany. With ruthless killers loyal to Martin Bormann hunting him down, Wilde makes a desperate gamble on an unlikely escape route.
But even if he reaches England alive, that will not be the end of his ordeal. Wilde is now convinced that the truth he has discovered must remain hidden, even if it means betraying the country he loves . . .

I enjoyed the book, but not quite as much as the other three, as I wrote in my review on Goodreads:

Hitler's Secret (Tom Wilde #4)Hitler’s Secret by Rory Clements
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the first three books in the series, but this one didn’t quite work as well for me. The others were set in England, just before the outbreak of WWII, and the characters and setting seemed to fit together very well. This fourth book, taking place in both wartime Germany and England, felt rather confusing and disjointed.

Don’t get me wrong, the book is still a good thriller with some very exciting and gripping moments. Many of the characters, however, felt like extreme stereotypes without nuance, especially the “baddies”.

I’m now wondering where this series will go next. Will it go full espionage/thriller and move more into a European setting? I am sure that I will continue to read more books, if they are forthcoming.

View all my reviews

Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay

The second book was entirely different. I’m not quite sure why I chose it – you will quickly realise my meaning as you read the blurb and review for Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay.

When it happens, it happens quickly.

New England is locked down, a strict curfew the only way to stem the wildfire spread of a rabies-like virus. The hospitals cannot cope with the infected, as the pathogen’s ferociously quick incubation period overwhelms the state. The veneer of civilisation is breaking down as people live in fear of everyone around them. Staying inside is the only way to keep safe.

But paediatrician Ramola Sherman can’t stay safe, when her friend Natalie calls her husband is dead, she’s eight months pregnant, and she’s been bitten. She is thrust into a desperate race to bring Natalie and her unborn child to a hospital, to try and save both their lives.

Their once familiar home has becoming a violent and strange place, twisted in to a barely recognisable landscape. What should have been a simple, joyous journey becomes a brutal trial.

This was such a quick read, for a variety of reasons, I finished the book really quickly. Here is the review on Goodreads:

Survivor SongSurvivor Song by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, this was an odd choice of book to read in the middle(?) of a pandemic, during shielding, when I have hardly left the house for months! I’m just glad that I’m too old to be pregnant!

When was this book actually written and published? Are we all living in a massive publicity stunt?

No, that’s too frivolous.

Anyway, this was a fast-moving and gripping read which kept its hold on me right until the very end. The journey of two women, one pregnant, the other a doctor and her friend, in the middle of a breakout of a rabies-like threat, was enthralling. The alternate points of view for each chapter gave different angles on the story and became emotional and heart breaking as the plot moved on.

When our real pandemic is over, I am sure that something like this will be made into a film or TV series. I don’t think I would watch it…

View all my reviews

Now, I can’t quite decide what I am going to read next, so I will finish writing this post then go and look through my ebooks…

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Outfit of the day 24/07/20

I actually wore a reasonably coordinated outfit for a while today. OK, it didn’t last long, but I wanted to try out my new Liberty of London scarf – all of those blues!

So, here it is…

Outfit of the day 24/07/20 with Liberty’s Aurora gavroche

Today’s outfit:

  • Navy cotton t-shirt – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Navy linen-mix trousers – Isle Clothing.
  • Cobalt crystal and silver earrings – Sonrisa Boutique.
  • Cream and gold Byzantine bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Blue and gold Agama bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Blue and white silk gavroche – Aurora – Liberty of London. Tied in a simple cowboy knot.

I was wondering whether I dared post this collage today because my hair is such a mess. But I would rather be honest about my looks and I am not trying to be any kind of style icon. The mere thought of that makes me giggle!

Here is another collage to show some of my jewellery in shades of blue and white, which could work with this lovely scarf:

Accessories in blue and white

Accessories in blue and white

And I also have this stunning blue handbag from Massaccesi:

Midi Muse by Massaccesi with earrings and bracelets

Midi Muse by Massaccesi with earrings and bracelets

Yes, I need to start wearing some of these again – I am so fortunate to be able to afford such beautiful things.

Anyway, I hope that you have a great weekend.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 22/07/20

This week I read the final book in a trilogy and started reading something interesting which led me to a decision.

The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

I had finished the first two book in Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series, which fully deserved five stars on the Goodreads website. Then I turned to the final book, The Hallowed Hunt. This is the blurb:

The half-mad Prince Boleso has been slain by a noblewoman he had intended to defile — and Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff must transport the body to its burial place and the accused killer, the Lady Ijada, to judgment. With the death of the old Hallow King imminent and the crown in play, the road they must travel together is a dangerous one. And though he is duty-bound to deliver his prisoner to an almost certain death, Ijada may be the only one Ingrey dares trust. For a monstrous malevolence holds the haunted lord in its sway — and a great and terrible destiny has been bestowed upon him by the gods, the damned, and the dead.

This is the review I wrote on Goodreads:

The Hallowed Hunt (Chalion, #3)The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me say, first of all, that I enjoyed the book and thought it deserved four stars. Yes, for me, it was not quite as good as the other two in the series, but Bujold’s “not quite as good” is still way better than many other authors’ “fantastic!”

This book was a surprise, as the third volume in a trilogy, in that the story takes place much earlier in the series’ timeline. None of the familiar “landscape” or characters are there. So the reader has to begin again in imagining the immediate setting.

To be honest, I found the first part of the book quite difficult to follow. Now, that could have been because of the effects of my stroke, rather than any fault of the author. Once the main characters became clearer, I began to settle in to the story and Bujold’s writing carried me along to the end.

So, my verdict is that the book is well-worth reading and I will most certainly be stockpiling Bujold’s other books to enjoy at a later date. What a treat is in store for me!

View all my reviews

Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World by Alice Roberts

Younger Son sent me several ebooks for Mothers’ Day, back in March. He always chooses such interesting ones which introduce me to new ideas (well, new to me!). I decided that my next read would be one of these: Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World by Alice Roberts. As I have not read a non-fiction book of this type for many years, I am finding that the amount of concentration that I need to read it is difficult to sustain for long periods. So, I have come up with the plan that I will read the book in chunks, with easier books in between. Obviously, my memory issues could cause problems, but each chapter is reasonably complete in itself, so I will see how it goes. If the plan does not work, I will change things around.

I will let you know next week if this idea is working! Until then:

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 20/07/20 with a very naughty little reveal!

Oh, I have absolutely no self-control! Mind you, I don’t suppose any other Liberty of London lovers will have any either if they have a look at the amazing online sale. Anyway, I only bought a little something, only a tiny wee something…

Here it is in this sequence of photos…

Isn’t this lovely and cute? A gavroche size (45×45 cm) scarf from Liberty of London called Aurora. I don’t have time to take modelling photos today, but I plan to upload some on Friday, all being well.

Here are the images from the Liberty of London website…

Those blues 😍💙😍💙😍💙😍. PS, the scarf is available in other colourways, but, as you may know, I love blue!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 17/07/20

Well, I am feeling quite pleased with myself! As regular readers of the blog will know, I have not been out of the house for weeks and have stayed in bed most days. Lovely Husband, formerly a PE teacher, and Elder Son have been trying to persuade me to exercise, but I have been too afraid to even begin. Bed has felt like the only safe place.

ES has had leave from work this week and I finally found the motivation, on Wednesday, to go for a short walk with him there for support and encouragement. It was quite a shock to realise how quickly my legs began to shake and I only reached as far as the local Post Office. But it was a start. He has promised to help me on his days off and I am going to try harder to build up some consistency.

Yesterday, LH persuaded me to go with him on a tour of the local area in the car. We are starting to tentatively plan a house renovation so that we can then move into a more suitable home. So, we had a look around to see the kind of houses/bungalows that are within our price range and are near enough to our local town to suit ES. As a minimum, we need to have three bedrooms. One of them has to be on the ground floor with a toilet nearby. It is quite scary, but also rather exciting as we have lived in this house for almost twenty years, so it will be quite a wrench to leave. We also hadn’t envisaged staying in this area, but ES is so settled here that it would be cruel to move him away.

Anyway, as I said, these are only very early and very tentative plans and we cannot do anything quickly. With all my various health issues, I react very badly to stress, even with heavy medication, and we all know how stressful house moving is! At least it is giving us something different to think about.

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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