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Scarves

I love the freedom and limitation of the square. A square confines, but allows for infinite design possibilities, and a good scarf uses the square to perfection.

I have collected scarves for eons, hunting them down for their pattern, colour, quality, and history. My search began in English charity shops, domain of the discarded paraphernalia of genteel old ladies - the breed and generation of women for whom the headscarf was a vital element of their sartorial get-up.

The discovery of a scarf by Liberty of London, Jaeger, Richard Allen or Jacqmar - bastions of the British Scarf Empire - felt like a serious score. My means of hunting and discovery have broadened, and with it, the quality of treasure. Lanvin, Givenchy, Dior, Rudi Gernreich, Per Spook and Pierre Cardin have all used this medium to ingenious effect, with designs that fall nothing short of art, reading as an abstract if used literally to adorn neck or head, but revealing images of startling strength and graphic power when laid flat.

Favourite themes that I hunt for include: typography, clean abstracts, repetition of image, the stylised faces of women, plays on trompe l'oeil, architecture, fantastical landscapes and surrealism. The themes remain constant, but my collection is constantly evolving and, hopefully, being refined. The dream is to frame them all, and cover my walls from ceiling to floor in a riot of strong motif.

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