Sgarff (Welsh) = Scarf

A lot of people ask me where do I find the silk scarves I use to make my tops. I’m lucky to live in New York, as there are an abundance of vintage, consignment and antique shops. My favorite by far are the Housing Works, peppered throughout New York. Housing Works engages in relentless advocacy in pursuit of ending the dual crises of AIDS and homelessness. They take peoples items they no longer use or want, and then sell them on with the proceeds going directly to help the community. It’s a win win situation. I’ve found a lot of treasures in Housing Works. I have a couple of locations I visit regularly, as they receive new items daily. I’ve had friends outfit their apartment with furniture from Housing Works. I was lucky enough to find a Christian Dior place setting here once too.

When I’m not out-and-about in the city ebay is another convenient source for me to find vintage scarves. I have my favorite sellers on ebay and have developed great relationships with them over the years. TERRIART has a wide variety of scarves for sale. It’s always reassuring to buy from a trustworthy seller, one who is concerned with customer satisfaction. Patricia Santana 123 is another trustworthy seller. She sells a variety of products and once in awhile has some lovely scarves. I once purchased a scarf that contained a few stains and holes that were not mentioned in items description. She was very applogetic and refunded my money without any hesitation. Sellers/buyers on ebay take very seriously their customer rating. I encourage everyone to leave feedback on their experience with sellers/buyers. It really helps the rest of us know who is trustworthy and who to avoid doing business with.

When shopping for vintage scarves it’s essential that they have no holes or stains. Over the years the signs of wear on silk can be very noticeable. You don’t know how many gorgeous scarves I’ve come across only to find that they have irremovable stains, or the ink has bleed from improper cleaning. This is actually my biggest challenge finding almost perfect scarves. No one would buy my tops if they contained stains. I’m currently working out how to use the smaller remnant pieces… watch this space.