Varanasi Silk Scarf – 55x180cm – Stripey – Brown Green Red

A brown silk scarf with a lot more going on: wide stripes of rich chocolate brown alternate with emerald green and cherry red, each band broad enough to show off its colour. The brown keeps things grounded, and the two brighter shades, one cool and one warm, give the scarf its spark.

Woven by hand in Varanasi, India, from pure silk yarns dyed before weaving, it is fine and light, 55 × 180 cm, with the slight lustre of good silk. It is not a warm scarf, but it is an easy way to bring colour to a winter coat: wrap it once, knot it at the neck and let the stripes show at the collar. It works just as well tied over a plain jumper.

Elly, who gave two Varanasi scarves to friends, called them a “Good size for a 1 knot neck scarf”, and Angus, a customer of many years, sums them up as “Stunning quality”. Colour is the one thing to judge carefully: a few buyers found their scarf differed from the picture, while others found the colours more intense in person.