When temperatures dip and the blustery days nip at our necks, scarves are a mandatory part of our wardrobe, but wrapping up can also be a fashion statement. From chunky knitted scarves like Grandma purled on her needles to fun, funky or artsy, Calgary shops carry scarves to suit a variety of styles and budgets.
Whether it’s scarf shawls, infinity scarves, silk knits, woven scarves, batik printed or masterfully embroidered tapestries to wind around your neck, Ten Thousand Villages carries unique imported choices from countries such as India, Java, Vietnam and Nepal. Items carried in Ten Thousand Villages nonprofit fair trade shops are made by craftspeople around the developing world.
Twisted Goods is surprising and fun, just like your crazy-but-cultured loudmouthed aunt a few cocktails in. The Market Mall boutique carries the zany (novelty gifts such as redneck wine glasses), along with chic home decor and on-point fashion accessories. So, of course – scarves! There are racks of them from the splashy to the sedate, and endless infinity scarf choices (see what I did there?).
MEC is the place for serious scarfery. We’re talking technical fabrics designed for outdoor adventurers. Like the Seirus neo-fleece combo scarf that is waterproof, windproof and fits like a glove from your nose to your neck. Balaclavas, tubes, neckwarmers, gaiters, ski bandanas: MEC has you covered for whatever winter throws at you.
Short-stacks need warm necks, too. For the amount of time kids spend outdoors over winter, be it at recess or on the slopes, they need gear that won’t sog or suffocate them like the over-bundled little brother in A Christmas Story. Check out The Great Outdoors Junior Outfitters for its impressive line-up of hi-tech outdoor gear including fleece scarves and neck gaiters.
Any skier or snowboarder can tell you one of the worst feelings on the slopes is getting a blast of icy crystals to your bare neck. It dampens your fun and chills you to the bone. Abominable has a whack of neck-protecting solutions including slouchy knitted Nina scarves in an array of heathered yarns, Bula thermal fleece and microfleece neck tubes in bright solids and prints, as well as fuzzy Epic gators made of shaggy Thermaloft.
Blanket scarves hit it big in 2014, and the trend hasn’t shown any sign of slowing. Warming you from the neck down, these versatile swaths of fabric are available in gorgeous prints and are worn draped casually around your arms. It’s like wearing a poncho or a living room throw. Upscale 27 Boutique has Jackson Rowe blanket scarves that feature attractive Navajo-inspired designs. Blanket scarves also have a multitude of uses – you can picnic on them, use them as beach cover-ups, or tossed them onto a chair for home decor.