????國際貨幣基金組織總裁拉加德很可能會(huì)戴一條絲巾出席6月份的G8峰會(huì)——這是她的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)打扮。與此同時(shí)，這種時(shí)尚配飾也在引起越來越多的關(guān)注。BBC最近更是將絲巾列為女性的“新權(quán)力符號(hào)”。

????確實(shí)，就像許多男士選擇有趣的領(lǐng)帶來為單調(diào)的西裝增添活力一樣，許多受到保守商務(wù)著裝約束的女性，會(huì)通過佩戴絲巾為自己增添一抹色彩，以彰顯獨(dú)特魅力。

????但這一風(fēng)尚并非最近才興起的?；仡櫼幌?9世紀(jì)和20世紀(jì)的絲巾史，我們會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，絲巾的魅力和影響力一直存在。絲巾是最簡(jiǎn)單的一種飾品：它就是一塊布。正因如此，絲巾成為一種風(fēng)行數(shù)個(gè)世紀(jì)的萬能配飾，被不同文化的女性用于不同目的。

????許多穆斯林女性為保持端莊而佩戴頭巾，而某些到了一定年齡的女士則喜歡佩戴折成三角形的絲巾，以保護(hù)昂貴的或精心制作的頭巾。絲巾可以具有政治意義，以表明佩戴者的社會(huì)關(guān)系或信仰。20世紀(jì)初，女權(quán)主義者經(jīng)常利用服裝來宣傳她們的事業(yè)，白色、綠色和粉色的絲巾尤其受到她們的推崇。

????二戰(zhàn)期間，絲巾還成為民族主義情感的載體。英國企業(yè)杰瑪設(shè)計(jì)了多款帶有政治宣傳主題口號(hào)的絲巾。其中一款絲巾裝飾上了英美兩國象征的英國地圖，上面印有“并肩作戰(zhàn)”的口號(hào)。另外一款設(shè)計(jì)模仿貼有海報(bào)的墻壁，敦促國民“為保衛(wèi)自由之權(quán)利而借款”，“為贏得勝利而節(jié)約”。

????但在西方文化中，絲巾最知名的用途依然是時(shí)裝配飾，它最初盛行于19世紀(jì)?，F(xiàn)在的三角形披肩就延續(xù)了18、19世紀(jì)的風(fēng)格，我們可以將其視為現(xiàn)代絲巾的先驅(qū)。當(dāng)時(shí)的女性將三角形披肩輕輕搭在胸前，通常會(huì)在前面打結(jié)，既是一種端莊的遮蔽物，也可以為服裝增添一款特別精致的配飾——有時(shí)會(huì)帶有蕾絲邊或采用刺繡工藝。

????起源于印度，織工精細(xì)，質(zhì)量輕盈的絲綢和羊絨披肩，引領(lǐng)了首批圍巾時(shí)尚。拿破侖的第一任妻子約瑟芬皇后收藏了許多絲綢和羊絨披肩（這當(dāng)然得益于她丈夫的四處征戰(zhàn)）。在19世紀(jì)的大多數(shù)時(shí)間內(nèi)，披肩一直非常流行，歐洲其他地區(qū)，尤其是法國和蘇格蘭的佩斯利，隨即涌現(xiàn)出了更廉價(jià)的仿制品。與高級(jí)時(shí)裝一樣，絲巾可以代表一個(gè)人的身份地位，在懂行的人眼中，限量版絲巾具有特殊的意義，而這種絲巾通常僅提供給最受青睞的客戶。

????例如，作為對(duì)忠誠客戶的謝禮，時(shí)裝商店通常會(huì)在節(jié)日期間贈(zèng)送絲巾。上世紀(jì)50年代，巴黎女裝設(shè)計(jì)師們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)的絲巾尤其時(shí)髦，其中通常帶有房屋的素描或猶如油畫般的印花花紋。從上世紀(jì)50年代至70年代，著名的曼哈頓21餐廳每年生產(chǎn)一款絲巾，然后將其送給最受歡迎的“?？汀薄?/p>

????該餐廳老板特意聘請(qǐng)知名設(shè)計(jì)師親自操刀，每年的絲巾設(shè)計(jì)都與餐廳的某些方面有關(guān)——如其著名的幕墻，餐廳外面的賽馬騎師雕像，或者數(shù)字21等。

????女影星勞倫?白考爾是該餐廳一位受人尊敬的?？?，她將自己收藏的21條絲巾全部捐給了紐約時(shí)裝學(xué)院。最近，該學(xué)院展出了白考爾捐贈(zèng)的其他藏品。

????相對(duì)于其他種類的服裝，作為一款獨(dú)立的配飾，絲巾還有一個(gè)獨(dú)特的好處，那就是不受體型的限制。

????在上世紀(jì)40年代的倫敦，設(shè)計(jì)師麗達(dá)與齊卡?埃舍爾啟動(dòng)了“藝術(shù)家方巾”項(xiàng)目，邀請(qǐng)一大批國際知名藝術(shù)家設(shè)計(jì)大號(hào)絲巾，其中包括亨利?馬蒂斯、讓?科克托和亨利?摩爾。

????這種“藝術(shù)家方巾”在大型百貨商店出售，同時(shí)與油畫一樣鑲上邊框，在倫敦勒菲弗爾畫廊展出。

????1935年，為了慶祝新的服裝設(shè)計(jì)沙龍成立，設(shè)計(jì)師艾爾莎?夏帕瑞麗將她的剪報(bào)設(shè)計(jì)成一副拼貼畫，并將其印在布料上，制成紗巾和其他配飾，黑白紗巾隨即風(fēng)靡一時(shí)。

????When International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde goes to the G8 summit in June, she may well be wearing a scarf – a fashion accessory that she’s become known for, and one that’s been drawing more and more attention. In fact, the BBC recently identified scarves as a “new power symbol” for women.

????True, just as some men choose amusing neckties to enliven monochrome suits, many women who work in an atmosphere that requires conservative business apparel will wear scarves to add a fillip of color and distinction.

????But the trend is anything but “new.” In looking at the history of scarves in the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s clear that the allure and power of scarves has always existed – and persists. The scarf is the most simple form of adornment: a single piece of cloth. For this reason, it’s one of the most versatile clothing accessories, used for centuries across a variety of cultures, for a range of purposes.

????Many Muslim women wear headscarves for modesty, while ladies of a certain age favor scarves with a triangular fold to protect expensive or elaborate coifs. A scarf can be a political statement, and can denote a wearer’s affiliation or beliefs. Early 20th-century crusaders for women’s rights used their clothing to promote their cause, wearing scarves in the movement’s colors: white, green and purple.

????During World War II, scarves expressed nationalist sentiments. The British firm Jacqmar produced designs with propaganda-themed slogans. One featured the phrase “Shoulder to Shoulder” on a map of England emblazoned with British and American symbols. Another design mimicked a wall covered with posters urging citizens to “Lend to Defend” and “Save for Victory.”

????But in Western culture, the scarf is most prominently known for its use as a fashion accessory, one that first gained widespread popularity in the 19th century. The fichu is a typical 18th- and 19th-century style that can be seen as the forerunner of modern scarves. A piece of fabric worn lightly draped on the upper chest and usually knotted in front, it provided modest covering but was also an opportunity to add an especially fine textile – sometimes lace edged or embroidered – to an ensemble.

????Lightweight, finely woven silk and cashmere shawls from India were one of the first fashionable scarf styles. Empress Joséphine – the first wife of Napoleon – had an extensive collection (thanks to her husband’s travels), and the style persisted through much of the 19th century, spawning cheaper imitations fabricated in other parts of Europe, notably France and Paisley, Scotland. Like much of high fashion, scarves can signal one’s status, and limited edition scarves – often only made available to favored customers – can act as specific indicators for those in the know.

????For example, fashion houses send scarves, often during the holidays, as thank-yous to loyal clients. Those produced by Parisian couturiers during the 1950s were especially chic, often designed with sketches of the maison; others displayed printed patterns in the whimsical, painterly style of the era. And from the 1950s into the 1970s, the famed Manhattan eating and drinking establishment 21 produced a series of annual scarves and sent them to favorite “regulars.”

????The restaurant’s owners commissioned well-known designers, and each year’s scarf design referred to some aspect of the restaurant – its famous fa?ade, the collection of jockey statues outside or the number 21.

????Actress Lauren Bacall, an esteemed regular, donated her 21 scarves to the Museum at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where other pieces from her wardrobe were recently exhibited.

????As a discrete space, a scarf presents an opportunity for experimentation often not available in other realms of dress that are determined – and restricted – by the shape of the body.

????In London in the 1940s, Lida and Zika Ascher initiated their “Artist Squares” project, enlisting an international roster of prominent artists to design large scarves, a group that included Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau and Henry Moore.

????The Artist Squares were sold in major department stores and also exhibited – framed, like paintings – at London’s Lefevre Gallery.

????To celebrate her new couture salon in 1935, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli made a collage of her press clippings and had it printed as fabric for scarves and other accessories, turning black and white type into a striking motif.