Turn your savoir-faire into joie de vivre

“It’s stylish, it’s flamboyant, it’s warm ... it’s a scarf”

As the winter season rapidly approaches in Kovsie Land, days are getting shorter, trees are bare, plants are dormant and the blazing sun rays are hazing through the dark cirrus clouds.

Well, whether you’re susceptible to cold sensations and chilliness that are subsequently conducive to you having cold toes, numb feet and poor circulation, you just have to get accustomed to the idea of stolidly gazing like a white bird at the turbulent attack of a blizzard – causing you indescribable discomfort, as your body reluctantly becomes acclimated to the frosty environment of winter.

The most frequent and pivotal, yet, awfully rhetorical question is, “How do you protect your already pale faces, sunken cheeks and quivering limbs against the cold sensation of winter?” The answer is quite simple: To cover yourself up with a long, broad strip of wool, silk or lace – namely a scarf.

Believe it or not, scarves have been around for eons. It is either used as a headscarf, a bib scarf, or even in uniforms where it serves as academic scarves worn by students in order to identify their individual university or college. But in spite of it all, it is predominantly used as a neck scarf to warm the neck during the frostbiting winter season that causes your extremities to go completely numb.

A vast majority of students on the Bloemfontein campus are willingly subjecting themselves to this premeditated trend. They’re parading around on campus whilst they’re exemplifying supermodels, both male and female, who have walked on the catwalks of some of the biggest and most elegant fashion houses in the world. Be it in New York, Milan or even Paris. Needless to say, even men are nonchalantly bedazzled by this tour de force; hence they feel inclined to be part of the stylish and funky trend, too.

According to Anrich Pienaar, a self-proclaimed fashionista on campus, scarves are a must-have during the glacial winter season. As far-fetched as it sounds, he claims it gives you a sense of self-confidence when people say they envy your style. No matter how outrageous, or whimsical it appears to be. Pienaar has more than five tailored made scarves which no one else but only he can touch. Whereas, Bianca Luiters, a third-year Economics student believe that wearing a scarf is just another fashion faux pas that urgently needs the fashion police to thwart the mishap.

Even though a minority of people went astray; instead of being part of the premeditated trend, people still deem it fit to cover themselves up with flamboyant scarves in order to keep their necks warm. Sometimes the scarves might not be congruous with the outfits they put on, but they fervently believe it’s much more risible; hence they’re slowly but surely learning how to have a sense savoir-faire.

I, too, consider myself a person who has great fashion taste, and believe that wearing a scarf, is a great way to jazz up your outfit. However, it must be done in a way that complements your outfit, and doesn’t completely overshadow it.