Jenny Haniver

Most women I know like scarves, but are confused by them. Including me. But really, we aren’t French, and we don’t come from money, so it’s unreasonable to expect we’d have any inborn ability to understand The Scarf.

For this reason, I need to give a shout-out to The Vera Company’s blog. Posting is somewhat irregular, but does include detailed instructions for imaginative scarf usage.

The Vera Company is a revival of the original textiles/fashions/housewares concern founded by Vera Neumann in 1947. Fuzzylizzie put together a nice history of Vera, too.

Vintage Vera scarves are available at many thrift stores for less than bus fare. That means you can hold out for a good silk one with a representative print of bugs and/or flowers. You can also get one eBay or etsy if you’re impatient:

A few weeks ago I promised a sequel to my post on Hawaiian resort label Malia.

Malia International was founded in the early 1960s by Bill and Mary Foster, a husband-and-wife team who met at Stanford University, then moved to Bill’s native Hawaii. The company began in as a textile concern, but Bill soon suggested that Mary try her hand at designing garments. Their early forays into fashion design were somewhat rocky, but by 1970 the company was a leading resortwear manufacturer. They also kept the textile printing and distribution side going, as well as a uniform division that supplied hotels, restaurants and airlines. Later, the Fosters attempted to expand Malia International beyond the islands, and even opened a West Coast office.

The design process at Malia began with the development of fabrics. Take a look at any Malia piece, and you’ll see how the garment was designed around both the print and the structure of the fabric.

As we speak, Malia season is in full swing on eBay !

I’ve had intentions of collecting this under-appreciated Honolulu label, which was at its best in the 1970s. Besides the obviously great textiles, the dresses in particular often have dramatic, unusual design features that set them apart from most resortwear of the same period.

All via eBay and etsy. Malia skirts and dresses are widely available, sometimes for as little as $20. So hold out for one you really like.