Palace of Roman
Designer Silk Scarves
Twill squares, long foulards and printed stoles — designer silk scarves from the maisons whose archives read like art history.
A silk scarf is the most underestimated piece in a luxury wardrobe: small, weightless, and capable of re-anchoring an entire outfit. The pieces below come from houses with serious print archives — Versace's Greca and barocco, Burberry's house check, Givenchy's 4G monogram, Missoni's space-dye zigzag woven on warp-knitted looms in Sumirago.
The formats worth knowing
Square — 90 cm; the classic neck and bag-handle scarf. Mini square — 45 cm; a pocket square or hair tie. Long foulard — 180 cm by 50 cm; the airport scarf, doubles as a light shawl. Stole — 200 cm by 70 cm in a heavier silk-cashmere or modal blend; the evening wrap.
What separates a designer silk from a mass-market silk
The weave first — proper twill has a diagonal rib that gives knot retention. The hem second — rolled and hand-stitched on the high-end pieces, machine-overlocked on the cheap ones. The print third — screen-printed with the original colour separations, registered exactly, with no bleed at the colour boundaries. The colours should be as saturated on the reverse as on the front.
Authenticity and provenance
Every scarf is sourced through our authorised European distribution network. Country of origin (typically Italy or France) appears on the maison's woven label at the corner of the square.
The Edit
View all →Frequently Asked
- What weight of silk should I look for?
- Most designer silk squares are knitted in 14-momme twill — heavy enough to hold a knot, light enough to drape. Pocket squares and lighter wraps come in 8–10 momme chiffon. The momme number is a silk weight measurement; higher means denser, more substantial cloth.
- How should I tie a silk scarf?
- Three standard ways. (1) The neck knot: fold into a triangle, wrap once, knot to the side. (2) The bandeau: fold into a thin band, tie around the hair or the bag handle. (3) The shawl: open flat, drape over the shoulders, secured at the front. The same square can do all three.
- How do I wash a silk scarf?
- Hand-wash, cold, with a few drops of pH-neutral silk wash — never bleach, never wring. Roll in a towel to absorb water, lay flat to dry away from direct sunlight (which fades dyes), then iron on the silk setting from the back with a thin cotton cloth between iron and silk. Most maisons recommend professional dry cleaning for printed pieces.
- Are the prints original to the maison?
- Yes — every scarf here is the maison's own artwork, screen-printed in Como (Italian silk) or Lyon (French silk) using the original colour separations. Versace's Greca and barocco, Burberry's check, Missoni's space-dye zigzag — all sourced from the houses that designed them.
- Do you ship internationally?
- Yes — worldwide, tracked and insured, with full duty paid in most destinations. Lead times appear on each product page and on the Shipping & Returns page.
From the Journal