Columbine Silk Habotai Scarf

DESIGNER'S NOTES

A blue floral Fox & Chave silk habotai scarf with a design originally named Columbines, Periwinkles & Sweetpeas by Allan Francis Vigers (1858-1921)

Created as a wallpaper, Vigers designed the pattern for the prominent manufacturer Jeffrey & Co. It exemplifies his distinctive aesthetic, featuring stylised flowers arranged in a structured, vertical repeat.

A columbine is a distinct, perennial flower from the genus Aquilegia, widely recognised for its unusual shape and rich history in art and folklore, and named from the Latin columba (dove) because the inverted flower supposedly looks like a cluster of five doves huddled together. It is also thought to look like a court jester’s cap and bells. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia gives columbines to the King as a symbol of flattery and foolishness. While in Medieval and Renaissance art, it was a holy symbol. The 'five doves' shape represented the Holy Spirit, and often appeared in paintings of the Virgin Mary.

Vigers was a versatile figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement. Trained as an architect, he achieved significant recognition for his decorative surface designs, deeply observational nature and intricate book illumination.

COLOURS

STYLING

A Fox & Chave habotai silk scarf can be worn with the classic knot style or a pussycat bow. You can even create a shawl effect by knotting two scarves together behind your neck and allowing them to drape over your shoulders. More scarf styling ideas are available in this wonderful How to Tie a Scarf book.