Young American Store

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The play by Peter Shaffer, where a psychiatrist attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological sexual obsession with horses, is reminiscent of the work of US photographer Monica Stevenson she uses luxury goods such as Tiffany bracelets and Hermes Scarves on and next to equines as the focus for some of her major work.

This piece of a horse wearing a luxury scarf ‘Hermes Scarf Horse’ won Stevenson a place in the ‘Advertising photographers of America’. The piece makes you ask questions such as, is the horse alive? What is around the ears? It makes you question the use of animals in luxury. It forces you to study the accessories in a different way, much more than if it were draped over a model.

Monica’s main subjects have always been horses, her equine photographs are displayed proudly on her website. I think she mixes the use of luxury Hermes and Gucci goods with ther love of equines beautifully in her work.

The scarf has very deep roots in history. Most tribal societies in regions where the climate warranted it wore some form of rag or cloth to protect their neck and throat and gradually this very functional garment also began to act as a badge of tribal membership. The ancient Romans too used a “sudarium” – Latin for “sweat cloth” - to wipe their faces and necks, especially after a good session in the baths. Eventually, the scarf became a more formal Roman man’s fashion accessory, which they knotted to a belt or wore around the neck.

So contrary to what you might have thought, men first used the scarf as a practical garment, a superbly theatrical prop and a badge of clan loyalty. Women only gradually adopted this fashion trend, but they’ve stuck to it through the ages which is probably why women’s scarves are more the norm. Scarves have featured strongly in the character of heroes and icons throughout history up to the modern day. Biggles (or any World War I fighter ace) was never seen without his silk scarf, wire-stiffened in the breeze as he hunts the heinous Hun in the skies. Tom Baker, for many the definitive Dr Who, had a 13 ½ foot long scarf that was trimmed down to a more modest 12 feet for most of the series.

Designer scarves as a badge or a signifier of belonging to a group have equally lengthy traditions. Wool scarves were used as insignia of rank for the warriors of Emperor Shih Huang Ti of China while 17th century Croatian soldiers wore scarves - cotton for the foot soldiers and silk for the officers – to denote rank and regiment. These garments were called “kravate” and were taken up by the fashion conscious French to eventually become the “cravat”. Even today, the scarf has overt tribal significance, most obviously expressed in any holiday hot-spot bar. Just look at the ceiling and you’ll see the scarves of virtually any football team you care to name. Whether you’re a red, blue, green or stylish Madridista, the club scarf is mainly worn to declare your loyalty – and at an average price ranging from £10 to around £30 most fans are prepared to buy them to make that statement.

So what would a scarf costing around £300 - £400 say about you? Well, that you’re not short of disposable income for a start, but if you chose Hermes Scarves for example, it strongly implies excellent taste and sense of style as well as deep pockets. Hermes was founded in 1837 by the established saddle maker Thierry Hermes. It specialised in saddles and leather goods during its early years with scarves only introduced to the collection in the 1930s. Each is still hand printed using multiple silk screens for every colour, with rich, opulent designs. They have become a favourite of the world’s fashion elite, including many members of European royal families, so despite their price tag, they too are just as much a “badge of tribe” as the £7.99 “Manchester United Pride of the North” acrylic number raised every Saturday by the proles of Old Trafford.