Foulards and Lake Como, the perfect excellence
There are goods which, despite their obvious simplicity, manage to acquire such great versatility of use that they are considered indispensable in the world of luxury. One of these is the foulard, a French word that embellishes, even with its onomatopoeia, this wonderful accessory. Throughout history, the foulard has had many uses. The simplest? Containing the long hair that the wind from a horse ride, a motorbike or a spyder ride would have disarranged into a tangle impossible to unravel. The foulard also offers protection, sheltering from the sun’s bright and burning rays. In this regard, the materials and uses of the headscarf are not limited to the cases presented so far, but there are many others, including imaginative ones. The typical Japanese custom of wrapping presents with a foulard is curious, offering a welcome extra gift to the birthday boy or girl.
An accessory of great aesthetic impact. It is no coincidence that the word “aesthetic” is used in connection with this noble piece of fabric: in fact, the term derives from ancient Greek and, in its most radical meaning, means “involvement of the senses”. And a foulard, thinking about it, fully involves some of our senses, sometimes it even manages to go beyond them, reaching magical, sensual and dreamlike atmospheres. Foulards are generally made, in their most prestigious version, of silk, that set of natural filaments which, when compacted give rise to the precious headscarf. Curiosity: in ancient Provençal the verb “compact” translates as “foular”, a term very similar to that of our object.
And what material could be sweeter, softer and more malleable to the touch than silk? Even our ears are tickled and stimulated when the wind rustles through the fluttering silky fabric, causing colourful feelings. The foulard is also imbued with the perfume that we usually put on our necks: an indelible olfactory sign, which sometimes characterises an aspect of personality and allows us to identify a person even if they are not very close. Finally, we come to the visual aspect of this accessory: a world of patterns, shapes, sizes, effects and styles opens up.
The possibility of characterising the fabric with any image means that there is no age for wearing it. From the monochromatic foulard to the floral one, from the cultural to the geometric, artistic, transgressive, sporty ones. Thanks to it, everyone can choose to express their mood. The foulard is also a subtly aristocratic accessory, as only the best ones manage to integrate it effectively in perfect pendant with the rest of their clothing.
Lastly, there are characteristics that make it a symbol of a country’s entrepreneurial pride, to the point of making it a luxurious, indispensable accessory, unique to a classy person. The production of foulards in the Lake Como district, a world leader not only in terms of numbers but above all in terms of the quality expressed.
Article edit by Roberto Castellucci
