Dec. 3 2021

Our Guide to Buying a Silk Scarf: Hems

Now that you're armed with the knowledge and tools you need to differentiate real and fake silk, we can get into the nitty gritty of silk scarfs. Let's talk about hems.

Machine or hand-rolled hems? 

Mass-produced silk products will usually have machine hems, most often with one line of stitching. While there is a large variety of techniques, machine-stitched edges will be uniform and symmetrical.

But sometimes uniformity isn’t what you want. Hand-rolled hems are the traditional approach and are still popular today for higher-end scarfs. Although these hems will be slightly uneven, many aficionados prefer this artisanal approach. The organic and minute imperfections of a skilled, but fallible human hand often produce a soulfulness that can't be recreated.

The choice between machine and hand stitched largely boils down to personal preference, but if you’re dishing out a pretty penny for a scarf, hand rolled hems are a good indication of quality.    

The takeaway:There’s no wrong answer — it’s a matter of personal preference.