The Scarf I Want to Gift to My Entire Group Chat

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When I first saw this silk scarf by artist Olivia Wendel, I just thought it was cool — I probably wouldn’t pay $325 for a scarf, but if I did, I would most likely hang this one on my wall in lieu of wrapping it around my neck.

But then, after I spoke with the designer a few days after the presidential election, I learned the great story behind it. “That one is very interesting to me, in that right now it kind of couldn’t be more relevant,” she told me over the phone. “It’s very empowering and it was meant to be, but it’s also the piece that was the most directly inspired by something I recently experienced. I saw a documentary about [the late German choreographer Pina Bausch] last summer, and in it was a performance where all these figures were kind of huddled together in this circular formation on the stage. I loved this feeling of unity, of them all together. Each of them individually were kind of vulnerable, but together they were a strong collective.”

Vulnerable doesn’t even begin to describe how I, and many of my female friends, felt on November 8th and the days and weeks that have followed. But having conversations with other women about that feeling helps. I’m more grateful — and more aware of that gratitude — for the strong women in my life than I ever have been before, and if I was a rich girl, I’d buy them all this scarf to say thanks (instead, they’re just going to have to settle for holiday cards from Papyrus).

Shop It Here Olivia Wendel Performance Scarf ($325)