Hermes Botanica Grafica Double Face Scarf 90 100% Silk H903852S 01

Pull a double face scarf out of its box and the first thing you do is flip it over. Botanica Grafica, drawn by Gianpaolo Pagni, is printed on both sides of one square, each face reading the botanical drawing in its own way, so the mood of an outfit is decided by the side you fold outward.

Mine lives in my carry-on. The 88.5 cm square folds down to the size of a paperback, wraps my shoulders on a night flight, and by dinner it is knotted at the neck over a plain shirt. Silk twill has a dry, almost papery hand that holds a crease instead of sliding loose, which is why the knot stays where I put it through a long working day.

Both edges are rolled and stitched by hand in France, the finish that keeps a square from fraying after years of tying. Hand-rolling also means the sides can measure a millimetre or two off the figure listed above; that small irregularity is the signature of the technique rather than a fault.

The habit to learn: silk twill and brooches do not mix. A pin catches the weave and pulls a thread you cannot push back, so I fasten this with knots only, keep perfume off it, and hang it overnight to let the folds relax. Worn that way it is genuinely two scarves, and I pack it as such.