Collection SS2009: Pierre Loti ou l'âme voyageuse

This scarf has been issued as part of the "grand voyages" theme, as a tribute to the French novelist and naval officer Julien Viaud, who rose to fame under his literary pseudonym Pierre Loti (one story tells of his remarkable shyness, which made his companions compare him to the Lotus flower - "le loti" - from where his nickname was derived). Pierre Loti has become synonymous with great adventures and the liberal spirit of pioneers.

"Pierre Loti ou l'âme voyageuse" ("Pierre Loti or the traveller's spirit") is conceived as a collage of images depicting various scenes from the hero's life around the world - reminiscent of flashback memories - this design reunites the many lives and facets of the Frenchman: the young army recruit, the proud French Camel Corps soldier, the naval officer, the Turkish dandy and the eccentric Orientalist, to name a select few. Thanks to this innovative approach, this carre becomes a genuine exotic travel diary, recounting stories and giving wings to the readers.

What captivated me about this scarf was not only the novel design of collage, but also the traveling and adventure themes, intrinsic in the pattern. I, too, grow wings with every thought of a voyage and while my forays into the unknown have not been as diverse or as rich as Pierre Loti's, I pride myself for having experienced countless cultures in some 18 countries on four continents and in this respect, I very much identified with this adventurers. Another very powerful aspect that resonated with me was the many lives and facets that make up an individual. I, too, consider myself complex, and when I introduce myself, I find it difficult to focus in on a single aspect of me. The clues almost exclusively come from my knowledge of my interlocutors, and their interests or preferences (my challenge has always been to encapsulate my spirit into a brief descriptions about me, because once I identify one aspect, I feel I automatically discard so many others). That is not to say that this scarf is a representation of me - I find it somewhat dissonant, in that it lacks a certain harmony (perhaps this was also representative of Pierre Loti, but unlike this, I aspire to harmony, so this adventurer cannot then become someone I aspire to be like).

Given its strong (and strident) colours and contrasting images, and the vibe given by the collage approach, this scarf is suited for those who wouldn't shy from sporting strong contrasts, contrasting colours and patterns.