Say hel-lo to our new favourite scarf!
British weather is temperamental to say the least. One minute it’s scorching hot, you’ve got the sun on your face, pedicure on show, dancing around Hyde Park in your midi skirt feeling just like Maria from The Sound of Music. And then it’s not. As much as we embrace summer weather, we, living in London town, should probably be realistic. There will be a huge black cloud to ruin your lunch break and at some point this summer, whether you like it or not, you will get wet. The last thing you want to do is to freeze to death in August because you just weren’t prepared. But at Your Coffee Break we’ve come up with the answer: add a scarf. It sounds simple because it is. We’ve shopped around (there’s no better way to spend a coffee break!) and the ‘Mystical Illusion’ collection by Evelyn and Anne is by far our current favourite when it comes to the world of gorgeous silk scarves.
Sometimes one accessory is enough and that certainly applies here. Evelyn and Anne’s scarves are beautiful and cleverly designed so that they can be dressed up or down and are therefore well suited to day and night. The flexibility of their designs is pretty much a dream come true for any professional woman. We mean, who really has time for an outfit change between meetings and cocktails? But it was actually the magical nature of their designs that really caught our eye (once we realised that we could wear them for drinks and work – that’s when we really fell in love!).
Samantha and Alexandra, designers and sisters, wanted people to be enchanted, they wanted customers and onlookers to be taken away to a magical place and that’s certainly the case. There’s something rather mythical about their use of photography – it’s as if you’re wearing your favourite children’s story around your neck but this time it’s a little darker than the original. A fairy-tale for grown-ups let’s say. The fairy-tale element makes us feel pretty nostalgic but the feel of the silk against your skin will soon perk you up as will the splashes of colour that liven up the darker prints! Not such a fan of dark colours? No problem. Evelyn and Anne satisfy all tastes, as half of the collection comprises of far more peaceful, yet no less captivating, designs for when you’re not feeling quite so decadent. Where will their genius end, seriously?
As lovers of London, imagine our delight when we discovered that the London skyline was incorporated into one of the ‘Mystic Magnolia’ pieces. We love it so much we’re going to suggest that it’s flown from the roof of Buckingham Palace. As London girls, Samantha and Alexandra wanted the city to feature in their collection as it has had such a great influence on their lives and work. ‘London is such an inspirational city and it was amazing going on a rooftop to capture the skyline with our photographer Rory Campbell.’ Somehow Evelyn and Anne have managed to combine two of our favourite things – London and accessories – find a way of including coffee and we’ll be customers for life.
As well as being vibrant and magical these scarves are pretty bohemian, (very Sienna Miller!) which makes them perfect for summer festivals. You might have missed Glastonbury but they couldn’t be more perfect for Bestival. Although this wasn’t something that the designers Evelyn McGoldrick and Alexandra Annie McGoldrick specifically envisioned during the design process they would absolutely love for them to become staple festival pieces. Style them with a kimono, a flower headband and denim shorts and you’re good to go.
Having only established itself in 2013, Evelyn and Anne has spent the last year finding its feet and perfecting its designs. We’re sure that you, like us, are eager to know what’s coming next. It’s great news for men as pocket scarves are up next in the pipeline. But don’t fear ladies, you can expect to see interesting collaborations and limited edition prints, alongside new collections exploring with colour and textures. There may even be a few embellishments on future styles to add to the Evelyn and Anne collection. Both Samantha and Alexandra place huge emphasis on accessories in their personal style and hope that at some point in the future they can extend their brand to encompass jewelry. We would pre-order the entire collection now if we could!
In keeping with the magical theme, the final wish of Evelyn and Anne is to be featured in independent boutiques and department stores. With Liberty, Browns, Harvey Nichols and Harrods at the top of their list. Luxury stores to suit a luxury brand – it sounds like a match made in heaven to us. In the mean time you can see their unique designs on their equally spellbinding website.
Happy shopping!
