DESIGNER'S NOTES

A detailed Fox & Chave silk habotai scarf with a design by C.F.A Voysey, (1857-1941) the architect and designer of wallpapers, fabrics and furniture.

The pattern is derived from an element of the work Adam & Eve in Paradise, painted in the early 20th Century as a preliminary idea for a wallpaper or fabric and is a characteristic example of his work as an architect-designer aligned with the Arts and Crafts movement.

Voysey’s design places Adam and Eve amidst a harmonious, Edenic landscape populated by animals, birds, and the spreading boughs of a large central tree the trunk of which has a serpent wrapped around it. The image evoking innocence, moral clarity, and the potential for the sinister, all showcased in his signature flat, stylised forms and flowing line.

The repeating pattern format that would have prevailed as a wallpaper or textile emphasises unity between nature and design, reflecting his belief that good design should uplift everyday life through beauty, simplicity, and symbolic resonance.

COLOURS

STYLING

A Fox & Chave habotai silk scarf can be worn with the classic knot style or a pussycat bow. You can even create a shawl effect by knotting two scarves together behind your neck and allowing them to drape over your shoulders. More scarf styling ideas are available in this wonderful How to Tie a Scarf book.