By Melissa Trabbold -
Who says scarves can only be worn around your neck? No one, and I will prove it to you.
The position of the scarf trend in fashion has been changing. Originally, scarves were primarily worn to keep us warm in the cold days of winter. Now, a scarf is considered appropriate regardless of season because they are becoming more of an accessory and less of a necessity. This is great news because it means we can flaunt VèVèlle scarves in every season, and we are not restricted to wearing them solely around our neck.
Today, the humble scarf is on a similar level with statement jewelry or a great bag. By using VèVèlle in unique ways, you can impressively make a bold statement and matchless looks.
Take the time to make your scarf the focal point of your outfit. This could mean wearing it in your hair, wearing it as a necklace, or even tying it around your waist as a belt. (And in the previous blog, I showed how you could knot it to your bag, which is another option).
My favorite thing about incorporating VèVèlle into my wardrobe is that there are so many unique ways to wear a single scarf, and the results make for a distinctive look suitable for just about any day. With each tie, you’re basically adding a layer to your ensemble that will make it that much more cohesive.
By Melissa Trabbold -
February 2, 2015
It’s obvious that VèVèlle’s scarves are beautiful and look lovely with just about everything. But what if the struggle isn’t with the actual accessory, but with the battle of trying to assemble your outfit for a particular occasion, and still incorporating the accessory—and in this case the accessory being a VèVèlle scarf? If you find yourself questioning this, keep reading because I’m going to show you some ways you can coordinate VèVèlle into a variety of looks. From evening wear to office wear to casual wear, VèVèlle can do it all.
When you finish getting some inspiration through the photos I’ve included in my look book of suitable outfit ideas for the three different settings, you and your VèVèlle scarf will be on your way to looking great for almost any occasion...and you will love VèVèlle even more for helping you get there.
Casual Wear:
1. Grey long sleeve shirt with a sleeveless black denim vest paired with black skinny jeans. This VèVèlle scarf is looped twice around her neck and tied into a small knot with the remaining ends.
2. Leggings and a denim button up top with the scarf hung around her neck in a triangular formation. Tie in the back to secure it in place.
3. Long tan cardigan over a plain white top with black leggings. This scarf is dangling around her neck adding major style points to the simple outfit.
Office Wear:
1. Tan blazer worn over a black tank paired with a pencil skirt. This scarf is wrapped multiple times around her neck with the remaining ends tied into a side knot for a fashionable touch.
2. Tight Black dress paired with a black blazer. This scarf is tied into a bow to add sophistication and a pop of color.
3. Black blazer worn over top of a white ruffle top that is tucked into a black skater skirt. This scarf is hanging around her neck with a knot tied on either end. Very stylish and professional.
Evening Wear:
1. Tight black dress and heels with the scarf tied into a twisted bundle (experiment a little!) This scarf adds a bold twist on the always-classy “little black dress” ensemble.
2. Long sleeve glittery black dress accessorized with this twisted scarf tie makes for a sassy evening appeal.
3. Loose-fitting black dress coordinated with a VèVèlle scarf tied into a bow. Simple, yet classy.
Bonus style tip:
To add a little fun and sophistication to any outfit, try wrapping your VèVèlle scarf around the straps of your purse, as I’ve shown below:
By Melissa Trabbold -
Believe it or not, Google revealed that the top searched fashion question this past year was, “how to wear a scarf.” Some of you may be snickering at the fact that anyone would be so curious about how to properly wear a scarf with its simplicity, but according to Google, many scarf-wearers want to make sure they’re mastering the trend.
While it seems a little silly that scarves would present any kind of sartorial challenge, most of us will admit that they can definitely be tricky to get just right. Even with the obvious wrap-and-tie approach, there are still ways the look can go wrong. There is no shame in wanting some ideas and common ways to wrap up in beautiful scarf, like the irresistible VèVèlle line, but there is really no “right” way. The beauty in VèVèlle’s scarves outweighs any hesitation with how it should be worn.
VèVèlle’s scarves give you the freedom to create your own look, with their versatility, unique designs, and convenient fabric. I picked eight of my favorite ways to tie these scarves, which I’ve shown below. But always know that no matter how you wrap it, tie it, or hold it, the beauty of VèVèlle will always be there.
By MARTIN DeANGELIS Staff Writer
Albert Semerville has several different places in his life story — his native Haiti, his old life in New York, and for the last 10 years or so, his family’s home in Egg Harbor Township.
He also has several different lives in his life story. He was a radio broadcaster and magazine writer back in Haiti, a job that ran him afoul of the country’s notorious “Baby Doc” Duvalier regime. And after Semerville’s radio station was raided and shut down, he realized that he should get out of the country while he could still walk away.
Semerville also taught French and was active in theater in Haiti, but he moved into computers, working in and teaching information systems when he came to the United States about 30 years ago and settled in New York. But some of his oldest memories in life are of seeing neighbors and friends come to his childhood home to be measured by his mother and father — then seeing his parents’ talents translated into beautiful clothing they created by hand for their personal clients.
Then there’s his work as an advocate for Haiti, the country that still hasn’t recovered from the devastation of its 2010 earthquake. Semerville has tried to raise money for and interest in building quality, affordable housing in his homeland through a pair of organizations he founded, Rebuild Haiti Better and Haiti Fresh Start.
And all those places and lives and missions show up in Semerville’s latest venture, a business he recently started to sell high-end women’s scarves inspired by the culture and beauty of Haiti. To the owner, the company he calls Vevelle doesn’t just make clothes. It makes art — that just happens to be wearable.
Art has a price, too. On his web site, Vevelle.com, the scarves start at $140 and go up to $165.
“It’s luxury silk, and silk is very expensive,” says Semerville, who showed off a selection of his scarves recently to some visitors to his home, with help from his 26-year-old son and star “stylist,” Donald.
Also, Vevelle is having its products made in Italy and France, where labor costs are high — but so is the quality of the workmanship.
“France and Italy are the powerhouses in terms of scarves,” said Semerville, who still has plenty of Haiti and its official French language in his accent. He’d like to get some of his goods made in America, but “the U.S. is not there yet” in producing the quality he needs for his brand.
The Vevelle founder also notes that in the level of the market where he wants his products to live, $140 or $165 for a scarf is no cause for sticker shock. And an online search for “luxury silk scarves” actually turns up retail prices of Alexander McQueen scarves at $555 apiece. Then there are scarves by Cartier, where the price tag starts at $330 — and runs up past $1,100.
But no matter where Semerville has his clothes — or art — made, the inspiration comes straight out of Haiti and the Caribbean.
“It’s not just a design,” he said, pulling out a scarf based around the sacred sun symbol of the Taino Indians, the original inhabitants of Haiti. “It’s a design with a story.”
And he clearly enjoys telling the story behind each scarf. Take “Peacock’s Exuberance,” which highlights a bird that’s revered and relatively common in Haiti — and that Semerville occasionally, almost shockingly sees parading around an odd corner of Egg Harbor Township. Then there is his “Papillons de la Saint-Jean” design, featuring brilliant butterflies in flight on a Haitian holiday when butterflies are usually abundant.
When it comes to “Mermaid’s Dream,” Semerville says mermaids are a popular subject of myth and legend in Haiti — so popular, he had his mermaids created in several races, to appeal to clients of all shades. But he also knows those myths go well beyond the borders of his homeland, or any country.
“The mermaid is not a Haitian story, it’s not a Puerto Rican story,” he said. “It’s universal.”
So is the love of beauty — “You’re buying art now,” Semerville says, delineating the details of another design. “If you want to frame it, go ahead and frame it.”
The stories unfold as the scarves do, and Vevelle hopes next year to be able to use money from these Haitian creations to help Haiti.
Semerville makes it clear that his brand-new company hasn’t donated any money yet, but when he starts selling more, he plans to start giving some to causes close to his heart and home, including housing for Haiti. He also wants to do good locally, by making contributions to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey’s southern branch, in Egg Harbor Township.
John Rosser knows the Vevelle founder through Sustainatopia, “One of largest conferences in the world for social, environmental and financial sustainability,” as Rosser explains it.
He organizes the annual event and Semerville has been a speaker several times, mainly on land and housing issues in Haiti. Semerville will be on a panel for next year’s conference in Los Angeles, and Rosser said it was no shock to him when he heard that his Haitian housing advocate had stepped into the luxury-scarf market.
“In our research in Haiti, Al’s name name came up in more than one place,” Rosser said by phone. “We could tell by the people he was working with and his associations there that he was doing good work, and the reviews have been good on his speaking.”
Next May, Semerville plans to speak again about Haiti in California — and to show and sell some of his new scarves.
“Anyone who works in Haiti, you have to become particularly entrepreneurial, because things don’t work well in Haiti,” Rosser said. “With the creativity you need to be a successful entrepreneur there, it doesn’t surprise me he would take that background and do something else with it. Doing anything in Haiti is so challenging, you develop a kind of confidence and thick skin if you’re successful there. ... It’s a good training ground for anyone who wants to be entrepreneur.”
And that was Semerville’s training ground — or one of them. He’s had several, and he keeps learning, living now on a peaceful, quiet, low-speed street in a suburb of Atlantic City.
“But I’m going 100 miles an hour in terms of ideas,” as Semerville told a visitor, still showing off the scarves that are his latest idea.
Photographer: Michael Ein
Albert Semerville poses with his newly launched scarf line called VèVèlle /vɛ.vɛl/ in his Egg Harbor Township home, Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014. The Italian made, Haitian themed fine silk scarves are sold on his website.
Contact Martin DeAngelis:
609-272-7237
By Melissa Trabbold -
No fabric could ever compare to the beauty and quality of silk. With a long history, silk rapidly became a luxury fabric that was high in demand since its discovery. The elegance of VèVèlle’s scarves is mainly due to the silk fibers they are skillfully crafted from. It is no wonder that each one possesses such evident beauty.
When you’re purchasing a silk-based product, it’s nice to know exactly where the fabric’s wondrous beauty comes from. Silk is a natural protein fiber that is produced from the cocoons of certain insect larvae. The reason silk textiles give off such a beautiful shimmer is due to the fiber’s distinct make-up. Each piece included in VèVèlle’s exclusive collection is handmade using 100% silk twill, chiffon, georgette, or jacquard—the real catalysts behind their lustrous appeal. Definitions of each silk type, from Texeresilk.com, are listed at the bottom of the article.
Silk’s luxury, and thus the luxury of VèVèlle’s merchandise, comes not only from the physical appeal, but also from the true quality of the fabric. Such high-quality fabrics like silk are worth cherishing, and definitely worth fashioning; It’s what sets VèVèlle’s scarves apart from other scarves made from inferior fabrics. VèVèlle’s sincerely promises comfort, style, and value, making every purchase worth every penny.
Silk Twill
Made from silk yarns woven in a twill weave, gives the fabric a soft hand and high durability. Twill, a textile weave in which the filling threads pass over one and under two or more warp threads to give an appearance of diagonal lines. Twill is very strong and soil resistant with an appearance of fine diagonal lines.
Silk Chiffon
Chiffon literally means “rag” in French. This elegant, sheer fabric is quite limp, with a beautiful drape. It has a soft, supple, thin hand and a flat, crepe-like texture. A very light, diaphanous fabric, Chiffon is elegant and sheer, with a slightly rough feel to it. Sometimes called Crepe Chiffon, this fabric is highly suited for special occasion dresses, Scarves, nightgowns, and linings. Chiffon is softer and thinner than Georgette. [Georgette is made like chiffon, but with a two or three ply yarn.]
Silk Georgette
Fine, lightweight, plain weave, crêpe fabric, usually having two highly twisted S and two highly twisted Z yarns alternately in both warp and weft. Made of crepe yarn, silk georgette has a grainy texture, a sheer feel, and a thin, very dry hand. It is heavier than chiffon. Drapes very fluidly, and falls into soft ripples. Doesn't show pin marks, and doesn’t hold a crease.
Silk Jacquard
A special fabrication in which a pattern is woven directly into the material. A device for weaving such elaborate designs by a machine was invented between 1801 and 1810 by Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752 1834). The Jacquard mechanism is attached to a loom and operated by a punched card system, which selects individual warp threads.
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