Travel-Worn: the scarf

Scarves are a big trend in fashion now, especially in China. I was assured of this by a woman who told me “all Chinese girls like to wear scarves!” when she sold me a pair of custom-painted knock-off Chuck Taylors for Y70. I’ve purchased a few scarves since arriving in China, and they’ve come in handy as the weather has turned a bit chilly.  Of course, scarves (of the fashion or function variety) are not a gendered accessory – everyone needs to keep their neck warm sometimes.

To that end, a company called Xubaz offers several versions of a “travel scarf” – complete with pockets, and ties so you can attach your scarf to your belt loops and it won’t fly off.  A quick look at the product line reveals some good fabric choices and functional pockets.  Given those pockets, however, it looks like there’s only one real way to wear the scarf – down around your neck, without wrapping it.  The downside?  It appears that Xubaz are only sold in stores in the US, all seemingly independent, so you’d have to buy your travel scarf *before* you become a laowai (or find an American to buy one and ship it for you).  Of course, if you have a way to contact a particular store to see if they will ship internationally, that’s another possibility.  Unfortunately, the “where to buy” link on the Xubaz website lists stores and addresses, without websites, phone numbers, or email addresses, so if you really want one, it looks like you have plenty of Googling ahead of you.

Of course, you can always buy a scarf from a street vendor; I’ve found prices from Y10-Y50 to be reasonable for a regular scarf; silk scarves will run much higher, starting at least at Y70 (from my experience).

Incidentally, when I used the “hiding from stares” picture below on facebook, my mom told me I looked like a terrorist.  So, that may be a hidden benefit of the travel-scarf, if you’re going for the terrorist look.

CONVENIENT USES FOR SCARVES: