A luxury silk scarf under $200 is well within reach: Folk Form squares cost $64 to $197. Five details separate a luxury silk square from a lower-priced one: thread grade, momme weight, printing, the hem and the box. Ours are Grade 5A mulberry silk at 16 momme, hand screen-printed through both faces.
Picture the difference in the hand: silk heavy enough to hold a knot where you tie it, a hem you can feel as a fine rolled cord between finger and thumb, and the same color on the back of the fold as on the front. Below are the five details to check, where the money goes in our scarves, our prices by size, and when spending less makes sense.
What should I check before buying a luxury silk scarf?
| Detail | What it means | Folk Form |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric grade | A grade such as 5A or 6A describes the raw silk thread, not the finished scarf. On its own, without a test report, it tells you little. | Grade 5A mulberry silk, tested at the Textile Testing Center of the Vietnam Textile Research Institute, an independent body. |
| Momme (weight) | The traditional unit of silk fabric weight. Higher momme means heavier cloth with more body, for the same weave. | 16 momme: enough body to stay where you tie it. |
| Printing | Printed on one face, or through both. When one face is printed, fold lines show a pale back. | Hand screen-printed through both faces, one screen and one pass for every color, so a knot shows the same color on both sides. |
| Hem | Rolled and stitched by hand, or sewn by machine. | Rolled and stitched by hand, close to an hour of work even on a small square. |
| Packaging | What arrives in the box, and whether a gift box or note costs extra. | A rigid gift box, a story card naming the motif, an illustrated styling guide, a care card and a small silk swatch in every order, with a free handwritten note. |
Weight and price do not always move together, which is why the print, the edge and the box deserve as close a look as the momme.
Where does the money go in a Folk Form scarf?
A print that goes through the cloth
Our studio redraws every motif by hand from archive photographs of Ly and Tran Dynasty art, made between the 11th and 15th centuries. Each color then gets its own screen, and the silk is printed one pass per color, through both faces. Running the cloth twice is slower, and it is why the back of the scarf looks like the front when you knot it.
An edge rolled by hand
The edge of each square is rolled over and stitched by hand, close to an hour of work even on a small square. The work grows with the size: going from 26 to 36 inches almost doubles the cloth, from 676 to 1,296 square inches, and the hand-rolled edge grows from about 8.7 to 12 feet. That is why the 36 inch costs more than the 26 inch.
A box you can hand over as it is
Every scarf arrives in a rigid gift box with a story card naming the motif and its dynasty, an illustrated guide to more than 20 ways to tie it, a care card and a small cutting of the same silk. The cutting is there so you can test the silk yourself: burn a thread of it over a sink, away from anything flammable. Silk burns with a smell like burning hair and leaves a soft ash that crushes between your fingers; polyester melts into a hard bead. It is a home check, not lab proof.
We print and finish our scarves in our own atelier in Hanoi and ship them direct to you. ELLE Vietnam and Harper's Bazaar Vietnam have both covered our studio.
How much does each Folk Form size cost?
Every size uses the same silk, the same printing and the same hand-rolled edge.
| Size | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 22 inch (55 cm) | Bag handle, wrist, ponytail, small neck knot | $75 ($64 for Peace In Mind) |
| 26 inch (65 cm) | Headband, ponytail wrap, neck knot, bag roll; the easiest size to begin with | $97 |
| 36 inch (90 cm) | Full head wrap, turban, neck knot, shoulder cover over a sleeveless dress | $153 |
| 44 inch (110 cm) | Shoulder wrap, travel layer, sarong; shows the whole design | $197 |
Not sure which size? Our silk scarf size guide walks through each one. Cost per wear helps too: worn once a week for five years, a 26 inch square works out to under 40 cents a wear, and a 22 inch to under 30 cents.
When does a lower-priced scarf make more sense?
A hand-printed square is a considered purchase, and there are times we would point a friend elsewhere.
- It is for sleep and no one will see it. If the scarf goes on at night to wrap your hair, a plain, lower-priced silk square does that job, and the print and hand-finished edge go unseen.
- You need it this week. Our orders take 1 to 3 business days to leave Hanoi and 9 to 15 business days to reach a US address, so a seller shipping from inside the US will reach you sooner.
- A prepaid return label matters to you. Our returns travel back to our atelier in Hanoi, Vietnam, and for a change-of-mind return the international postage is yours. If the fault is ours, we pay postage both ways.
- You want a solid color. Every Folk Form square carries a printed motif, and a plain square costs less for that purpose.
- The budget is firm at under $60. Our 22 inch Peace In Mind square is $64 and our other squares start at $75; the Phoenix Dance twilly, a narrow ribbon of silk, is $57. A polyester scarf can look similar in a photograph, and it feels like a different material the moment it is in your hand.
What do I pay at checkout?
- Shipping is free on orders of $90 or more and a flat $20 below that.
- We pay the US import duty, so nothing is owed at the door.
- Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery if the scarf is unused, unwashed and unworn, in its original box. Store credit instead of a refund adds 15%. The full terms are in our return and refund policy.
Ready to look? Browse all Folk Form silk scarves, or read what is true about mulberry silk.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a good silk scarf cost?
The price mostly tells you about printing, finishing and packaging. Folk Form squares cost $64 to $197 by size, with the same silk, hand screen-printing through both faces and hand-rolled edges at every size.
Is a higher momme always better?
No. Higher momme means heavier cloth with more body for the same weave, but momme measures weight, not quality, and it does not move in step with price. Ours is 16 momme. For a printed scarf, how it is printed and finished matters as much as the weight.
How can I tell if a scarf is printed on both sides?
Turn it over or tie a knot. When a scarf is printed through both faces, the back looks close to the front. When one face is printed, the back looks pale and the fold lines show.
How do I know a silk scarf is real silk?
Burn a thread or a swatch over a sink, away from anything flammable. Silk burns with a smell like burning hair and leaves a soft ash that crushes between your fingers. Polyester melts into a hard bead. It is a home check, not lab proof, and every Folk Form scarf order includes a swatch for it.
Do I pay import duty or return postage on a Folk Form scarf?
No import duty on US orders: we pay it. Return postage depends on the reason. For a change of mind, the international postage back to Hanoi is yours; if the fault is ours, we pay postage both ways.
Which size gives the most for the money?
The 26 inch at $97 does hair and neck equally well, which makes it the easiest size to wear often. Choose the 36 inch at $153 for a full head wrap or cover for the shoulders.