Do I smell a trend in the making?

Yes. . . yes! But what on earth is that scent? Could it be cherries? Yes, I think that's it. . . but wait. . . there's something else. . . it's. . . artichoke? What?

I've noticed a small slew lately of printed scarves with food images on them. I realize that scarves are a sort of frivolous, aesthetic-only (meaning that they're not going to keep you warm or dry) fashion item, so it makes sense that they're printed with whatever images or prints pop into a designer's mind--they can be a whim-piece. They've never really enticed me, though. They always seem like too much of an accessory, as though wearing them says, "Why yes, as a matter of fact, I did spend a lot of time trying to look stylish, as is exemplified by my excess of unnecessary touches." I think it's hard to look like you threw on your clothes in the morning, and just happen to look stylish (which is sometimes what I go for--most things are better when they're subtle) when you're wearing a scarf.

But weird as they may be, these food-print scarves kind of amuse me. I think that their fashion statement is more along the lines of "I have a sense of humor" than "I try hard." Since they're so odd, they have a really quixotic, unpretentious effect. I'd still avoid wearing them around your neck, or covering your hair in that "celebrity in disguise" way, but feel free to try them as a headband, or tied onto a handbag. The stranger the food, the better, too. Marc Jacobs printed a scarf with cherries and it's cute, but Moschino printed their scarf with artichokes (if you didn't guess by my opener), and it's positively delightful. The pictured Hermes scarf is pretty clever with the mushrooms, too. Still, I think just abouty any food-scarf would be cute.

But maybe it's just because I'm trying to diet. No, that's not right. They're really actually very cute.