Maxi Twilly.. maxi fun - how to wear, knot and tie

My recent Paris trip coincided with the arrival of the new Maxi Twillys at FSH just a couple of days earlier, and I am so happy to have brought one back as a souvenir. From the two currently available designs (Brazil and Cavalcadour), I chose a black, khaki and yellow 'Brazil', which works so well with my autumn/winter wardrobe additions.

Maxi Twilly 'Brazil', ref no 091793S, CW14 (noir/khaki/vielle or) 

design by Laurence Bourthoumieux, orig. issued in 1988 

Fun to know

• In terms of length, the Maxi Twilly comes to the exact same length as a GM (140x140cm) when folded in the basic bias, ie 220 cm. Because of its oblong shape, the Maxi Twilly does not have the same body as a GM though. 

• The Maxi Twilly, just like the regular Twilly, is folded in half, and so has no reverse side and hence no hand-rolled hems. It is made of silk twice as wide as it's actual size, which is then folded over and sewn together. The fact that the Maxi Twilly is double-faced, means that it has more body than regular silk stoles.

• The Maxi Twilly's total silk surface comes to 8800 cm² [(220x20cm)x2]. At the current price of 230 EUR, this equals 261 EUR per silk square meter. Here a comparison with other silk formats:

• In terms of 'price by silk square meter', the Maxi Twilly is fantastic value. However, since they don't have hand-rolled hems like the Carrés, the production costs are lower too (it takes about 30 min to finish the hems of a 90 Carré. Click here to watch the process on YouTube). Overall the Maxi Twilly is very well priced for such a fabulous and versatile piece (if anything, it makes the regular Twillys look fairly expensive... but then again, at 115 EUR they are a relatively affordable piece of Hermès)

• The Maxi Twilly comes with an instruction leaflet, featuring five different ways to wear them (for copyright reasons I can not post the content of the leaflet, but will show the knots in this and upcoming posts).

• Maxi Twilly in comparison with a regular Twilly

Maxi Twilly playtime 

The starting points are easy, you can either leave the Twilly in its full width...

#1

... or fold it lengthwise in half

#2

You can create a narrower strip still, by folding it lengthwise into a third: fold one edge into the middle,

#3

then fold the other edge over:

Or experiment with different widths, by folding one side to the middle, and the other two-thirds up.. anything goes!

#4

Look #1- place your Maxi Twilly around your neck, and secure with a belt (the Twilly is left at it's full width, with a small inward fold around the neckline)

Capsule pieces: black trousers and v-neck sweater 
Shoes: black ballet flats
Accessories: Woven leather belt, Hermès 'Brazil' Maxi Twilly, clic H enamel bracelet in black and GM Picotin in Kraft

Look #2

Below left: from the Hermès Maxi Twilly knotting leaflet - 'Écharpe Anneau'

Fold your Maxi Twilly into half, and wind once around your neck. Take both ends and slide them through a round scarf ring (here a black horn Anneau Infinity). Push the scarf ring up towards your neck until it reached a position you like.

Below right: Variation, with scarf ring pushed up to the neckline:

Variation: You can achieve a similar effect with a Classique scarf ring (Grande size). The scarf is placed around the neck as above, while the ends are secured in a criss-cross knot. You can vary this look by wearing the scarf ring closer or further away from your neck.

Look #3 - in a Twist Wrap knot with Classique scarf ring in Grande. Starting point is a narrow strip (as in #3 above)

You can vary the size, position and shape of the bow by pulling the bow out further or less, and by sliding the scarf further away or closer to your neck.

Look #4 - from the Hermès Maxi Twilly knotting leaflet: 'Papillon'

Fold your Maxi Twilly lengthwise in half and place around your neck. Make a simple knot, followed by a bow.
 

Look #5 - wear in long

Left: fold the Maxi Twilly into a narrow strip, place around your neck and slide the ends (coming from opposite directions) through a round scarf ring (here a black horn Anneau Infinity)
Center: as left, only with ends sliding through the scarf ring from the same direction.
Right: slide the ends through a shawl ring (here in black horn)

More knots and variations to come!