Give a Man Enough Rope...

A small, unwary child on Massachusetts Avenue tripped over the couple of feet of scarf a girl dragged behind her. Underground, there was some confusion over a man who got tangled in his scarf trying to board a subway. It's all part of a new fashion trend. Even when modern mufflers are wrapped two or three times around one's neck, there is a good five or six feet left over, depending, of course, on the size of the individual.

Old timers remember the day when a scarf was an innocuous little thing of some three or four feet. But since the war its length has almost doubled. The most recently reported measurement is seven feet, and they are still growing. Most of the tribute must go to Cambridge merchants who conceived the idea of a six foot scarf, realized they lad a good thing, and decided to outwit competitors by secretly adding a few inches from time to time.

There is doubt that the length of scarves, per se, is the only reason for the fad. Foresighted students see in them a return to primitive modes of dress. If a gradual broadening accompanies lengthening, scarves could become sort of northern hemisphere sarong (with appropriate college colors). As they are, the scarves could replace conventional hardware in summer and winter, done up like Far East turbans.

When the scarf reaches ten feet, it is an easy step to twenty feet, and from there to thirty feet, and so on. Many people could own the same scarf and wear it at the same time, as a turban, sarong, or plain old muffler. And particularly crafty young men would buy one scarf, then cut it into two or three equal or unequal sections for presentation to their current lady friends. Interesting sidelights would be scarf bundling parties and scarf rides. It certainly looks like the "More Than Six Footer" is a good thing and is here to stay.