Headwraps: A Global Journey [Hardcover]

Georgia Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2003

Stop for a visit in the Czech Republic, where headscarves called satkas serve as symbols of national pride. Journey east to Malaysia, where handwoven kain dastars are wrapped for grooms by village elders. Explore the origins of the pagri, a turban worn by male Sikhs in India. Or swing by southern Nigeria to admire the color-drenched gélés of Yoruba women. These headwraps all look remarkably different and serve very different functions in dramatically different cultures. How and why does the headwrap exist in such variety? What are its meanings? How has it changed?

Headwraps are stunning creations of silk, cotton, gauze, muslin, wool and other fabrics. They are tossed, wrapped, draped, tucked, tied or pinned in hundreds of styles. They can distinguish the highbred from the pauper, Christian from Muslim, men from women, and clan from clan. They currently make for hip fashion statements in France and America.?

In Headwraps, Georgia Scott retraces the dizzying year she spent travelling the globe in search of headwraps. Scott researched headwrap styles, documented their folklore, and snapped photos wherever she went. The result is a stunning collection of images and anecdotes of a remarkable journey to chronicle our mysterious and fascinating efforts to cover our heads.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An art director at the New York Times, Scott became intrigued by headwraps-"architectural creations for the head"-during their trendy stint in New York during the 1990s. She then spent a year traveling around the globe to document the world's headwraps and headscarves, visiting Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the South Pacific, the Americas and the Caribbean. Her book examines headwraps from cultural, fashion and practical standpoints. A specific travelogue of sorts, it's also highly personal, as Scott learns "how to say hello in more than thirty languages" and to "remember each country by its sunsets." The excellent photographs are the book's best asset, depicting, in full color, Vietnamese mountain people in bright red turbans; West African girls in simple headwraps knotted at the crown of the head; Parisian models in intricate turbans designed by Yves Saint Laurent; and men in the United Arab Emirates with ghutrahs draped over their heads and hanging down their backs and shoulders.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–When the author noticed "towering, exotic headwraps" worn by African-American women in New York, she began to conduct interviews with those who wore these "architectural creations" and found that they did so in celebration of their African heritage. Scott also spoke with West African immigrants who told her more about the origins and cultural significance of the garment. Further research made her aware that every continent has a rich and varied tradition of headwraps or scarves. Eventually, she went on to document current and historical styles worn by men and women. The resulting book is a whirlwind tour of 32 countries in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the South Pacific, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Scott sweeps readers along with her through setbacks, surprises, and serendipities in her journey off the beaten track. On any page, readers will find excellent color photos of Scott's many new friends in their headgear, or archival photos and artistic renderings. Illustrations and text mesh seamlessly to reveal an amazing variety of textiles and methods of tying. Scott touches on the history and cultural significance of each style, but in this broad survey and fast-paced travel narrative, understandably the focus is usually more aesthetic than analytical. Teens will be charmed by this visually stunning, ebullient book; the discussions sparked are likely to range well beyond matters of fashion.–Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586481096
• ISBN-13: 978-1586481094
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #801,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars beautiful pictures, no directions, October 16, 2004

By 

R. "broid" (western USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Headwraps: A Global Journey (Hardcover)

The book is a beautiful photo essay of headwraps from around the world. Although it shows an extensive variety of styles and forms and discusses the culture of their wearers, I had hoped that there would be some diagrams or instructions on how to duplicate some of them. There may be a sentence or two saying something like fold it in a triangle, overlap the ends, and throw the corners back but that's about it. Lovely coffee table book but not at all useful if you want to know how to copy the styles.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, Inspirational Picture Book, April 5, 2005

By 

Stephanie Rose Bird "conjurer2" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Headwraps: A Global Journey (Hardcover)

I love this book. It is full of people from around the world, wearing the sacred crown wrap. The author Georgia Scott takes us through her own global journey. We see with her eyes and Scott shows us a wide diversity of headwraps. Clearly, Scott is very open-minded as "Headwraps: a Global Journey" presents all types of wraps including those that are religious, traditional, cultural, historical and simply costuming. The book is great for gift giving and it is basically a sumptous picture book at a very reasonable price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique, highly recommended work, June 3, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Headwraps: A Global Journey (Hardcover)

Scott traveled around the world assessing headwraps of different cultures: while her book is a specialty item recommended for collections featuring in-depth cultural histories, Headwraps should not be missed by any who are interested in clothing and ethnic history. Chapters consider why women cover their heads, who wears headwraps, and the world history of the habit. Beautiful color photos accompany her travels to countries around the world. A unique, highly recommended work.