How To Wear A Silk Scarf With Candice Lake

As a child I was utterly obsessed with the Queen – she was my ultimate icon,” says Candice Lake, the Australian photographer and influencer who is now based in London. “I dreamed about what she had for breakfast and how she spent her day. I think this must have trickled down and inspired my love of silk scarfs, I have always adored them.” So much so that Lake admits to secretly “borrowing” them from her mother’s closet, and knotting and tying them to all manner of outfits throughout her teens.

Lake’s love of scarfs never waned: the mother of two – to Arden and Olympia – recently worked Oroton’s Signet Scarf into her wardrobe, and it’s a talking point not just because the new signature piece has recently been reimagined from the house archives, but also because it marks an exciting twist for the 80-year-old brand.

Lake says: “I like simple and bold accessories. I think of them as layering, so if you start with a classic shirt and jeans, you can change the look in such varied ways depending on your finishing touch. If I am going to wear jewellery, I tend to stick with big, gold hoop earrings and then I’ll wear a scarf as a bracelet. I like to keep things classic and use a scarf to soften or elevate my look.”

When asked how she defines true style, Lake says: “To me, you see it when someone exudes confidence in their own skin and marches to the beat of their own drum. Authenticity is the key to good style.” Indeed, the photographer has it herself in spades: she fell into modeling at the age of 19 whilst studying law. Lake then moved to Milan and New York where a career in fashion took off. “I met the most extraordinary people, and experienced things I never would have had access to without modelling. It was an accelerated life lesson.” Lake made photography her focus when she one day plucked up enough courage to to assist on a magazine shoot from behind the camera. From there, her elegant-casual ability to finesse a trend cemented her reputation as both an influencer and an image maker with a wonderfully distinct eye.

So how then does Lake adapt this latest look to suit her working-mum schedule? “I absolutely love wearing a scarf around my neck. It’s chic, it can instantly elevate a simple jeans and T-shirt look,” she explains. “It’s a really classic way to wear it and is the ultimate statement accessory. I love how graphic and simple this Oroton scarf is, mixing it with a pop of colour, it all feels quite French!”

Lake’s other suggestions involves a kind of fashion play on opposites: “If I’m wearing a rather masculine look, like an oversized suit, I love to tie a scarf around a ponytail – just be sure to tie it to your hair tie so it doesn’t slip out. It softens the look and conjures a sort of Sloane-y mood that can be quite playful once in a while. You can also soften a leather jacket with a floral silk scarf or you can get your French girl-chic on like we saw on the Parisian runways.” Sharp lines with romantic flourishes seem to rule out. Lake says: “Ultimately, I think it’s about taking the silk scarf from Queen-chic to rebellious glamour and having fun with it!”

View the entire range of Oroton Scarves or buy the Oroton Signet Silk Scarf online.