Symmetry Goods: Transforming a Basic Into a Stylish Accessory
This Fall it will be easy to be stylish with the new line of scarves by Symmetry Goods.
Symmetry Goods "Oxley" scarf, photos by Chloe Aftel
Designed by Ted Byrnes and wife and stylist Gena Tuso, the line is geared to those with a refined aesthetic and a flair for style. Think everyone from the hipster on the streets of Los Angeles to the 25-year-old cello player in the Philharmonic or a 55-year-old architect in New York. For the couple, who are inspired by diverse topics such as architecture and the black metal music scene from the Pacific Northwest, scarves are a key ingredient to their personal wardrobes.
The collection was created not only to make a fashion statement but to offer a practical fashion solution. Byrnes said the idea for the collection started as an experiment while traveling through New York and Europe. Keeping a scarf looking great while traversing a hectic city can be the impossible task. By experimenting with a way to attach the scarves, an idea was born. “We thought, 'Wow, this is actually interesting because now you can wear your scarves in a multitude of different ways,'” Byrnes said. The scarves, which are made from rectangular and square shapes, have six grommets and a custom-made leather or brass hardware with toggles on either end. The toggles can connect to any grommet, allowing the wearer to customize their look.
The collection is unisex and made in plaid and solid color wools from Woolrich in the United States as well as Japanese woolen mills. Each piece is rigged with brass hardware and produced in Los Angeles. For Fall, the collection includes five different styles that retail from $160 to $440. The "Morton" has a large square shape, and the "Oxley" is a rectangle with 1-inch fringe on each corner. A more traditional long scarf, called the "Varg," has knotted fringe, two grommets and a leather hardware piece. There is also a poncho called the “Newman” and a shirt/shrug called the “Sioux,” which can be folded and twisted in multiple ways.
“If you are going to buy something or spend a considerable amount of money, you want it to be something that you’re going to have for a long time and it’s going to be versatile in your wardrobe,” explained Byrnes. “Particularly when it’s something like a scarf or a handbag. The idea [is] you can wear it in many different ways and keep it looking fresh with however you are feeling that day.”
The "Morton" scarf
The "Sioux" shirt/shrug
The "Newman" poncho
