One of my go-to cravats, she works beautifully with all the other cravats and is made of lovely soft cotton. White one side and has a subtle brown paisley outline on the other. Features on the front cover of Cravat-a-licious with Danielle and Alison and on the back of the book with Lilac Leona.
Lilac Leona
Named after her designer Leona Edmiston. She's a rare example of a Leona Edmiston scarf, always partners beautifully with Ros and has been designed so no matter how you wear her, the Leona Edmiston tag always seems to pop out. Lilac Leona and Ros feature together on the back of Cravat-a-licious.
Danielle
One of my longest serving cravats, I've had her for about 25 years. She's faded and frayed but that's a sign of how well-loved she is. Named after the other founder of the 'We Heart Matt's Cravat' Facebook page.
Emma
A beautiful name for a beautiful cravat. Sensous, satiny fabric printed with pinks, currants and metallic gold. The lushest cravat in my collection. Named after my wife, naturally.
Alison
One of my oldest cravats, she was purchased in the Harrods sale for £5. Named after a work colleague and co-founder of the 'We Heart Matt's Cravats' facebook page.
Wild Wilma
Hand-made for me by a fan, Wilma is cut in a Jabot style and has been designed to avoid any unsightly flash of flesh from a cravat that's too narrow. It requires a rather unorthodox tying technique.
Eamon
Named after Aussie swimming star Eamon Sullivan, he's an interesting style in that he's slightly waisted like a cravat but, bizzarely, ties more like an Ascot. He's got a lovely delicate pattern. Goes beautifully with the 'Rachel' cravat.
Colonel Mustard
Comes from Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent - home of conservative cravat-wearers and tyrannical golf club secretaries.
Large Brown Jim
One of three cravats given to me by a widow in Adelaide who wanted to find a good home for her hubby's three favourite pieces of neckware and couldn't bear to put them in an op shop. She came to a book signing and presented me with the three of them and they are now happily re-homed in my Cravatatorium.
Small Brown Jim
One of the other three cravats from Adelaide. Small Brown Jim is so named because he's got a smaller paisley brown pattern.
Geometric Red Jim
This is Geometric Red Jim the last of the 'Jim' trio from Adelaide and yet to be worn in action. Expect a debut in season two of MasterChef.
Briar Rose
This is a silk cravat purchased in a Harrods sale 18 years ago, which has largely been unworn because of the crazy, crazy pattern. With the arrival of Large Brown Jim, Briar Rose has found the perfect partner and is now getting regular outings.
Long Michelle
This is Long Michelle, so-named because she's longer and far better behaved than Short Michelle, (aka Slutty Michelle). I love a polka dot.
Short Michelle
Has become known as 'Slutty Michelle' due to her inability to keep herself nice on set. The cravat most likely to escape from my shirt or pocket and to flap around in a most unbecoming manner.
Chocolate Orange Marina
This one is Chocolate Orange Marina. A delicate gossamer-fine silk named in honour of my South Australian cravat curator. One of her many marvelous finds.
The Cricketer
This is The Cricketer, a beautiful textured silk cravat made in England by Drakes. Strangely hard to wear given his wide horizontal stripe as you always looks like you're about to go in to bat for the English cricket team circa 1922.
Grey Phillip
One of three Ascots given to me by cameraman Rob on the set of MasterChef. They were his late father's and he gave them to me. Hence they are named in honour of his dad Phillip. Slightly narrow, normally best worn as a double or with a big-collared shirt.
Mia
This is another Goldsworthy-sourced cravat and the first one she gave me. She's called Mia after Mia Freedman. Quite narrow so works best as duo but has the most beautiful green and yellow paisley, sparsely used on a red silk background.
Bridget
Purchased from a Noosa op shop for $2.50, this scarf can be worn with the grass green background as a dominant colour or with the intricate yellow violet and red paisley pattern showing. A fine versatile scarf (see Bridget 2 for the latter).
Bridget 2
Uncle Monty Blue
Named after one of the world's more dissolute cravat wearers - the Richard Griffiths character in the film Withnail and I.
Uncle Monty Green
Named as per Uncle Monty Blue. Another very smart cravat, the pair are often worn together like brothers. Both were sourced by my cravat curator in South Australia, Marina Goldsworthy. Her tireless searches through the op shops of Stirling in the Adelaide Hills has resulted in some of the greatest cravat finds.
Kate DW
A Klipper cravat made in wash and wear Tricel. She's a weird cravat because she looks white but the green and grey pattern makes her look pale pink. She's called Kate DW and She's named after the director of MasterChef and Celebrity MasterChef, Kate Douglas Walker, a stylish woman known for her black and white outfits. Strangely this cravat also has a habit of misbehaving even though she's of regulation length and not short like slutty Michelle. I blame the Kate DW influence.
Celestial Blue
A sky blue silk with a dusty pink Chinese motif for luck. Often worn in tandem with Tom (see below)
Myf
An arresting Japanese tenugui named in
honour of the talented - and equally attractive - Myf Warhust. The tenugui has
traditionally been worn by craftspeople and actors. It can also be used for
wrapping around sake bottles - one assumes so that the sake bottle is
well-dressed.
Pucci
A vintage scarf by the famous designer Pucci given to me by MasterChef?s first stylist, the stylish Peta Lee.
The dodgy one with shells on it
My least favourite cravat. It never seems
to go with anything.
Natalie
Given to me by George Calombaris?s girlfriend and thus named after her. She found it in Italy when traveling there with him. This classic cravat is longer than usual and in a beautiful soft silk.
Professional Judy
The second of two cravats named after MasterChef series producer Judy Smart. This one shows her serious side.
Tatiana
A red Christmas cravat, it was given away with copies of my CD and has a small, white asterix, chrysanthemum or snowflake design across it. I had to give it a sexy, exotic name because it is the only cravat I have ever seen with a loop at one end that you thread the wide end through. Weird and wonderful!
Gyspy Judy
Judy shows her wilder, more floaty side. She is a long scarf made of very delicate fabric that can be tied in myriad ways. This is my favourite of the two. (See also Professional Judy.)
Tom
A vibrant pink silk scarf that is a perfect backgrounder used to highlight a top cravat when double tying. Named after a very thoughtful boy who showed me an act of kindness on a Qantas domestic flight - he brought my bag up to me after the cabin crew had stowed it at the back of the busy plane.
Pierre A scrawny but diaphanous silk designed by Pierre Cardin. Another vintage designer classic but very hard to wear.
Long Sonia
I love this long cream scarf. It looks like a classic scarf from the era before 1814 when all scarves were cream or white and unpatterned. It is extremely elegant and hence it is named after Sonia Kruger.
Unnamed 1 A vintage cravat with a nicely worn patina on one blade and around the neck. Not worn on the show as yet and hence not named. (Cravats need to be worn at least twice before naming as you need to get to know them... obviously!)
Unnamed 2
Another cravat purchased for the new series of MasterChef and, as such, in need of a good name. It is a delicate pale primrose yellow with an interesting teeny repeated geometric motif in red and grey.
John Wood
Named after the other John Wood. The one that lives in Melbourne, isn't an actor and has a daughter called Henrie.
