Which Scarf Did Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) Wear in “The Princess Diaries”?
And this scarf
Is NOT Hermes
So, which Hermès scarf is Mia wearing in “The Princess Diaries”?
Well, let me set the record straight on this one— there isn’t any Hermès at this table in Genovia. Why did I think this scarf might be Hermes in first place? Below are the 2 lines from the conversation at the table.
Princess Mia: Grandma, is it customary in Genovia to imprison your dinner guests with Hermēs scarves?
Queen Clarisse: It's Hermès.
At first glance this scarf looks like an Hermes scarf, so I had no reason to believe it wasn’t. Especially when so many other movies feature Hermes scarves and don’t mention that they are Hermes, while here they are specifically naming this scarf by brand.
If you want to see weeks of research and scrolling compressed into 1 minute, watch this video above or scroll through for the whole process of tracking down which scarf this actually is.
Photos from instagram
Above are the main clips I used for reference
Let’s talk about the details I always look for first, if I don’t recognize the scarf right off the bat.
The Corners
The corners are the easiest place to start. Each scarf has a defining feature on the corner and there are lots of elements to a corner. Is there a border? Is there a pattern? Is it solid? Is there a recognizable element like a leaf or an equestrian bit?
2. The Border
If there is a border, here are some questions I ask myself: How wide is it? Is there a double border? Which colors can be seen? Is it geometrical or whimsical?3. Pattern Type
If I can see any of the pattern, I then ask: Is it historical? Is it symmetrical? Is it bold? Does it look vintage?
4. The Color Variation
Depending on how many colors I can see sometimes it’s possible to search by color. Patterns can look very different in different colorways. So this is a helpful lead too.5. Time Period
The time period can potentially narrow down the scarf we are looking for.
Here are just SOME of the Hermes patterns I considered and quickly ruled out
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
Hermes “Étriers” 90
Designed by Françoise De La Perriere
First Released in 1964
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
Hermes “Les Trois Mousquetaires” 90
Designed by Vladimir Rybaltchenko
First Released in 1981
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
Hermes “Parc Royal” 90
Designed by Marie-Françoise Héron
First Released in 1974
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
Hermes “Les Tuileries” 90
Designed by Joachim Metz
First Released in 1990
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
Hermes “Astrologie” 90
Designed by Françoise Façonnet
First Released in 1963
It was at this point that I considered Versace
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
A Versace Silk Scarf 90
Many options were considered
And here is when I knew I was I knew I hit the jackpot
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
This vintage Echo scarf, but after finding this one, I knew this would be the designer. The shading was nearly an exact style match, the style in general matched, plus the border size and style was the closest match out of any I had previously seen.
So I continued with my Vintage Echo Scarf Search
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
This vintage Echo scarf. It had the heavy gold Baroque detail I was looking for, but wasn’t an exact match.
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” is NOT
This Vintage Echo scarf. Although it’s also not a match, it’s actually the same motif as my first example, which gave me a lot of hope. This shows that they did multiple variations of this design and probably other variations very similar to it.
And FINALLY I Found the Scarf:
Mia’s Scarf from “The Princess Diaries” IS
This Vintage Echo scarf. It doesn’t have a name unfortunately, but I have finally found the match! It is a beautiful 90cm silk scarf featuring gold Baroque details with off-white and red details.
Below are a few additional photos from the listing where I found it on Poshmark.
