Gifts
Silk Gifts for Art Lovers Under $250 (2026): 15 Scarves and Pocket Squares by Named Artists
Fifteen silk scarves and pocket squares by named artists, $28 to $245 (£45 to £180), with sizes, returns and the date to order by for Christmas.
Which silk gift suits them?
3 questions, 15 seconds.
Question 1 of 3
Who is it for?
Question 2 of 3
What kind of art do they love?
Question 3 of 3
What's your budget?
Your answer
A living artist's own square
A new design that exists only as silk: Karen Mabon ($164), Jessie Zhao ($149), Tate's scarf by Hew Locke (£170) or Aubrey Kurlansky's 90 cm squares (from $219, £169), printed on both sides with hand-rolled hems. Aubrey Kurlansky's are limited editions, made to order and finished by hand: order by 3 December for Christmas.
See Aubrey Kurlansky's squaresYour answer
A museum scarf
A painting they love, on silk: Van Gogh from the Art Institute of Chicago ($175), Matisse from MoMA ($200) or Barbara Rae from the Royal Academy (£95). If you'd rather give an original design, Aubrey Kurlansky's 90 cm squares are from $219.
Or see an artist's originalYour answer
An art pocket square for him
Turner from Rampley & Co ($145, £95), Monet from the Met ($28), or Aubrey Kurlansky's 42 cm silk twill pocket square ($59, £55).
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The best silk gift for an art lover under $250 is a scarf or pocket square printed with a named artist’s work, from the artist’s own label or a museum shop. We checked 15 of them on their sellers’ own pages on 17 October 2026: scarves from $125 to $245 (£95 to £180) and pocket squares from $28 to $145 (£45 to £95), each with its size, its returns policy and the last date to order for Christmas.
The art-lover gift guides that rank on Google skip silk almost entirely. Their “wearable art” slot holds T-shirts and socks. Before you choose, ask whether the person makes art or visits museums, and what you want to spend. This guide answers both: it’s all wearable art, and it’s all under $250.
Same money, a whole artwork
At Louis Vuitton, $240 buys a silk bandeau 120 cm long and 8 cm wide, printed with the house monogram. That’s about $2,542 per square metre of silk. For the same money, or less, every scarf below is a full square or more of an artist’s design: $124 to $473 per square metre.
A logo bandeau costs about $2,542 per square metre of silk. A named artist’s silk square costs $124 to $473.
That isn’t a judgement on the bandeau; it’s what the gift is. One is a small piece of a famous name. The other is a whole picture someone made, in silk, that can be worn or framed.
The short answer
The Kanso Collective sells Aubrey Kurlansky’s scarves and pocket squares, and he is one of its co-founders. Every other price, size and policy below is from the seller’s own site, checked 17 October 2026.
| Gift | Artist | US | UK | Size | Ships to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Shop scarf | Hew Locke | £28 delivery | £170 | 90 cm | US, UK |
| MoMA Design Store scarf | Henri Matisse | $200 | – | 65 cm | US (others not checked) |
| Kehinde Wiley Shop scarf | Kehinde Wiley | $245 ($175 on sale) | £187 (£134 on sale) | 91 cm | US, UK |
| Aubrey Kurlansky square | Aubrey Kurlansky | $219 | £169 | 90 cm | US, UK, worldwide |
| Karen Mabon scarf | Karen Mabon | $164 | £120 | 90 cm | US, UK |
| Silken Favours scarf | Vicki Murdoch | $245 | £180 | 90 cm | US, UK |
| Royal Academy Shop scarf | Barbara Rae | – | £95 (was £125) | 90 cm | UK (others at checkout) |
| NMWA Shop scarf | Judy Chicago | $150 | – | 110 cm | US |
| Art Institute of Chicago scarf | Vincent van Gogh | $175 | – | 84 × 109 cm | US, international |
| Jessie Zhao scarf | Jessie Zhao | $149 | £114 | 89 cm | US, UK |
| Matty Miller scarf | Matty Miller | $125 | – | 89 cm | US |
| Rampley & Co pocket square | J.M.W. Turner | $145 | £95 | 42 cm | US, UK |
| Met Store pocket square | Claude Monet | $28 | – | 32 cm | US |
| National Portrait Gallery pocket square | Luke Edward Hall | – | £45 | 38 cm | UK |
| Aubrey Kurlansky pocket square | Aubrey Kurlansky | $59 | £55 | 42 cm | US, UK, worldwide |
”–” means the seller doesn’t show a price in that currency. Sizes in inches on the seller’s page are converted by us.
Scarves for her
A living artist, for a museum: Hew Locke at Tate
Tate commissioned The Bugler from Hew Locke as “a design by the artist … created especially for Tate Shop”: “a large, 90 x 90 cm square of pure silk with hand-rolled edges”, £170. It ships to the US for £28, and Tate takes free returns within 30 days. The pick for someone who follows contemporary art.
Matisse, made by a French scarf house: MoMA
MoMA’s Henri Matisse Four Seasons scarf is “a collaborative effort between luxury scarf maker Petrusse and Maison Matisse”, taken from Matisse’s paper cut-outs: “100% 14MM silk twill, hand-rolled and hand-stitched”, $200 for 65 cm (25.6 in). It’s the smallest square here, so it suits the neck and hair more than the shoulders. Priced in US dollars, with 90-day returns.
A painter’s portrait, printed both sides: Kehinde Wiley
The Kehinde Wiley Shop prints his Equestrian Portrait of the Count-Duke Olivares (2005) on Italian silk twill, both sides, 91 cm, made in Italy. It’s $245, on sale at $175 when we checked. Worth knowing: the shop says “all sales on merchandise is final”, so there are no returns.
An original design by a Bangkok artist: Aubrey Kurlansky
Aubrey Kurlansky is a Bangkok artist who spent years designing interiors for luxury hotels in Singapore and Bangkok. Each design starts as his own drawing, photograph or digital artwork, and his signature is printed in it. His 90 cm squares are from $219 (£169): 18 momme silk twill woven in China, printed on both sides, with hand-rolled hems. Each is a limited edition, never mass produced: made to order in collaboration with the artist and finished by hand, and it reaches the US in 2 to 3 weeks; returns within 14 days. A 70 cm square is $155 (£125).
Illustration from London, made in Como: Karen Mabon
Karen Mabon’s scarf is “original artwork by Karen Mabon, designed in London”, 90 cm, hand-rolled and “made in Como, Italy”, $164 (£120). Her store tags it as a pre-order, so order early and check the date at checkout. Returns within 14 days.
Made in Britain: Silken Favours
Vicki Murdoch’s Silken Favours says “each design begins as an original illustration”; this one is 90 cm silk crepe de chine, “made in Britain”, $245 (£180). Returns within 14 days of dispatch.
For a UK art lover: Barbara Rae at the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy Shop prints Barbara Rae’s Dark Signs on 90 cm silk “finished with hand-rolled edges”, made in the UK, £95 (reduced from £125 when we checked). UK delivery; 28-day returns.
For a US art lover: Judy Chicago at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
The NMWA Shop sells Through the Flower, made “in collaboration with Judy Chicago”, 110 cm, 100% silk, $150. It ships within the continental US only; 30-day returns.
Van Gogh, large and rectangular: Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute’s The Poet’s Garden scarf is “developed from Vincent van Gogh’s The Poet’s Garden, 1888, from The Art Institute of Chicago’s collection”: 100% silk, 84 × 109 cm (33 × 43 in), $175. It ships internationally, but its stated international delivery is slow, so UK buyers have already missed Christmas. 90-day returns.
Double-sided, under $150: Jessie Zhao
Every Jessie Zhao print is “original and hand-illustrated”, from the label the designer Jessie Zhao founded in 2018: this one is double-sided, 89 cm, hand-rolled, $149 (£114). Returns within 14 days.
Straight from the artist: Matty Miller
The Denver artist Matty Miller sells these scarves directly: “100% 14mm silk twill with hand rolled hem”, $125 for the 89 cm (35 in) size. The studio doesn’t take returns (“message me with any color concerns prior to purchasing”), so ask before you buy.
Pocket squares for him
- Rampley & Co, $145 (£95): Turner’s The Grand Canal, Venice, 42 cm, hand-rolled, printed in Macclesfield, England. Free returns within 90 days.
- The Met Store, $28: Monet’s Morning on the Seine, 32 cm (12.5 in), 100% silk twill, made in the USA. US delivery; 90-day returns.
- National Portrait Gallery Shop, £45: a design by Luke Edward Hall for the gallery, 38 cm, 100% silk. UK delivery; 30-day returns.
- Aubrey Kurlansky, $59 (£55): Golden Screen Against the Sea, 42 cm, 18 momme silk twill. 2 to 3 weeks to the US; 14-day returns.
For more, with sizes and prices side by side, see our guide to 20 artists’ pocket squares.
Order-by dates for Christmas
Our estimate of the last day to order for delivery by 24 December, from each seller’s longest stated delivery time, counting weekdays. Check at checkout: sellers change their cut-offs in December.
| Gift | Order by (US) | Order by (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Tate, Hew Locke | 26 November | 3 December |
| Aubrey Kurlansky, every piece (made to order) | 3 December | 3 December |
| Karen Mabon | 9 December | 11 December |
| Jessie Zhao | 9 December | – |
| Art Institute of Chicago | 10 December | already missed |
| Royal Academy | – | 10 December |
| Silken Favours | 10 December | 22 December |
| The Met Store | 14 December | – |
| MoMA, Matisse | 15 December | – |
| National Portrait Gallery | – | 15 December |
| Rampley & Co | 17 December | 17 December |
Kehinde Wiley, Matty Miller and the NMWA Shop don’t publish delivery times we could turn into a date.
Museum reproduction or living artist?
Most museum-shop scarves reproduce a work in the collection: Van Gogh at the Art Institute, Monet at the Met. They’re well made and carry a name everyone knows, and the money supports the museum. A living artist’s own scarf, or a commission like Tate’s from Hew Locke, is a new work that exists only as silk. For someone who already owns the museum’s catalogue, the second is the rarer gift; for someone who loves one painting, the first is the right one. For a longer list at every price, see our 25 artist-designed silk scarves.
FAQ
What is a good silk gift for an art lover? A silk scarf or pocket square printed with a named artist’s work. Living artists’ own labels (Karen Mabon, Jessie Zhao, Aubrey Kurlansky) and museum shops (Tate, MoMA, the Met, the Royal Academy) sell them from $28 to $245, checked 17 October 2026.
How much should I spend on a silk scarf gift? A silk scarf by a named artist costs about $125 to $245 (£95 to £180) on the sellers’ own sites, and most of the ones we checked are squares of about 90 cm. Pocket squares cost less: $28 to $145 (£45 to £95).
When should I order a scarf for Christmas? Most sellers here need an order by early to mid December for delivery by 24 December. Tate’s scarf needs ordering by 26 November to the US, and Aubrey Kurlansky’s pieces, which are made to order and take 2 to 3 weeks, by 3 December. Check each seller’s checkout for its cut-off.
Is a silk pocket square a good gift for a man who loves art? Yes. Rampley & Co prints paintings by Turner and Constable on 42 cm silk ($145, £95), the Met Store sells a Monet pocket square for $28, and Aubrey Kurlansky’s is $59 (£55).
Can you return a silk scarf bought as a gift? It depends on the seller: Tate, the Met, MoMA and Rampley & Co allow 30 to 90 days, most artist labels 14 days, and the Kehinde Wiley Shop and Matty Miller take no returns. Check before you buy.
Which artist scarves ship to the UK? Tate, the Royal Academy, the National Portrait Gallery, Karen Mabon, Silken Favours, Jessie Zhao, Rampley & Co, the Kehinde Wiley Shop and Aubrey Kurlansky all show UK prices or UK delivery on their own sites.
What size silk scarf makes the best gift? A 90 cm (35 in) square is the classic size and the most versatile: it ties at the neck, in the hair and over the shoulders, and it frames well. A 65 or 70 cm square suits someone who wears scarves mostly at the neck.
Is a museum scarf a real artwork? Usually it’s a reproduction of a work in the museum’s collection, printed on silk. Some museum shops commission new designs from living artists, like Tate’s scarf by Hew Locke.
Sources
Every price, size and policy is from the seller’s own page, linked above, checked 17 October 2026. Louis Vuitton bandeau: us.louisvuitton.com ($240, 47.2 × 3.1 in). Per-square-metre figures and inch conversions are our arithmetic. Order-by dates are our estimate from each seller’s stated delivery times.