Lettie Briggs Co.'s Scarves Transcend Neckwear

The printed silk scarves of Lettie Briggs Co. are more than fashion accessories. Owner Monica Dorazewski sees the scarves as an alternative to traditional gifts. “I love the idea of giving someone a scarf for a new house or wedding instead of a greeting card,” she says. Her whimsy-infused illustrations feature scenes from traveling and nature — think a white scarf dotted with blue beach chairs or a navy scarf with a gold charm bracelet winding across it. Before relocating to Lakewood this year, Dorazewski cultivated her aesthetic while getting her degree in graphic design and illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design and working as a graphic designer and illustrator for Anthropologie in Philadelphia. “Sometimes people frame [the scarves] or put them on their bag,” says Dorazewski. “The percentage of people actually wearing them around their neck is low.”



Label Queen: Lettie Briggs is named after a character in a 1920s children’s mystery novel Dorazewski found while browsing old books for inspiration when naming her business. Picturing what the character would wear, she landed on scarves. “I thought, If this person were real, she would probably wear overalls and a bandana,” she says. “I just ran with that.”

Bittersweet Beginnings: Dorazewski was inspired to create Lettie Briggs after a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. She painted her friend’s pet cockatiel and printed it onto a head scarf. “She loved it,” says Dorazewski. “So I said, ‘What if I do a small collection and the proceeds can go to funding her wellness journey?’ That kind of snowballed it.”

Handmade Touch: All of Dorazewski’s 36-by-36-inch scarves and 13-by-13-inch pocket squares are printed on silk twill in Italy. She uses different techniques — watercolor painting, making collages, using painted tiles — before making a digital scan. “There are little imperfections that you wouldn’t otherwise get, which I love,” she says. “I tried a couple of digital designs and it was too clean.”

Stories in Silk: Several motifs recall her honeymoon on the beaches of Provincetown, Massachusetts, such as her sea glass scarf. “It’s sea glass and seashells that we found and they’re labeled with which beach we got it from,” she says.

Vintage Vibes: Dorazewski credits her time working at a Savannah antique shop as another source of inspiration. “Sometimes there’s an element in vintage patterns or rugs or textiles, or weird folk art or even a cool shape,” she says. “I’m like, How would that translate if it were a scarf?”