Hundreds of people attended a vigil on Tuesday night for a Luxembourg City man’s scarf that went missing last week.
The scarf, a gray tasseled piece of wool that 40-year-old Antoine Kleptart bought in Brussels last December, was lost during a night out with friends in the city center on Friday.
“Scarf, you have been a loyal companion to me these last twelve months,” said Kleptart to the crowd as his voice broke. “I’ve worn you in good times and in bad times, in freezing winter months and on warm summer days when it was totally necessary.”
“You both protected and adorned me, making sure that my neck was warm and giving me that little touch of personal style that distinguished me from the average Josy Schmosy with nothing between his chin and shirt collar but his own skin,” he continued.
“You even kept your shape after I dropped you on the bus that one time and a toddler used you as a tissue, and I had to put you in the washing machine three times to get rid of the snot stains,” he added, breaking down into tears.
Bruno Cassoulet, a lawyer who attended the vigil with four scarf-loving colleagues, says that although none of them were personally acquainted with the scarf, they wanted to show their solidarity with Kleptart and other scarf aficionados.
“The loss of any functional fashion accessory is sad, but losing a scarf is a tragedy,” he said. “We stand with Antoine.”
Local songwriter Christian Albu, himself a professed and incurable scarf lover, says he was inspired to write a song to honor the life of the missing neck piece.
“Oh scarfy, scarfy, oh my scarfy, scarfy, scarfy, scarfy,” he sang while playing a guitar. “Baby scarfy, scarfy, scarfy, scarfy, yeah.”
While police continue to look for the scarf and ask the public to remain on the lookout, they say there is little chance that it will be found and returned to its rightful owner.
“There is a huge and extensive underground trade in high-quality neckwear,” says police spokesperson Marco Trausch. “For all we know, the scarf could already be in Rome or Rotterdam, in Porto or Potsdam, decorating the neck of some happy wearer who has no idea that the scarf was once loved by another man.”
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Originally published by RTL Today
