Urbane Kitsch

Back in the old days it was worn by aristocrats at that fashionable horse-racing spot known as Ascot.

Today, the ascot is taking a hipper twist thanks to designer Jonathan Meizler, half of the JonValdi design team that includes German Valdivia.

Here, Meizler’s creation--in solids and prints, in silk, cotton and nylon--is worn loosely under a shirt, “like an interior scarf.” He prefers to see the accessory, ranging in price from $80 to $125, “flipped over once, almost worn like a cravat.”

“A younger guy would wear this,” Meizler says. “It’s probably not an office look. It’s an after-hours look, a clubby look. It’s sophisticated kitsch.”

JonValdi is located at 8111 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles.