Nothing can jazz up a simple outfit like the perfect scarf. And now we’re into the chilly season, the creatively flipped or knotted scarf is more than a mere fashion accessory.
Even a filmy little nothing of a 50s-style chiffon scarf can keep those unpleasant drafts off your neck, while it’s pulling your look together. Ah, but how do you wear a scarf right — so the local fashionistas don’t point and laugh?
Solution: A quick instructional video that shows you how to wear a scarf 25 different ways…
Yes, twenty-five. Granted, an argument could be made that three or four of these “ways” are suspiciously similar, but that’s getting picky. Point is, there’s enough here to take you through a full month of work days, without ever once repeating exactly the same knot /flip /twist /loop / fling of your stylish-but-practical scarf.
There’s no reason to look like a frump while you’re staying cosy; no need to resort to single-knotting your knock-off Hermes like a kindergarten kid’s knitted scarf, for lack of scarf-styling inspiration — not with the unfairly gorgeous Wendy to give expert guidance!
Next item on the agenda,
stock up on fabulous scarves!
Ideally, you will want to lay in a selection of scarves in different weights — Wendy recommends “light chiffon for Spring and Summer, cashmere for Fall, and wool for Winter.”
I’d add silk to that mix: a gossamer wisp of chiffon or light-weight silk satin, in trendy patterns like the leopard print that Wendy shows; and a slightly heavier raw silk scarf, all slubby-textured and rustic, in a solid colour: rich jewel tones seem to flatter most faces and are a real mood-lifter in mid-winter. Silk fabrics drape beautifully and a silk scarf adds warmth to the back of your neck without adding bulk to make you feel bundled up.
Satin charmeuse, in either silk or a synthetic is always a good choice for a dressier lightweight scarf. You’ll find quite reasonable prices on some fabulous prints in a satin charmeuse scarf
too, from Old Masters artwork — think Monet, Degas, Van Gogh — to cool retro patterns, delicate Oriental-inspired prints, and tongue-in-cheek take-offs on the British horsey set.
If you want something of the heft of a featherweight wool but find your skin reacts to wool all up close and personal, a soft combed cotton or even a viscose scarf may fit the bill (though I find viscose gets limp after you have cleaned it a few times — your mileage may vary).
That said, one of my go-to favourite scarves is an ultra-fine wool Mexican rebozo in soft natural pastels I’m not normally drawn to, but couldn’t resist when I found it in a street market in Oaxaca.
Another scarf I wear often is a cobalt-blue length of heavy raw silk that I just cut to length and finished off with a hand-rolled hem (
It would have been prohibitively expensive to buy a scarf like that in a boutique, but as a DIY craft job, it took less than 10 bucks and maybe an hour or so.
So here’s a frugal little tip for ya — check the remnant bins at your local fabric shop. Especially just after prom and wedding dress season, you’ll often find all kinds of de luxe pieces on for a song, just waiting to be hemmed or fringed and made into a wonderful scarf… and you now know 25 ways to wear that scarf!
Photo credits: Silky Scarves by garryknight; Textiles by angela7dreams, on Flickr.