Men and Women’s Fashion Accessory: The Scarf

November 28, 2007 | Filed Under Fashion Tips

Scarves are easily one of my favorite fashion accessories - for both women and men. Like anything else, scarves have a wide range of prices from expensive, to very inexpensive, and they can be worn to keep you warm, with a coat, or completely separately, to add some color, or just to look nice. Scarves are quickly becoming an important fashion accessory for men and women alike. They have been worn for centuries, in all different countries, in all different styles, for all different reasons. Amazing that they’re still hot now.

The rule for wearing scarves:

It should compliment the rest of what you’re wearing, but it doesn’t need to match exactly. I once bought a matching shirt and scarf combination. It was a bad, bad idea - I looked like I was trying to be a chameleon. Fortunately, they can be worn separately.

Instead, it’s better to use a scarf to accent certain colors. For instance, this $98 green men’s scarf can be worn with a green shirt in a different shade, or to emphasize green stripes or pattern in another shirt.

Scarves can also serve to add color to something that might not otherwise have much of it. This $20 pink and women’s scarf is nice because the dual colors give it a different look and feel, which could look great with white, black, brown, and even some shades of gray. Men’s scarves can also have more than one color, and that is actually very trendy.

Here are two of several ways for women to wear them as accessories:

The long tie: For this, you need a rectangular scarf, and then, you put it around your neck, with one end hanging down longer than the other. Then, tie the longer end in a not around the shorter, and pull the short end until you have it the length you want. This is a soft, feminine look appropriate for almost any occasion.
The double flip: Probably the easiest, and still very classy. Again, with a rectangular scarf, put it around your neck, with one end hanging down further than the other, and wrap the other end around your neck a second time, and simply let it hang down. Like in this picture.

Here are two of several ways for men to wear scarves as accessories:

Wrap it around your neck, and leave one end around you shoulder (or you can bring it forward like in the woman’s option).
The Italian Loop: Fold the rectangular scarf in half, and put it around your neck, pulling the loose ends through the loop, and tighten it as you like. This is elegant and warm, and very European.