Inevitably, a closet clean-out with a client brings me to their scarf drawer. What should I do with all of these? is a question I’m often asked. And for all the scarf-around-the-waist banter of recent summers, I still find it to be a difficult trend to actually pull off successfully. For one, it constantly has to be readjusted. And while so many of you do it incredibly well, it can feel silly for those of us who trend slightly more conservative in style and skin coverage.
Don’t get me wrong, I live for a good beach pareo, but I wanted to tackle styling our drawers full of scarves for specifically NOT the beach, in ways that work for just about all of us – without feeling overdone, or fussy or too mature or too Gen Alpha.
So today we are trying something new. You will still see styling and outfit ideas as usual, but also a video for each because watching how to tie a scarf is much easier than reading about it. One caveat – Substack doesn’t allow you to watch videos in the email (begging them to change that, really annoying!) so you will have to click into the website (via the triangle on the videos) to watch them if you are interested…apologies in advance for not knowing how to video edit, can’t be an expert at everything!! 😆
The Classic Way To Tie A Scarf
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cécile Pesce, the creative director of women’s silks for Hermes. This woman’s full time job is dedicated to the scarf program at no doubt, the most famous scarf-maker in the world. A serious undertaking. So you could understand my surprise when I walked into the room and I found a smiling, wild-haired, impossibly coolly dressed woman in an oversized red poplin button down, zebra printed jeans and beat up Converse. She was incredible. I asked Cécile a bevy of questions but the most important one was: SO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY TIE A SCARF!?!?!
Her answer was straightforward, but also surprising. “You must start with the 90cm, the classic,” she says, when considering buying and experimenting with scarves at first.
She proceeded to demonstrate how to fold said silk scarf into a triangle, then grab each corner and wrap around the neck, with the triangle’s center point sitting diagonal. Then she loosely tied the knot over the triangle and said to layer the rest of your outfit as you like.
Video 1: a lesson on how to tie your scarf in the two most straightforward ways.
The styling note Cécile surprised me with, however, was to insist we start with color before anything else. “We start with color,” she explained. “I always say, color is the second language of silk.” What she meant was, that our emotional connection to the styling (and her connection to the design) starts in the color combinations – print comes second.
She designs five color stories for each season’s designs and loves to see them make their way into the world. “I love to see different people with different taste and choose the same thing,” she says.
Unfortunately, she would never dictate the way someone must wear a scarf – everyone has their own style sensibilities she insisted.
I would though. 🙂 That’s why you’re here!! So I studied what Cécile was wearing. The scarf she chose to pair with her outfit that day, and also the scarves I reached for when putting my outfits together.
Cécile was wearing a combination of red/black/white when I met her. And her scarf played on this color story – red/black/white/grey/green, in a similarly graphic design. This worked well for her! For me it might be too matchy matchy, actually. But I liked that this was a thoughtful play on color and pattern.
When choosing yours, think about what color combinations feel good to you. Lay out your outfit and put two or three different scarves down and see what color combination makes you relax. You might be saying, but I won’t get the gut sense of knowing!! This takes practice listening to yourself.
“People think they don’t know what they want,” Cécile says, “but really they do. They always buy the same thing.” What patterns do you notice in your shopping and dressing? What accent colors do you have in multiples? What color combos feel confidence boosting?
For me, the scarf felt best when it was being paired with casual separates and often in a mismatched way. Bolds paired with light colors or pastels with something more traditionally crisp and collegiate. It ensured I wasn’t creating a look that translated as stuffy or overly buttoned up. With a relaxed button down, or over a T-shirt. With a sweatshirt and field jacket. The contrast ended up providing the tension I’m always looking for to make the outfit feel just off-kilter enough to give a point of difference.
The Scarf For Work (Or a Blazer)
The scarf for work can quickly morph into flight attendant territory if you’re not careful. (No shade to flight attendants, you have the hardest job and do it in heels and a shift dress, we bow down!!!!!) But when you are keeping your feet squarely on the ground, I have found one superior way to wear your scarf.
Video 2: Layering your scarf under a jacket or cardigan for the office
Start with your same 90cm (or similarly sized) scarf, fold into a triangle. Roll said triangle loosely and then drape around your neck. THEN put your blazer on. I love the pop of color this gives between the knit underpinning and the jacket. It is a more relaxed look than putting it around the lapel of the jacket. It will also keep you warmer in the A/C and protect your jacket collar from sweat and makeup.
I’ve tried so many scenarios and twists and ties with clients and if you are not already a scarf person to start with, this is the best way to ease in. Anything too layered gets fussy and you should NOT mess with your clothes at work. We are more confident than that.
The Scarf As A Top
Certainly this will be the most wild way we are going to attempt to tie our scarves today. I am extremely not into the scarf as a halter top since it would require me to go braless. And also require me to fidget. If I’m going to wear my scarf as a top, it needs to feel as secure as an ACTUAL top.
Video 3: DIY securely fastened scarf top
To make this work, I took two scarves – one 70cm (brown) and one 80cm (pink) and tied them into square knots (right over left, left over right) at the top corners. You have to mess around a little bit to get them the width that you want on your shoulders. Once set, and the top is on your body, tie the hip corners loosely but not falling passed your upper hip bones. This will allow the top to blouse over.
I love the mix of bright pink and brown. But this could be done with two scarves in the same color family as well. The white decoration on both makes them feel like a story.
Once you’re set, think about what bra you are planning to wear with this. It will be seen, should you pair with a high waisted skirt or pants. I like a bright, solid bralette. The Fruit of the Loom from Amazon are my favorite. But if you want something a little nicer I understand. Araks to the rescue! Or Else for more support. Avoid a nude bra with this concept – it’s going to be seen, so no sense in trying to hide it. Make it subtly part of the outfit.
Though you could always put this over a slip dress, solving the side view thing altogether. I think I’ll preemptively make a dinner res for Saturday so I can do this.
The Scarf Shawl As A Skirt
This is for all those bigger shawls and pashminas and beach pareos – how to layer them for wearing around town. You could possibly use your beach pareo here, but we are discussing in this video how to wear your scarf/shawl as a skirt NOT at the beach which requires slightly more layering and forethought.
Video 4: The shawl as a skirt, layered over a slip
If you are not going to watch the video by this point in your morning – here is the recap: Take your slip skirt of choice, there are so many out there and I’m sure most of you have some version of this little thing by now, and put it on with your blouse or tank or polo, untucked.
I’m using an Hermes 140cm shawl but you can use any large, thin pashmina or pareo here. Fold your shawl over, the rectangle direction, almost halfway. Wrap and then tie in a square knot at one hip and voila. t
A second option is to wrap and then safety pin in place if a knot feels too bulky. Once the safety pin is in place, I like to belt at the waist to keep the whole thing secure and to make sure the scarf isn’t being held up by just a safety pin which can damage the fabric.
The Celine-ish Scarf
There is no brand doing the scarf as accessory to a complete outfit better than Celine right now. And yes, I recognize that this is an extremely specific superlative. But the brand has figured out how to work scarves into the runway styling without feeling forced. And the ideas they are presenting feel refreshingly universal. I’m thinking we need a winter scarves video letter come fall so we can talk about how Celine is layering them over coats, but in the meantime, I’m going to fawn for a minute here over how they use scarves almost as a train – floating behind trousers and lining trench coats.
Video 5: Recreating the way Celine shows scarves in their stores. Inspired by the scarves draped on scarves draped on scarves in their Spring 2026 runway show.
In the stores, Celine has scarves tied around the denim belt loops – recreating a concept that they used a bit more dramatically in the show. It hit a nerve when I went in to buy my boyfriend jeans earlier this summer.
It’s pretty simple really. Take your favorite jeans and t-shirt. Put them on. Take your scarf by the corner and loop it through your side belt loop, twist into a little knot and go about your day.
You don’t need to think about it again until bedtime. Unless you are sprinting to catch the subway and you don’t want your beautiful trailing silk to get caught in the door, in which case, grab and fuss as needed.
And then again, at the end of the day, we can always just tie our scarves around our necks and be on our way.
Cécile Pesce of Hermes (remember her from the top of this newsletter?) says she ALWAYS has a scarf in her bag. Make it your summer security blanket. Go on and just wear it!!
Hope you enjoyed this series of babbling. Who wants to be my video production intern?? Now taking applications.
Yours TRULY,
Becky
And one preemptive corrections. My videos are clearly off the cuff 🫠 but upon rewatching them, one thing I noticed:
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I called Cécile Pesce the artistic director of silks at Hermes. She is the creative director of women’s silks. Sorry Hermes!!
Ok signing off! Have a GREAT weekend.
