How to Wear a Scarf All Year-Round

Pulling off a scarf requires a certain nonchalance. Which is ironic, because the answer to the question “how to wear a scarf?” is a complicated one. The effect should be laissez-faire, easy-breezy—but getting to that look isn’t as simple as twirling some fabric around your neck and heading out the door. In fact, it’s hard to think of an accessory with equal power to be either outfit-making and outfit-breaking, and which side of the line you land on is all about the styling.

Not to mention: There’s a multitude of scarf options available—and the style you choose will also determine the way it’s worn. A demure silk scarf and a chunky knit convey very different messages; same goes for a wispy neckerchief or an oversized blanket scarf with fringe.

How to wear a silk scarf

Photographer and New York Times best-selling author Jamie Beck’s scarf preference usually bends towards the former: a classic square of printed silk. Her love for the style isn’t new, but it was reignited when she relocated to Provence from New York City several years ago. “I have this wonderful collection of scarves that used to spend more time in boxes than worn, until I moved to France,” she admits, noting that everyone in her adopted country—men and women alike—seems to wear a beautifully-tied scarf with ease. “It’s just built into the French way of life, like putting on your socks. The cultural influence changed me from someone who collected beautiful scarfs, to someone who takes pleasure in accessorizing with them.”

So much pleasure, in fact, that Beck has taken to cataloging her favorite techniques for tying a silk scarf via Instagram. And, she’s given them names that embody the vibes they exude—there’s the Chic Outlaw, the Bavarian Crown, and—naturally—The Hepburn. “A scarf adds elegance simply by the nature of wrapping a beautiful fabric around your body,” she notes. “It is a little piece of art and elevates you by wearing it, and by doing so, you present yourself in a manner beyond just being stylish, but also having a certain intelligence and control. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never seen someone behaving badly in a beautiful floral silk scarf.”

To that end, she leans towards more polished looks: “I really love folds and folds of silk scarves atop silk dresses. I think it makes you look like a flower,” she says. “I also adore the way a scarf looks in a clean, sleek, tie as a lining to a button up top.”

Still, Beck emphasizes that a scarf does not have to be precious: “It’s also just a fun, beautiful piece of fabric that you can drape around, like Josephine Bonaparte accompanied with her loose floral shawls in her portrait paintings,” she says. “There are a lot of women in the South of France that take a silk scarf tied just once around their shoulders, a style called a fichu, which has been worn like this in Provence since the 18th century.” Just drape it over your shoulders and tie it? Easy enough!