Starring the scarf, our winter sweet and soft darling… In winter, as we are not Elsa’s, ice queen, scarf is super important, even mandatory and this goes above any fashion consideration.Ideally, we all want to wrap ourselves in a soft maxi comfort scarf be super stylish. Issue is that most of the time we underestimate those « secondary » items in the risk of loosing all their great impact on our look. But a well chosen scarf will change everything… It will bring relief, light …. So how to ally super comfort and style ?
The scarf is a centerpiece in winter, as my mother would say if your neck is warm, so will you feet be and who says warm feet, happy winter!
Its role is to protect your neck from the winter cold. But if you’re like me, you might have a hard time getting rid of it in the morning and it might follow you all day long,
By our current fashion claiming for “effortless chic” style, the target is to combine comfort and style.
The maxi scarves wrapped and twisted like a soft and warm python around your neck or around your shoulders bring you the gentle and soft feeling to be in your cosy bed.
How to choose your scarf ?
The fabric
A scarf can be plain, very simple but give a lot of label to your outfit.
For that, you should not compromise on its quality. If there is any difference to state, the quality of the fabric would be the main one : cosy and luxurious look against a cheap look.
In winter, the scarves bloom in all the shops :
Fast-fashion stores are particularly good in following the fashion trends and offer very fashionable scarves, everything that anyone wants to have at the moment: surely you will be attracted.
Not only when you start to wash them in the first place, quite quickly after wearing them a few day, they will age badly by felting and/or pilling in a very pronounced way because of their acrylic fabric.
Pinterest*
Wool scarf Acne Studio
When your day pick up a scarf, make you sure your brain checks its composition.
A natural material will give a very qualitative side and will bring you a real thermal comfort.
You have a couple of options :
The woolen Scarf
I’d never mention it too much, be careful, there are different qualities of wool, from the cheapest to the highest quality.
A wool scarf can be a bit itchy, and who knows best than our sensitive neck skin that it can be quite unpleasant.
If wool is the fabric you would like, I say you should start with merino wool which is pleasant to wear or with a mixture of wools containing for example baby alpaca which is very soft as every baby.
If you don’t want a clothe brush in your handbag, avoid mohair wool (or worse angora) which will leave fibers on all your wool coats.
The cashmere scarf
The cashmere scarf is a safe bet. If it’s not for its natural property of warmth, it can be for its softness and suppleness.
Another positive point is that it gets more splendid cleaning after cleaning : that you know cashmere embellishes with wash, which is good news when you are trying to build a long-lasting wardrobe.
It will also bring a fluffy, cozy and luxurious feel to your style.
I do recommend cashmere : according to me this is absolutely a soft bomb fabric for scarfs.
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The shape of your scarf
The overall trend is oversize and scarf is not left behind in the current trend : whether it is a long scarf or a snood.
The snood
Some kind of mini skirt around your neck, it is particularly interesting because it fits well around the neck, does not risk to unravel or fly away!
If you choose it long enough, you can wear it in two ways :
- by making two or three turns around your neck and turning one of the turns into a hood
- by making two turns and letting one long turn hang down.
Snood Johnstons of Elgin
The scarf
Pay attention and follow your body shape when choosing a scarf:
- If you are short, choose a short scarf or wrap it around your neck several times.
- A long scarf could give the appearance to compact and « swallow » you.
- If you are tall, on the other hand, bet on something long
- If you are A, choose a long scarf that you can tie several times around your neck to recalibrate the volume on the top of your body and balance your overall silhouette
- If you are V or O, tie your scarf once around your neck and let the two sides hang down to bring some verticality to your outfit.
- If you’re an X, H or 8, hourra , all up to you , everything suits!
The color
To make it a long-lasting piece of your wardrobe, it’s better to move towards a scarf with neutrals colors so that you can easily combine it with any of your jackets or coats.
Just as a reminder , the neutrals are considered as being : ecru, beige, cream, chameleon, navy blue, burgundy, mottled gray, charcoal gray.
I would suggest to forget about … black unless you are devoted to rock looks. White I would say the same, not because of the same reason but only because it will create a too big contrast with the rest of your outfit whatever color you have for coats etc.
After those « statements » feel free to play with prints or plain.
If you are going for a print and this scarf is meant to last for many years, stick to a classic print (like check or tartan for example).
If neutrals don’t inspire you and you’d rather go for color, keep in mind that, since the scarf is meant to be worn close to your face, it can enhance it or on the contrary dig your features.
If you want to stray from the colors in your palette, just remember that :
- warm colors will make you look better if you are in the spring or fall color season,
- cool colors will make you look better if you are in the summer or winter colorimetric season.
Pinterest*
Fashion Jackson
Warm colors are those that contain a hint of yellow.
Cold colors are those that contain a hint of blue.
The same color can be hot or cold : a red for example can be hot (if it pulls on oranges like a vermilion red) or cold if it pulls on the bluish (cherry red for example).
Finally, avoid the recall of color on the bag, gloves or shoes that is not very current.
Prefer a scarf with a complementary color to your outfit or one that will complete a monochrome or cameo.
THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE
- How to choose your scarf: material, shape, length, size, color,
- Our favorite brands,
- How to wear your scarf well,
- How to combine colors in your outfit,
- Which scarf for which style,
- Pinterest inspirations: all the streetstyle outfit ideas to wear your scarves well!
Find this complete article in the wardrobe encyclopedia EBOOK “Everything you need to know about wardrobe items”.
*These are images for which the sources could not be identified on Pinterest.
Header picture credit:
My Theresa