How to Wear a Scarf: Hair, Neck and Coat Styles

The easiest way to wear a scarf is to fold it into a long strip and use it as a headband, or loop it once around your neck and knot the ends loosely. Both take under a minute and work with a square silk scarf or a longer rectangular one.

Below are the ways to wear a scarf that I find most useful, starting with the hair (this post began as a hair scarf guide) and moving to the neck, the coat and the bag.

Section 01

How to wear a silk scarf on your head

A silk square is the most flexible hair scarf. Fold it corner to corner into a triangle, then roll or fold it into a strip about 2-3 inches wide. Silk is slippery, so a few bobby pins or a thin textured elastic underneath keep it from sliding.

The classic headband

Place the center of the strip at the nape or under your hair, bring the ends up over your head and tie a knot or small bow on top or at the side. Tuck the ends in for a clean line, or leave them out for a looser feel. It works with a sundress or jeans and a tee, and it suits short hair too.

The scarf around a ponytail

Tie the scarf around your hair tie and let the ends hang. A bold print reads best here, because the ponytail gives it a plain backdrop. The same trick works on a top knot: wrap the scarf around the base and tie it off.

The full head wrap

Use a large square or an oversized scarf. Fold it into a triangle, set the long edge at your hairline, cross the ends at the back of your head and bring them forward to knot at the front or side. It covers a bad hair day, and it also works over curls, since a larger scarf leaves room for the volume.

The braided scarf

Weave a long, narrow scarf into a braid as you go, leaving the ends free at the bottom. A patterned scarf shows up well against the braid's repeating texture.

Section 02

How to tie a scarf around your neck

These are the neck styles worth learning first. Each one changes how much scarf shows, so pick by how much volume you want near your face.

• Simple loop: fold the scarf in half, wrap it once around your neck and pull the ends through the loop. It is quick and keeps the front smooth.
• Loose knot: drape the scarf, then tie a single relaxed knot at the front or side.
• Tossed over the shoulder: wrap once and let one end fall behind you. It reads as casual and works with a lighter scarf.
• Neck tie or bandana: fold a square into a triangle, place it at the front and tie the ends at the back or side. A small silk square is best.

Section 03

How to wear a scarf with a coat

With a coat, let the scarf do one job: add color or texture at the collar. A thick knit pairs well with a smooth wool coat, because the contrast in surface makes both read more clearly. Tuck a long scarf inside the lapels for a tidy line, or leave it hanging in front over an open coat.

For a longer drape, wrap a big scarf around your shoulders and belt the coat over it. Through the lens of evidence-based design, I'd keep the scarf's color close to the coat's or clearly different, rather than almost matching, because near-misses look like a mistake to the eye.

Section 04

Other ways to wear a scarf

Tie a silk scarf to the handle of a bag for a small pop of print. Fasten a large square at one shoulder with a brooch to make a light wrap, or knot it at the hip over a swimsuit as a sarong.

If you like accessories in your hair, embellished headbands and hair ribbons follow similar rules for placement and balance.

Section 05

Choosing a fabric and size

Smaller scarves suit headbands and ponytails, and larger ones suit wraps and braids. Silk and satin are lightweight and look polished, while knits add warmth. Texture changes how a color reads: the same navy looks deeper in matte wool and brighter in silk, so choose the surface as carefully as the shade.

If you wear a scarf for cold-weather exercise, note that Texas A&M's Howdy Health advises avoiding cotton because it absorbs moisture and can keep it next to your skin, which makes you cold. For everyday wear that matters less, but choose wool or a synthetic blend for outdoor workouts.

Wash delicate scarves by hand and store them flat or rolled to avoid snags. For a bigger statement on dressed-up days, see how to choose hair accessories for special occasions.

Backstage Q&A

Frequently asked questions

Filed under Accessory Trends