Unlike their wintry counterparts, summer scarves are a lighter, brighter and more versatile accessory.
“You can do so much more with your summer scarf,” says Holt Renfrew fashion buyer Shelly Wertheim. “There are so many different weights and fabrications. It gives you an opportunity to play with colours and prints and embellishments, and you can easily take them from day to night.”
But once you get that gorgeous gingham print home, what on earth do you do with it? Here are five ways to take your summer scarf from simply square to sensational.
Colour Shock
Much like shoes and bags, scarves can give your look an unconventional pop of colour. By pairing your cute little sundress with a splash of bright pink, green, red, or even orange, you can make a bold statement without taking a huge fashion risk. Try playing bright colours off each other; mixing hues that would otherwise stay on opposite ends of the closet.
Garden Party
Be the fairest flower in the garden by draping yourself in a long, sheer, chiffon scarf. Start by lightly bunching the material and throwing the scarf backward around your neck, so the ends fall down your back. Pull the ends forward over your shoulders so they drape down your chest. Then gently loosen the loop around your neck.
Work & Play
Who says you need to remove your outerwear at the office? “The summer scarf is always more fashion over function,” says Wertheim. “You wear your winter scarf to keep warm, and then take it off inside. But the summer scarf is really part of your wardrobe all day.” Try wrapping a silk neckerchief in a thick loop around your neck a few times over, so that your neck fully swathed.
Euro Chic
Look like you’ve been abruptly beamed in from the French Riviera by tying your scarf firmly around the neck. For added effect, nonchalantly toss one end behind your shoulder for that wind-whipped I’m-on-a-boat look, and maintain a perpetually startled expression as though you can’t figure out how you suddenly ended up on the streets of Toronto.
Night Moves
Going home to change after work is a waste of precious cocktail time. Take off your jacket and wrap your scarf around your shoulders like a stylish shawl. The lighter fabric won’t look too overpowering, but will still keep you warm if the night gets chilly.
