3 Tips for Buying the Perfect Scarf

Section: Building Your Wardrobe - Blog

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With Winter well and truly here, we’ve decided to take a look at one of the most underrated of men’s accessories, the scarf. If you are still wearing the knitted effort your Auntie Madge gave you on your twelfth birthday, then we applaud you, sir. But, if you want to complete that custom tailored look then you should probably take heed of the advice laid out below.

Choose the right fabric

This can be a very personal decision as some people don’t like the feel of certain fabrics. But other than your itchy neck, the most important thing to consider here is the climate. The idea behind the scarf is to keep you warm so choose a fabric that will keep you snug but not make you sweat. For example, a Sydney Winter is considerably milder than a London one, and so a lighter weave of scarf that isn’t too bulky would suit a cold day in the CBD.

The most common fabrics are

• Wool
• Angora
• Cashmere
• Silk
• Cotton
• Linen
• Synthetic Materials

Ideally, we would go with wool or cashmere for keeping yourself toasty and save the silk for formal occasions. Linen would be considered a summer scarf worn by many purely as an affectation and the less said about scarves made with synthetic materials, the better.

Choose the length wisely

Just like you would choose a longer length jacket for a taller build so too would you choose scarf length proportionate to your height. A shorter man might find himself looking a little lost in the knots of an overly long scarf so from a style perspective this is a crucial choice.

Most scarves are between 50 and 90 inches in length, so you’ve got a lot of room to play with here. For shorter frames if an untied scarf hangs to just below your waist then that’s about right and has the advantage of adding height.

The width is usually between 6 and 14 inches and once again this should be carefully aligned with your body shape. A scarf that is too narrow will make a large build seem even larger while wide scarves take over a slimmer man’s chest area. So the wider the man, the wider the scarf.

Choose Colours in tune with your everyday look

Now there’s no rule that states that a man may only have one scarf in his wardrobe so we encourage you to purchase a few that will match your various outfits.

• Dark or subtle colours for work
• Vibrant colours for casual wear
• Patterns for hipsters

Okay, so we made the last one up. Patterns such as stripes are great but make sure that they aren’t overpowering or become the focal point of your look, and because they are going to be taken off at some point, there’s always the danger that your outfit will look a little flat without them.

Now while these are basic tips, you get the idea that a scarf is essentially an accessory that keeps you warm yet there’s nothing to say that it shouldn’t look good. Once you have your scarf collection started, it’s time to learn how to tie those luxurious cashmere, and woolen accessories so watch out for our post next week onHow to Tie a Scarf Six Different Ways.

And remember if you have any questions on any of the information posted here, then pop into the showroom for a chat, we’re great listeners.