How to Wear a Scarf: Knots, Colors, and Types of Scarves

It’s starting to get chilly and you’d like to wear a scarf while staying stylish? Are you looking for tips on how to choose a scarf that brightens up your face and enhances your features? Do you want to learn how to tie a scarf?

I'll help you out.

As a fashion enthusiast, I especially enjoy finding outfits that combine comfort with trendy style. This largely depends on the choice of accessories, like scarves, which need to be matched to your look, practical, and comfortable to wear.

Today, I’m sharing all my tips on how to find the scarf you’ll never want to take off this winter!

There are many types of scarves suitable for all seasons and styles. Among them, you'll find the snood, the classic scarf, and its oversized version for extra warmth, as well as the oriental styles made from fabric, like the keffieh and chèche. A scarf is an easy accessory to match, whether it’s with your hair, your eyes, or an element of your outfit. Be sure to choose a colour that compliments your skin tone. Light skin tones will shine with light and bright colours, while darker skin tones will look great with bold colours. Lastly, scarves pair beautifully with bohemian fashion. If that’s your style, go ahead and accessorise your winter outfits with lovely scarves, elegantly tied!

Want to find out more? Keep reading to discover:

• What are the different types of scarves to help you find the one that suits you,
• How to choose your scarf based on your skin tone, eye colour, and hair,
• Tips for finding the scarf that matches your personal style,
• Video tutorials on how to tie a scarf, whether you're a man or a woman.

What are the different types of scarves?

An iconic winter accessory, the scarf is perfect for keeping you warm and accentuating your face. To start off, let’s explore the main types of scarves, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and wardrobe.

The Traditional Scarf

This is an elongated piece of fabric, which is usually wool or cashmere. It is very warm and can be quite classic, or have patterns, or even fringes. It can be paired with a beanie and gloves, and it suits all styles and outfits, especially if you choose a solid colour.

Fabric scarf, like a Keffiyeh or Chèche

The Keffiyeh or Chèche: Scarves with Eastern Origins

Do you prefer wearing a fabric scarf? In that case, go for a keffiyeh or a checheh, scarves traditionally worn by men in the Eastern deserts to protect themselves from the sun and sandstorms. These are very lightweight, making them suitable for mid-season wear or layered under a wool scarf in winter to keep you warm.

Their ethnic side pairs beautifully with the bohemian style: it’s a lightweight and vibrant fabric that you can use to accessorise your bohemian dresses, for instance.

👉 Are you a fan of bohemian fashion? Check out our online store specially dedicated to this style!

Long Bohemian Dress

The snood, a warm and cozy circular scarf

This type of scarf, which has been quite trendy in recent years, is especially suitable for active individuals, athletes, and children. It is a neck wrap, which allows it to stay in place and not get in your way throughout the day.

Oversized Scarf or Shawl

When it gets chilly outside, we often find ourselves dreaming of curling up under a blanket at home. To recreate that cozy feeling, why not consider getting an oversized scarf? It's a large piece of fabric, either square or rectangular, that covers your shoulders and wraps around your neck. You can use it like a blanket over your shoulders, or double its thickness by folding it and wearing it like a classic scarf. The difference is that it will keep you even warmer from the cold.

👉 Similar to the keffieh and chèche, this type of scarf works perfectly for a winter bohemian style. Choose a colour and patterns that match your outfit and other accessories to achieve a trendy look, even when it’s really cold!

Oversized snood / scarf or shawl

How to choose a scarf that suits me well?

Like all clothes and accessories, there are some tips to know to make your scarf look great on you. Let's explore these tips together in the following lines!

By choosing one that matches your face shape

The scarf is an accessory that frames your face and can truly enhance your look. To achieve this, it's essential to choose a colour that complements you:

• to your skin tone,
• to your hair,
• as well as to your eyes.

If you have blonde and fine hair with fair skin, I recommend sticking to pastel shades. On the other hand, if you have a more tanned complexion and dark hair, you can pull off beautiful vibrant colours.

If you have any doubts, just go for a scarf that matches the colour of your eyes. It’ll create a lovely synergy that will definitely brighten up your look.

👉 Do you wear glasses? Instead of choosing your scarf based on your eye colour, you could also try matching it to the shade of your frames.

A scarf that complements your hairstyle

It's not just the colour of your hair that you need to consider. A scarf should be comfy to wear, easy to put on and take off. If you're wearing your hair down and it’s long or thick, I recommend going for a thinner scarf.

There are also anti-static sprays that you can find at craft stores and haberdasheries. Once sprayed on your fabrics, they prevent your hair from building up static electricity, so you won’t keep getting frizzy hair. Handy, right? 😉

A scarf that matches your style

Lastly, when you’re choosing a scarf, I’d recommend doing so with your wardrobe in mind. It's important to pick a material and a colour that goes well with as many of your clothes as possible. Neutral shades, such as navy blue, beige, cream, brown, burgundy, or charcoal grey, are perfect if you're unsure. They may not be the most original choices, but they have the undeniable advantage of being very easy to match with most styles and trends!

Make Your Scarf a Reminder of the Rest of Your Outfit

Another technique for matching a scarf is to choose one that is the same colour as one or more items in your outfit. This could be a beanie, shoes, or another piece of clothing. The trick to creating a nice contrast is to ensure that the clothing item that matches the scarf is not in direct contact with it. Instead of a jacket in the same shades, opt for a skirt, a pair of tights, or trousers. 😉

How to Tie a Scarf?

Have you found the perfect scarf to keep you warm this winter? There are countless ways to tie it, allowing you to add style to your outfit. Since a video explains how to make knots much better than a long text, I've prepared a small selection of video tutorials for you, which you can explore in the following paragraphs.

Being a Woman

If you're a woman, a stylishly tied scarf will be perfect for giving you flair. To achieve this, check out the many unique knot ideas by watching this video tutorial:

When You're a Man

The scarf is an accessory that can definitely be worn by gentlemen as well, to add a touch of class to a suit or any winter outfit. There are specific knots for this purpose, which you can learn about in the following video:

I hope this article has answered all your questions about scarves and how to choose and tie them. If you found these tips interesting, feel free to browse our bohemian blog for more simple tips on dressing stylishly for any occasion, no matter your taste! 😉