Wearing a Scarf

How should a man wear a scarf? There are several ways, and most of them work whether the scarf is paired with an overcoat or just an odd jacket.

Which is a reason to point out that scarves look great without overcoats. Tied like an ascot around the neck (like the men in the illustration) and worn over a sweater or a shirt, a scarf fills the front of the jacket and keeps the wearer warm. I like them paired with tweed on weekends instead of a necktie.

Of course, some men don't go to the trouble of tieing their scarves when they're wearing an overcoat. Scarves can be worn without a knot, where the ends just frame the opening of the coat, exposing the necktie. It's a nice look so long as the overcoat holds the scarf in place, and so long as the winter wind isn't whistling into the wearer's shirt.

A step beyond the open scarf is the continental approach. Just fold the scarf in half, place it around the neck and pull the two ends through the open loop.