How to wear a scarf: twelve ways, by where you wear it

September 18, 2026 · 2 min read

Woman holding open a sage botanical silk square scarf by a window

One square, twelve places to put it. This guide is sorted by where the scarf ends up rather than by knot name, because that is how people actually decide in the morning.

On the neck

Sage botanical silk square worn as a neckerchief over a white shirt — On the neck: the neckerchief, a triangle at the front tied behind.

1. The simple knot

Rolled into a strip, tied off-center, tails tucked. The default. Works from 21 in (53 cm).

2. The Parisian

Folded in half, both ends pulled through the loop. Flat enough to sit under a shirt collar. From 27.5 in (70 cm).

3. The neckerchief

A triangle at the front, tied behind. Reads more relaxed than a knot. From 21 in (53 cm).

All three are in our step-by-step guide to tying a silk scarf, and the scarves themselves are in our silk neck scarves.

In the hair

Narrow silk scarf wrapped around a ponytail elastic and finished with a bow — In the hair: a narrow strip wrapped around the elastic, finished with a bow.

4. The headband

A narrow rolled strip tied on top of the head. The fastest way to get hair off your face.

5. The ponytail tie

Wrap a narrow strip twice around the elastic and finish with a small bow.

6. The bun wrap

Tie the strip around the base of a bun, ends left long.

Silk matters more here than anywhere else: it does not pull at the hair the way cotton does. More in silk scarves for hair, or browse the silk hair scarves.

On the head

Large sage botanical silk square worn as a head wrap and tied at the nape — On the head: a square folded to a triangle and tied at the nape.

7. The head wrap

A 35.5 in (90 cm) square folded to a triangle, tied at the nape or the crown. Full method in the silk head wrap, step by step; the scarves are in our silk head scarves.

8. The 1960s fold

Triangle over the crown, ends crossed under the chin and tied behind the neck.

9. The sleep wrap

A loose wrap that stays on until morning. See sleeping in a silk scarf.

On a bag

Silk scarf tied in a loose bow at the base of a cream leather bag handle — On a bag: tied once at the base of the handle and left as a loose bow.

10. The handle wrap

A skinny silk scarf or a narrow strip wound up a handle, each turn overlapping the last by half. It also protects the leather from hand oils.

11. The bow

Tied once at the base of the handle, left as a loose bow. Thirty seconds, and it changes the look of the bag.

Both are in how to tie a scarf on a bag.

On the body

Large silk shawl threaded through the belt loops of linen trousers and knotted at the hip — On the body: a shawl rolled long and knotted at the front hip.

12. The belt

A 51 in (130 cm) silk shawl rolled long, threaded through belt loops, knotted at the front hip. Needs the large size.

The one decision that matters

Nine of these twelve work on a 35.5 in (90 cm) square. Two need something narrow, one needs a 51 in (130 cm) shawl. A 21 in (53 cm) bandana covers seven of the twelve — the neck, the hair and the bag — and it is our most common size.

Our size guide draws each square to scale so you can judge the difference rather than guess at a number.

Seven of the twelve on one bandana. The 21 in (53 cm) size, our most common one. Printed silk, sizes in inches and centimeters. Shop silk bandanas.