A Gentleman’s Guide to Wearing a Scarf

For many men, it’s not until they see a colleague sporting a properly worn scarf that they realize just how much of a difference it can make to their look, versus their “wrap-the-scarf-around-your-neck” technique.  With that realization, their next thought is often: “just how do men wear scarves to look so sharp?”
If you – or someone you know (wink, wink!) – don’t quite know how to capture that stylish, manly scarf look, fear not. We’ve put together this guide just for you.

How to Wear Men’s Scarves

Straight off the top, we’re going to give you the secret key to fashionable scarf wearing. You don’t wrap a scarf around your neck, you tie a scarf using one of a variety of knots. Here are 3 of our favourite scarf knots so you can look great and survive the cold with a scarf.

• The Parisian Knot – Also known as the French or European knot, this one seems popular on Toronto’s streets. The Parisian looks great over a business suit. And it’s simple to do, especially if you have a long, oversized scarf. 
  • Fold the scarf once to half its length.
  • Wrap the scarf around your neck
  • Pull the loose ends through the loop you made when you folded the scarf
  • Tighten for comfort. 
• The Fake Knot – If you want to make people think you know way more about scarf knots than you do, the fake knot is your ticket. 
  • Drape the scarf loosely around your neck so that it hangs down your front with one side longer than the other
  • Make a loop about halfway down the longer side and knot it by passing the end of the longer side through the loop. Keep the loop loose.
  • With the longer side knotted, pass the shorter side through the loop in the knot.
  • Tighten for comfort. Now it looks like you spent hours knotting the two sides of the scarf together. But we know the truth! 
• The Ascot – Also known as the Overhand, it is perhaps the most stylish, and simple of all scarf knots. And it works well with any length of scarf.
  • Place the scarf around your neck so that it hangs evenly on both sides of your body.
  • Grab both ends of the scarf and loop them through each other, just like you do with shoelaces when you start tying them.
  • Twist the knot a little so that one length of the scarf falls in front of the other.
  • Spread and smooth out the facing length of scarf and tighten the knot for comfort.

If you’re looking for more tips on being fashionable this winter, these ones for women, check out “4 Ways to Style a Silk Dress this Winter”.