Sarah Jessica Parker Seals It: The Scarf Mask Is The A-List’s Face Covering Of Choice

The face mask has officially become the must-have (literally) accessory of 2020, but it looks like it’s got competition. Although we’re reluctant to turn a government-mandated necessity into a story about style, there is an aesthetically-pleasing alternative to a disposable face covering that’s been doing the rounds in the land of celebrity. It’s the scarf mask - and its poster-girl is Sarah Jessica Parker.

The actor has been wearing scarves across her nose and looped around her head for the past few months, demonstrating that 1) there is such a thing as a scarfdrobe and 2) it is always possible to turn lemons into lemonade.

On July 8, she wore a blue-and-red checked scarf to run errands, giving us a good look at her tying method. Fold your square scarf into a triangle, place the triangle’s base across your nose (so that the point is angled towards your neck) and tie the corners below your ears so that your cheekbones aren’t completely obscured. Fail to follow the last point and you might resemble a bank robber and, as SJP demonstrates, a pair of bug-eyed sunglasses might also help keep it in place.

She’s also worn a flippy white sundress with a turquoise bandana while out and about, and has paired a chocolate brown patterned design with a swooping black maxi dress, proving that the scarf mask ticks both the smart and casual boxes.

Of course, she’s not the scarf mask’s only advocate. Plenty of column inches have been devoted to the colour-coordinating trouser suits and scarf masks of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Sienna Miller has also been spotted wearing the ultimate outfit of summer 2020 (tank top + big pants + scarf) in New York, while both Olivia Palermo and Amber Heard have scarfdrobes to rival SJP’s. And here is a top tip for people worried about the effectiveness of wearing a scarf: follow Olivia Palermo's lead and simply wear a face mask underneath (see the telltale white loops around her ears). Sorted.

READ MORE: Where Can You Buy Stylish, Reusable Face Masks Now That They're Mandatory In Shops?