There are few accessories that could so succinctly say ‘2015’ quite like the skinny scarf. Since hitting the runways of Prada for autumn/winter 2014, it has since become a byword for retro, a replacement for jewellery and a natty way to accessorise effortlessly. It has adorned chic necks far and wide: from catwalk to sidewalk and back again. Carine Roitfeld is rarely seen without a slip of black silk knotted around her neck (in fact, you'll find the perfect little foulards in her Uniqlo collaboration out soon) and the street style circuit would be chilly around the gills if this go-to piece were to slip off the fashion radar.
There are myriad ways to wear one – and, breathe easy, there’s no PHD in neck-tie-tying required here. Pussy-bow it. Reverse it like a choker with the lengths of ribbon fluttering behind you. Wear one slipped through a buttoned up tuxedo and nothing else underneath. Sassy. Loop it around and leave two long strands front-facing to match a long-line coat or jacket. Pin on a brooch for extra nana-ness. Add one to a shirt or blouse for a bookish look. Find a chunkier version to pop on with a crew neck knit and you basically have yourself a makeshift rollneck. Get bored of it looped around your 'gregory peck' and tie it into a ponytail or a waist-belt. If you’ve run out of all other ideas: knot it across your head and pretend you’re at Woodstock...
Versatile? Obviously. Cheap? Most of the time. Especially if you just get on the DIY track with a strip of any ol’ chiffon. Of course, there are ready-made skinny scarves available at every price point for anyone short of a Blue Peter moment: our favourites come courtesy of Rockins (Kate Moss and Co. agree with us here), ASOS (especially for a plain black strip), Haider Ackermann (for that extra-luxurious aristo gent vibe), Free People (they look authentically vintage) and Topshop (we’re well into the beaded one to wear with a party dress).