Five Ways to Tie a Baroque Scarf

A scarf that only goes round your neck is a scarf doing a third of its job. Five ways to wear one, starting with the easiest.

One

The classic knot

Fold the square corner to corner into a triangle, then roll it loosely from the long edge toward the point. Tie at the side of the neck rather than the front, which keeps it from looking like a uniform. Leave the ends uneven. Perfect symmetry is the enemy here.

Two

The headscarf

This is what a 90 x 90 is really for, and it rewards a little technique. Fold corner to corner, but not exactly: take the fold slightly off the diagonal so one layer sits a touch shorter than the other. That small offset is what stops the back point looking flat.

Turn the long folded edge down on itself a couple of times to make a band across the front. Lay it over the crown with the triangle falling at the back, and tie underneath at the nape. For height, a foam shape worn underneath lifts the crown and gives the whole thing a shape to hold. Any corner can be the back point, which is worth knowing when you have a favourite part of a design and want it showing.

Three

The bag wrap

A smaller square knotted around a handbag handle, ends left to hang. It ties an outfit together without asking anything of you, and it is the one arrangement that works while you are carrying shopping in the other hand.

Four

The long loop

For the wool pieces. Drape it around the neck, loop once, and let the ends fall at different lengths. No knot at all. The weight of the wool does the work, and it stays put better than it has any right to.

Five

The shoulder drape

Fold in half, lay it across the shoulders, and leave it alone. No tying, no tucking. It is the least technical of the five and often the most effective, because it puts the whole design on show at once. Best saved for the pieces you actually want looked at.

Tied yours a way that is not here? Tell us