The Best Silk Scarves for Adding a Little Something Extra

The silk scarf might be the most underused accessory in men style. A small square of printed silk, tied at the neck, wrapped around the wrist, or tucked into a jacket pocket, adds color and visual interest to an outfit with almost no bulk or weight.

The standard men silk scarf is a square between 50 and 70 centimeters. Larger squares offer more tying options. For your first silk scarf, a 60cm square in a versatile print provides the most styling flexibility.

The hem is where you can see the money. A hand-rolled edge is folded and stitched by hand so the border sits slightly proud and rolls towards the printed face, and you can feel it between finger and thumb. A machine hem is flat and hard. Weight tells you as much: silk is measured in momme, and twill at 12 to 16 momme holds a knot, while 8 momme chiffon slides out of every one you tie.

Hermes is the gold standard and has been since they introduced the carre in 1937. Their men scarves feature proprietary silk twill printing that achieves color depth no competitor matches. At $400 to $500, they are an investment.

The printing is the other half of the cost. Hermes prints its silk in the Lyon area by screen, one screen per colour, with a complicated design running to dozens of screens registered by hand. That is why the colour sits dense on top of the cloth rather than sinking into it, and why the reverse is nearly as vivid as the front. Digitally printed silk looks correct in a photograph and washed out in daylight.

For a more accessible entry point, Drake of London produces handmade silk pocket squares and scarves in their London workshop. At $85 to $150, the prints are distinctive and the silk quality is excellent.

Wearing a silk scarf at the neck is the boldest move. The simplest method is a loose knot under an open shirt collar or tucked into a crewneck sweater. As a pocket square in a blazer, fold it loosely with peaks showing.

Silk is easy to ruin by accident. Never spray water on it, because droplets leave permanent rings in twill. Hand wash in cool water with a drop of mild detergent, do not wring it, and iron it on the reverse at the lowest setting through a cotton cloth while it is still slightly damp. Store it rolled around a tube or draped loosely rather than folded, since a crease set into twill is very hard to remove.

Color should complement your outfit without matching it exactly. A scarf in a complementary color creates visual interest. Browse Drake current silk scarf collection at https://www.drakes.com.

Buy vintage if you want the good stuff cheaply. A used carre in wearable condition runs $200 to $350 on eBay and Vestiaire against $400 or more new, and a scarf worn at the neck picks up almost no wear. Check the photographs for pulls in the twill and for fading along one fold line, which is what a decade of hanging in sunlight looks like.

A single silk scarf costs less than a decent shirt and transforms every outfit you pair it with. Buy one in a versatile print and discover why European men have treated scarves as essential for centuries.