By Lauren Zazzara
Contributing Writer
Scarves are an autumn and winter essential. Having one snuggled around your neck to block out the biting air at St. Bonaventure can conserve a couple degrees of heat, and every degree matters. With lightweight and silkier scarves, there are many other ways to wear them other than around your neck, and using one of these alternative methods can add a new dimension to your outfit.
My favorite way to wear a scarf is as a headband. If your scarf is square-shaped, fold it in half into a triangle and then fold the triangle from the bottom to the point so that your scarf is in the shape of a long rectangle. If your scarf is already rectangle shaped, just keep folding it in half until it is thin enough to use. Then you can experiment with how you want to knot it. I like to take the two ends to the front of my head, twist them and then take the ends to the back of my head and knot them. You can also tie it in a knot or bow towards the side of your head. If you have extra ends left over, tuck them in so they aren’t noticeable.
You can also try covering your whole head with the scarf and making a turban. Without folding the scarf, wrap it around your head and make a knot at the front. Then take the ends and twist them around the back of your head, tucking the ends into the material at the sides of your head. Take the material from one side of your head and stretch it over the whole top of your hair so that it is all covered, then tuck it into the other side. Use bobby pins to hold it in place if needed.
A scarf can also work great as a shawl, especially if it is a wider scarf. Simply drape it over your shoulders. You can layer it over a jacket so you can’t tell that you are using a scarf, it is just an accent to your outfit.
Scarves can be a great alternative to belts. If you are wearing a solid-colored dress, try folding up a patterned scarf and tying it around your waist to add some interest. If you’re feeling daring, try pairing a patterned scarf with a dress of a different pattern to mix it up. Just make sure there are similar colors in both patterns to help them blend together.
Have fun with your scarves and use them in unexpected ways to stand out, especially now that we are in a season where everyone will be having them around their necks.
