Just as you’d never wear your leather bomber on the slopes or your puffy ski jacket to the office — unless you’re reading this in Montreal and it’s minus 30°C, in which case, carry on! — the right scarf needs to match your coat in colour, style and texture. Here are five scarves that will see you through every possible permutation of the season, no matter which part of the country you live in. All wrapped up and somewhere to go.
Sporty
Whether heli-boarding B.C.’s backcountry, tubing on Montreal’s Mount Royal or tobogganing in Toronto’s Riverdale Park, you need a scarf that’s warm, moisture-wicking and won’t pill from rubbing against your weekend stubble. The Icebreaker Mayfair scarf is made of 100 per cent New Zealand merino wool for durability and comfort. And for peace of mind, the eco-sensitive company’s innovative “Baacode” allows you to pinpoint the exact flock that produced your particular piece with just a few clicks on its website. $49.99
Work Week
A fine-gauge wool trench is the winter uniform of choice in the corporate world — except perhaps in Vancouver, where a regular rain trench is often protection enough from the elements. Either way, you’re sporting a crisp, tailored garment, one that requires an equally soigné and subtle accessory. Roots’ Parisian scarf is knit with super-soft baby alpaca yarn that lends itself well to the knot that bears its name. Simply fold the scarf in half, place it around your neck, put the loose end through the loop, and tighten. $78
Weekender
You may not want to risk leaving it at coat check, but Burberry’s Military Check scarf is the perfect pick-me-up for your club-hopping leather bomber when you’re looking to pick up on the weekend. Made of a combination of merino wool and cashmere, its slightly crinkled texture is playfully scruffy but impeccably stylish. $325
Politically Correct
The keffiyeh, a traditional, square, fringed Middle Eastern head covering, became a controversial fashion trend in the early 1990s, as it was also a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The scarf’s recent resurgence has since sparked outrage and boycotts in post-9/11 America. Three Vancouver-based designers are hoping to tone down the angry rhetoric with a decidedly Canadian re-invention, the Teh Scarf. In a bid to promote peace and tolerance, Israeli-born Noam Dehan and Iranian Canadians Hossein Irani and Mehrdad Kharejaki have replaced the scarf’s geometric designs with interlocking maple leafs. $25
Stylish
Few scarves are as iconic, tasteful and colourful as a signature stripe from British designer Paul Smith. Equally at home with a simple parka or a camel hair coat, the designs range from every possible colour in the rainbow to more muted stripes, depending on how sartorially adventurous the wearer wants to be. $160 – $175
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Image courtesy of Jeff Hubbard.
You can’t go wrong with a wool cashmere blend from Banana Republic or Club Monaco, either.