The best way to personalize an outfit is with small styling tricks. You can do this by layering, combining necklaces, or even cuffing your sleeve. As I've written before, the summer heat makes personalizing outfits more challenging — you're almost certainly wearing fewer elements.
On the Fourth of July, which was unbelievably hot this year, I stood in front of my closet, pondering what to wear. I knew I would spend hours outside in the sticky heat and didn't want any unnecessary fabric. After a bit of trial and error, I spotted a silk sarong. I tied it around my body as a tube top and instantly had a personalized outfit light enough for the heat.
I have included many a scarf in previous editions of The Corner Booth, but I've never justified my love for them. The scarf's existence in an outfit depends on how you tie, coordinate, and wear it. Unlike a necklace, which is limited in how to wear it (though I did wear mine as a belt last week), a scarf requires styling.
I'm not going to go into all the ways to tie a scarf around your neck (there are plenty of those videos on Instagram), but I am going to show you the types of scarves ideal for the heat, plus some fun ways to wear them in the summer.
The Scarf-as-Top
The best thing about a scarf-as-top is that it works really well with all three of the Silhouettes in the Silhouette System™! It is pretty much a DIY tube top.
Ideally, the scarf is made of natural materials, so silk or cotton are great. Cotton is the most heat-appropriate (though it can be a bit sheer, so be aware of that!).
The Square Scarf
Scarf sizing is dependent on your bust. You generally want a square scarf so it makes a perfect triangle when folded in half. For reference, the ones I am wearing in all three Silhouette looks below (Left: Cypress, Middle: Evergreen, and Right: Palm) are 25-35 inches, which works well for me.
A scarf can elevate even the most casual bottoms (like boxers in the Palm look) and, depending on the scarf’s print, can also offer a completely different pattern based on how you fold it!
The Pareo
You can also wear a pareo or a pareu, like I am below. These scarves are referred to as sarongs. The pareo originated in French Polynesia, where they were traditionally made from materials like banana leaf or coconut fiber. Women commonly wore pareos as skirts (West Indies Wear).
Today, they are generally one-size-fits-all.
I find the scarf feels most secure when I wrap it around my body and tie it under my bust in the front. I also like that this technique adds texture in the folding of the fabric. And, if you want to wear a strapless bra, you can still do so with this styling because the back is pretty covered.
If you’re like me and you don’t own many “going out” tops, this styling technique works well, especially paired with a Palm-style bottom.
Start your collection:
I’ve never had issues with the scarf sliding down. However, you can use three pieces of double-sided tape at the top band of the scarf to ensure it doesn’t move. I’ve found this tape to be the best.
The Summer Neck Scarf
For minimal fabric, you want a small square scarf (anywhere from 15-30 inches), a "Twilly” (a long strip perfect for wearing around your neck), or a "Neckerchief." If small enough, you can, of course, use the same square scarf that you used for your top on your neck!
The square scarf should be folded in half to become a triangle, and then folded continually until it’s a narrow strip (like a Twilly). As fun as they are, I avoid getting into fancy tricks when styling my neck scarf in the summer. Tie the neckerchief’s ends in a knot. Wrap your folded square scarf around your neck with a little knot. Let the ends of the Twilly hang loose and tie a knot or bow at the bottom.
The key to summer neck scarves is the material. Light silk works well for summer nights in place of a necklace. But the best material for summer is light cotton. On super hot days, you can wet it with ice water or lodge a piece of ice inside the back of the neck. Trust me on this.
Start your collection:
You can also get experimental!
I also like to wear my scarves like a true sarong over a set or solid dress to break it up and make it more interesting. I string mine through my belt loops as a lighter alternative to a classic belt. Or, wear it in my hair to make a ponytail or headband more interesting.
The best thing about scarf styling is that there are no rules. My favorite! If you like how the scarf looks in your outfit and it keeps you cool (or as cool as possible), it will give you all you can ask of a summer outfit element.
Grab a scarf and get outside.
xo
Eliz