When the closing credits roll in the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto dance with a cast of hundreds on a railroad-station platform. Pinto wears jeans, a simple white T-shirt and the accessory of the moment: a long, gauzy scarf.
Hers is yellow, splashed with gold medallions. The scarves, hanging or heaped in shops this spring, come in every shade and pattern — brights and neutrals, paisleys and zigzags, batiked and dip-dyed.
Priced from less than $10 to more than $1,000, they come fringed, embroidered or sequined.
And, yes, you read that right: “scarves” and “spring” in the same sentence. Even in warm climates.
These are not your fall/winter scarves, warm and woolly. These are the lightweight scarves that started showing up last summer, draped casually around the necks of the fashionistas who inhabit the pages of InStyle, People and Lucky magazines. Accessories that were quickly dubbed “summer scarves.” They promise to be the accessory this spring and summer, says Wendy Ricchi, owner of ZouZou boutique in Orlando, Fla.
“Worn with little dresses, they’re almost like necklaces,” she says. “They’re nonfunctional, just decorative.” “Scarves are hot,” says Mary Beth Fox, a spokeswoman for Bealls stores — referring to their trendiness, not temperature. So hot, in fact, that their sales associates have been trained to demonstrate for shoppers eight ways to tie their new scarves.
Whether you wear a scarf with a suit, T-shirt or sundress — the secret to the summer-scarf look is to make it appear casual and effortless.
The ways to wrap
How to wear your new spring scarf? Simply draped around your neck, ends flowing free, is the most basic style. But for variety, try any or all of these wraps
Swept away. Hold scarf flat and wrap it around the back like a shawl. Leave one end hanging down the front, the other draped across the chest and tossed over the shoulder.
Thread the needle. Fold scarf in half lengthwise. Drape around the neck, threading the ends through the loop formed at the fold. Wear with the knot in front, or at a shoulder with one end hanging down the front, the other down the back.
The sophisticate. Hold scarf flat and fold lengthwise. Hold at opposite ends. Tie each end together with a small knot behind the neck. Adjust the hanging corners in front to form a cowl.
The aviator. Drape scarf around the neck. Toss one end over the opposite shoulder. Adjust for comfort.
The knotical. Wrap scarf around the front of the neck, cross ends behind the neck, bring ends back to the front. Knot loosely, leaving ends hanging.
