Sonya, the owner of dog&boy in Melbourne, tells stories through design. Having worn scarves all her adult life, Sonya left a corporate career behind to spend her days creating timeless scarf designs. A genuine scarf expert, there is no one more qualified to show us the many ways to wear an autumn scarf.
With 6 different styles, Sonya is here to help us look fabulous through the cooler seasons. Each video will walk you through a new scarf style, step by step while Sonya explains exactly how to wrap, fasten, tie, and drape your scarf.
It’s a great idea to tailor your preferred fabric weight to the temperature each day. Lighter fabrics can be bunched for extra warmth and soft wools are perfect for keeping you cosy on chillier outings. The great news is that these scarf styles can be adapted to any scarf material and worn year-round.
We recommend you grab a scarf from the drawer to act out these videos as you watch them. Press pause and skip back and forth through the video as you need, to get your scarf style ‘just so’. With a few practises, you will have a few new scarf styles to add to your repertoire. Sonya uses large square scarves, but these styles can often be adapted to different scarf shapes and styles with a little ingenuity.
This is a great way to transform an outfit from day to day – as well as add colour. If you’d like to wear a splash of colour without investing in a new wardrobe of clothes, simply add a scarf. We tend to wear layers in muted tones for the cooler seasons, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Adding a colourful scarf can give life and colour that will lift any outfit.
Enjoying cosy pleasures and capturing moments of comfort and fun are what autumn and winter are all about. Playing with different scarf styles certainly hits this mark. If your living room or bedroom is littered with colourful scarves by the time you’ve finished this video series – you’ve done it right.
Scarf Style 1: The voluminous layers
Sonya begins by folding a square scarf into a triangle shape. She then wraps the scarf around the shoulders of Ryman’s Nellie Melba Village resident Noel. Sonya is careful to cover only one shoulder and position the triangle point on the front of Noel’s body. This gives the scarf style an asymmetrical, off-centre look.
Sonya then wraps the scarf tails around the neck, back to the front. But there’s a trick – she tucks one of the tails underneath the main scarf, pulling through only a loop toward Noel’s neck. Sonya then pulls the remaining tail through the loop and fluffs the final tail for a voluminous finish.
This is a great way to play with different colours and shades in your scarves. When a patterned scarf is looped and threaded through, you’re sure to enjoy some unexpected splashes of colour.
Pre-folding the top edge of the scarf ensures that there are no rough edges or fluffy trims to tickle Carol’s neck and face. And this style suits different scarf sizes and weights. A thicker scarf will be more voluminous while a thinner silk scarf will drape with less volume to keep you cool while looking fabulous.
Elegant and refined, this scarf style is ideal for special occasions – or those days when you’re feeling fabulous.
Scarf Style 2: The one-shoulder wrap
A truly cosy cool-weather scarf, Sonya shows us how to wrap up warm – with style! She begins with a soft merino scarf in a square shape. Thin scarves aren’t going to work as well for this style which requires both width and length to wrap the wearer’s shoulder and neck.
Sonya starts by folding the scarf into a triangle. She then drapes the triangle over one shoulder. The placement here is important, so take the time to line up the triangle point with your elbow.
Sonya then completes the wrap, bringing the scarf tails to the other shoulder. She then ties the scarf in a simple knot. Leave the knot nice and loose here so that the entire look is one of casual elegance.
The tail ends are left to drape down the front and back of the body. If they’re particularly long, you may choose to tie a loose double knot to shorten the tails. Take your time to shuffle the placement of the scarf. Gently tugging it in different directions will reveal new parts of the pattern and fun colour bursts.
Nice and easy, this popular go-to scarf style can be worn inside or outside on those cooler days when you feel like an extra layer.
Scarf Style 3: The drape and tuck
When your neck needs a little extra protection from the elements, this scarf style will add colour and style to your outfit while keeping you cosy.
You might like to think of this scarf style as a necklace. After all, is there a more lovely way to decorate an outfit than with an oversized fabric necklace?
First, Sonya folds the scarf into an imperfect triangle. Then she bunches the long edge of the scarf into her hands a couple of times. She drapes the scarf around Noel’s neck, letting the triangle points sit toward the front. She continues to wrap the scarf tails around, leaving them to hang down the front.
Take the time to fluff up this scarf for plenty of warmth-retaining volume. Sonya explains that this style sits beautifully under a coat or jacket for those extra cool days
Scarf Style 4: The loop-through
This is a simple, easy, on-the-go scarf style. The type you might throw on for a refreshing stroll through the park or to support the grandkids on a chilly Saturday sports morning. As expertly modelled by Ryman’s Nellie Melba Village resident Malcolm.
Start by folding the scarf in half lengthways, making sure it’s even. Then fold it in half lengthways again. Place your hand in the middle of the scarf, making sure that the lengths are even. Keep that hand in the middle and pick up both scarf ends in the other hand. Now the scarf is doubled in half – with a hand in the middle.
Wrap the doubled-over scarf around the neck and push the tail ends through the loop where the hand was to ‘tie’ the scarf. Take the time to adjust your scarf and wriggle it around your neck a little until the loop and lengths are sitting front and centre.
A chunky scarf style, this style will keep you warm on the chilliest of days. It’s best paired with a warm coat and a fresh, cool breeze!
Scarf Style 5: The loop and tie
Comfort, warmth, and style! Begin with a large scarf to ensure that you have enough length to wrap around your neck then tie the scarf at the front. Volume helps with this scarf style as well – after all, more scarf means more warmth!
Start by bunching the scarf width-ways. Then reposition your hands to ensure that one length of the scarf is longer than the other. The longer length is about to do the wrapping.
First, drape the shorter end over one shoulder, letting it hang free down the front. This is left there for the time being. The longer length of the scarf is loosely looped completely around the neck. Once a full loop has been completed, the tail of the long end will be resting on the other shoulder. If this long length tail isn’t longer than the short tail, shuffle the scarf so that it is.
Take this slightly longer tail under and over the shorter tail to create a loose simple knot. Have a play with the placement of this knot – you might tuck it under the top loop a little or make it equally as prominent. You can also adjust the amount of fabric on the top of the knot – fluff this up for a fuller, more voluminous style.
Easy yet elegant, this is a scarf style suitable for every day.
Scarf Style 6: The tail tuck-in
A refined scarf style, the tail ends of this scarf tuck tidily into a coat or jacket. It’s elegant, it’s classy, and it’s stylish.
First, fold the scarf into a triangle, or in half lengthways once, then again. Note that if your scarf is thinner, you can fold it fewer times to help create more volume.
To wrap the scarf, ensure that one end is longer than the other. Let the shorter tail rest on your shoulder as you wrap the long length around the back of your neck once, then again. This will create a full loop around your neck.
Shuffle your scarf so that the lengths are the same length. You can leave the tail ends hanging free for a more casual style or tuck them tidily into a coat or jacket for a refine and elegant look.
Highly versatile, this scarf suits every occasion. It pays to practise tying the scarf a few times so that it can be your easy go-to scarf style while out and about.
Hopefully, your living room or bedroom is covered in scarves following this video series! Playing with different scarf lengths, materials, and thicknesses is a great way to learn what works for you and your wardrobe. It’s also a good idea to hold your scarves up against different clothing pieces to learn which pair best. Some colours will look better together and some scarf styles will sit better against different outfits. We hope you have fun discovering which styles you enjoy.
Special thanks to Sonya of dog&boy and Ryman’s Nellie Melba Village residents Noel and Malcol
