This summer, the easiest way to bring any outfit to life isn’t through jewellery or bags.
Instead, fashion fans are experimenting with colour and print through silk scarves, with Pinterest UK data seeing an 105% increase in search data for ‘silk scarves’ between November 2025 and May 2026, and a 425% spike in searches for ‘silk scarf styling’.
"Everyone should be wearing silk scarves this year," says Gabriella Jackson, co-founder of Sydney-based luxury silk house Saint Jane.
Tying a scarf around your head as a bandana or wearing it as a neckerchief isn’t a new phenomenon, but has seen a recent resurgence.
This could, perhaps, be thanks to the off-duty style of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, whose chic Nineties wardrobe has become a global phenomenon after the release of FX TV series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, earlier this year.
For Jackson, scarves are having a moment on social media at the moment because they’re so "easy", saying: "I think people really want to go back to enjoying what they’re wearing, and not being so afraid" – and the splash of colour and print in a scarf can help you do that.
But that’s not to say you have to suddenly wear head-to-toe print, as scarves can elevate an otherwise muted outfit.
"My day-to-day, I will always have a scarf on me – but it’s usually a black outfit with a scarf top, or it’s in my hair, and it makes me feel a little bit more put together," Jackson notes.
"Scarves are a funny one, because it’s something that you look at on someone and go, ‘She looks amazing, I would never look good in that’. And then you do it, and you’re like, ‘I can wear this too’."
One of the most obvious ways to style a scarf is simply tied around the neck, bringing a pop of colour and interest to any look. But there’s a multitude of other ways to wear them, too.
"I wear a lot of hats, and now I can wear a scarf [instead] if I want to zhoosh something up a little bit," Jackson says.
Plus, silk is hair-friendly, so head wrap styles will keep your locks protected when you’re out and about. If you really wanted to bring a bit of edge to your look, Instagram style mavens have started combining baseball caps with scarves – either tying a scarf underneath their hat, or looping it over.
Jackson adds that during a recent trip to New York, she saw a lot of fashionable people tying scarves "on the top of their jeans".
"Now everyone’s whacking on a silk scarf at your hip, which I really like because sometimes you just want a bit of colour pop, polishing off [an outfit]," says Jackson. There are plenty of ways to do this – you could replace your belt with a scarf, simply tie it around a belt loop at your hip, or knotting around your hips in a way that channels the Noughties trend for skirts over trousers.
Have you got a choker or necklace you’ve always worn and loved? Why not give it an update by looping a silk scarf around it to create a layered look. Or you could breathe new life into a favourite handbag by tying a silk scarf around the handle – something singer Sabrina Carpenter was seen doing during a recent dinner in New York.
But silk scarves don’t just have to be accessories: they can also be the main event. Jackson says the trend has gone from just adding it to a look, to "now basing your outfit around it".
Scarves that are big enough can be transformed into tops – Jackson recommends the halterneck style for anyone with a bigger bust, otherwise a simple bandeau style looks effortlessly elegant too.
"It elevates your outfit tenfold – we’ve taken it to where it is now the outfit," she adds. One of her "favourite styling hacks" is to use brooches to pin up your scarf. These accessories are "also having a huge revival online and go hand-in-hand with scarf styling", she explains.
Jackson’s "biggest takeaway" when choosing the right scarf is opting for "real silk".
"Your body needs to be breathing – you’ve got to put it into a natural fibre," she says. Silk is "so easy to clean, it’s so easy to maintain" – if you don’t have a handheld steamer, "Just hang it in the shower".
Ultimately, Jackson says scarves are an "approachable" way to elevate any look – and a style that anyone can get involved with.
Plus, they might become your new favourite thing to take on holiday because they pack so light, with Jackson adding: "I can travel with 15 scarves, that’s at least 45 outfits for me – whether it’s a little cover-up for a bikini, or if I’m wearing jeans and I loop it through my jeans."
