How to wear a scarf now

The difference between looking like a car hire attendant and a poet spirit at the vanguard of fashion is vast but you have to start somewhere. In the hierarchy of shapes the Saint Laurent style - slim and diagonally cut at the hem - is the "L" for learner version. This shape, when whisked around one's neck underneath a collarless dinner shirt or with a skimpy little tea dress, adds a dose of insouciance.

Big, square scarves of the 120 x 120 plus dimension are a whole different ball game. These require an elevated connoisseurship of print - and a deft way with fabric handling.