If you’d needed proof that the silk scarf – essential accoutrement of the bougie Parisienne, and both your preppy college friend and your elegant grandmother – has made a comeback, then Michael Rider’s debut for Celine last July was it. Or indeed, it was not that scarves were back, but that they have become something else – not just chic, but cool and very much open to interpretation.

For Rider’s debut, an enormous silk scarf was suspended above the courtyard of Celine’s headquarters – working double time as an umbrella for guests as the rain intensified. The collection – and subsequent ones that have captured something essential about how women want to dress now – celebrated the silk scarf as a key item in your wardrobe. Ideas for how to wear one are rife throughout Celine’s shows and campaigns: draped over a shoulder, tied around bags and peeking out from underneath a coat. In Rider’s universe – peppy and on-the-go – foundational pieces get serious oomph. As the American designer said backstage at his most recent show, “Classics is one thing, but we like bite.”

It’s not only Rider playing with the silk scarf. The likes of fashion Substacker Leandra Medine Cohen and Alexa Chung have been wearing them sarong-like over trousers, while designers such as Conner Ives have been pairing them with quilted rugby tops for a kooky take on prep. Meanwhile the style influence of both Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy has returned to fever pitch with Ryan Murphy’s Love Story – both wore silk scarves, often as bandanas. Though the ultimate flex with a silk scarf is surely the time Grace Kelly wore an Hermès number as a sling after injuring her arm at one of Aristotle Onassis’ yacht parties.

Tiffany Hsu, chief buying and group fashion venture officer at Mytheresa, says twists on the silk scarf fit with how people dress now: no rules necessary. Which is why she thinks they’re having a moment.

“For a long time, silk scarves felt very ladylike, polished and chic. Now they carry a different energy. They are no longer just the finishing touch: they are the piece that can define the look,” she says. “Whether styled with sharp tailoring, tied over a cap, wrapped around a bag, or worn almost effortlessly, they feel expressive and personal. That’s what makes silk scarves cool again: it’s less about looking proper and more about wearing them with attitude. Ultimately, it’s about the confidence with which you choose to wear them.”

The silk scarf may be popping up everywhere from Chanel to Dries Van Noten, but Hermès is its spiritual home. The silk carré was introduced by the maison in 1937, and its practically endless archive of designs continues to inspire creations across its métiers. Hermès, ever playful, has also got rather kinky with silk scarves. The brand’s spring/summer 2026 collection featured the accessory trailing beneath extremely lush leather harness tops.