How to Wear a Scarf with a Blazer

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I’ve always loved scarves. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Wisconsin where scarves were necessary or because they’re the cutest (and easiest) thing for my mom to knit for me. but either way, they’ve wormed their way into my heart. I use to limit my love of scarves solely to neck scarves, especially the big cozy ones. But when the trend of wearing scarves in your hair started to come back last year, I couldn’t help myself. I love how a scarf is a great addition to any outfit. They can help add that extra something to your outfit and make it look that much better.

J.Crew Sweater Blazer (Old, Similar, Similar)
J.Crew Long Sleeve Tee
Target Cut Out Booties (old, similar, similar)
Madewell Tote (Similar)

Scarves
Halogen Atlantic x Pacific Scarf (Similar)
Anthropologie Llama Scarf (similar)
Anthropologie Patchwork Scarf (similar)
J.Crew Factory Scarf (Similar)

How To Wear A Scarf With A Blazer

One thing that I’ve seen this year is that a lot of women have started to pair lightweight scarves with their blazers. Previously, I would have stayed away from this trend. I was uncomfortable in blazers and the idea of pairing the two together seemed intimidating. But since I’ve found a few blazers I love (like my business casual blazer and my sweater blazer), I think it’s a look that I’m ready to try!

There are a handful of ways that you can go about the scarf/blazer combination, so I thought I would go over that.

Wear a scarf in a lighter weight

If you’re pairing your scarf with your blazer, odds are that you’re going for the more aesthetic choice and not the practical one. What do I mean by that? Your chunky, cozy, super warm scarf has no place here. A big scarf takes the risk of overwhelming the rest of your outfit and adding too much bulk to it. Instead, pick a scarf that’s a lighter material (like a lightweight linen or silk scarf). It’ll get you the look that you’re going for without adding too much bulk

Change up the size of your scarf

Your scarf might be a lighter weight, but you still have a wide variety of sizes of scarves you can choose from. So switch it up! Try big squares, long skinny scarves, men’s scarves, or a smaller kerchief. Each of these can be tied a different way around your neck, giving you a completely different look each time. Make a scarf knot, drap the scarf loosely around your neck, just have fun with it!

Pair a patterned scarf with a complimenting colored blazer

You also don’t have to stick to a solid color scarf! Now is the time to go crazy with the patterns and colors (why not try some animal prints?). But I still have a few rules that you should follow when pairing your patterned scarf with your blazer.

1. There are two combinations that look best: patterned/solid or solid/solid. What do I mean by that? If your blazer is patterned, then you can pair it with a solid color scarf. Or vice versus with a solid color blazer and patterned scarves. But don’t pair a pattern with a pattern.
2. If you want to wear a blazer with a patterned scarf, do it, but make sure that the scarf that you pick contains that color in it. You can definitely make an exception with black blazers, but I promise you, it’ll look even better if that pattern has black somewhere in it.
3. If everything is a solid color, make sure they’re complimentary colors. I talked about what colors are complimentary a lot in my colorblocking post here, if you need a reminder.

Don’t just wear it around your neck!

There are so many ways to wear your scarf, so don’t just limit it to folding the scarf around your neck! Some easy ideas are to wear it in your hair, around your ponytail or as a headband. You could also add in a scarf pin to hold your scarf together or tie it around the strap of the bag you’re carrying! You don’t need to just do a scarf knot around your neck. Branch out!

Scarf With Blazer Outfits

I shared a few suggestions above with my tan blazer, but here are a few more to help you get started!

A Black Blazer with a Pop of Color

I decided to make this an easy one for you to try out. A colorful silk scarf paired with a black blazer will be super cute. You can wear it around your head like the model or tie it loosely around your neck.

Coordinating Colors

For this outfit, I paired a blue blazer with a scarf that has similar colors in it. The scarf still has a colorful print, but it ties in the blue of the blazer.

A Colorful Blazer with a Animal Print

In this case, you could pull a scarf that has a similar print in it, but pink on pink felt a little too cutesy to me. Instead, pair it with a black and white scarf in a fun animal print!

Patterned Blazer with a Solid Scarf

I feel like some people might choose to pair this blazer with a red scarf. But since red is the dominating color of this blazer, I’d suggest going for a black scarf (the secondary color) or a contrasting white scarf.

Make sure to check back tomorrow when I share with you how to tie the scarves like I did in the pictures above!

Photos by Kimberly Graydon