Ask Allie: What Scarf with a Wrap Coat?

Hey Allie, you mentioned wanting a wrap coat this winter on the blog so I thought it might be appropriate to take this moment to send you some pics of the wrap coat I bought last winter and have been struggling to style – and ask for your advice! I really like the exaggerated collar and slightly fifties style flared skirt but with so much of the neckline very exposed I find it difficult to know what to wear underneath that won’t clash with the style. I also find it can be hard to wear a scarf with it without making the collar look scruffy… (and I’m never sure what kind of colour scarf doesn’t clash with the green?)

The reader in her green wrap coat

A wrap coat is tougher than most outerwear to style with scarves, but not impossible, especially with the current trends in winter accessories. Currently, the ginormous scarf look is on trend, which is a look that would flatter the style of this coat quite nicely.

When searching for photos to illustrate my suggestions, I found these beautiful photos of Corey Kingston on the blog It’s My Darlin’ and the collar of Corey’s coat reminded me of yours. It looks as though she took a classic pashmina and wrapped it around and tucked the ends into the coat. The cashmere of a pashmina would nicely flatter the fabric of your coat and keep you quite warm. You mentioned in your email that you are drawn to jewel tones and I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work with this color of coat; a pashmina in a deep red, mustard, pumpkin,berry, or rich purple would look glorious against the green.

A tone on tone look would also be quite lovely, as seen by the Crown Princess Letizia of Spain with shades of tan, and the blogger Awed By Monica in shades of gray. You can do this with shades of green, choosing a deep emerald, forest green, or a lighter shade like avocado or peridot.

The pictures above of Bethenny Frankel and Elizabeth Banks show that your scarf doesn’t have to be a solid, and it doesn’t have to be a pashmina. You can use most any type of scarf, as long as there’s a lot of fabric. It can be an oversized square folded in half, a long oblong looped multiple times around your neck, or a wide rectangle. When I look at the print of your coat, I immediately think of classic patterns like plaid and paisley. An oversized tartan scarf like this one from Acacia Scarves (a company run by the blogger Jaclyn Day) in bright red with lots of white or ivory to keep it from looking heavy would be a lovely partner to your coat. This could be tucked into your neckline, or with so much volume could be worn on the outside, complementing your coat’s exaggerated collar. A paisley print scarf would also be a lovely choice with your coat; one with a touch of green but jewel tones like blue and purple would be very pretty.

Tucking a classic scarf into your collar isn’t the only option for a wrap coat, as evidenced by the women in these photos. To the left, model Emily Senko, per the blog Vanessa Jackman, shows how an oversized infinity scarf can look quite chic and would be another great way to incorporate a jewel tone. While most infinity scarves are knit, I think a faux fur one could also look great with your coat.  I also think an oversized cowl like this one from DC-based company DeNada Design would be a pretty choice and would likely be big enough to cover the entire neckline. To the right as seen on the blog Hanneli, fashion designer Vika Gazinskayas wears a scarf in a manner that looks more like a blouse. You can achieve this by taking a large square, folding into a triangle, tying the ends behind your neck and tucking everything inside your coat. Depending on the weight and size of the coat, this could be a drapey cowl, tucked smooth into a look like Vika, or a cozy funnel neck. For this look you can do a print or color of most any type; choose a silk in fall and switch to wool or cashmere when the temperature drops further.