For Part II of building our accessories wardrobe started after Can the US Ever Lead in Fashion, let’s look at scarves. While definitely a staple in the European closet, they seem to be an after-thought in many parts of the US. Sure we use them in the colder areas of the country, but that’s usually to stay warm. The idea of a scarf as a basic accessory is still foreign to us.

Generally when we purchase a scarf, we will opt for a make-sure-it-goes-with-everything approach. This is the complete opposite of major European cities. A scarf is their accent and it transforms an outfit.

So cheap or expensive? Both and either.

A good friend from Paris goes once a year to Hermes and buys herself one new scarf. She proudly walks around that day with her distinctive orange bag feeling special. She now has 8 Hermes scarves in her closet. While I don’t splurge on Hermes, my personal favorite is Pucci. I love the color mixes they use. I’ve had some for more than a decade now. That’s the thing about buying an expensive scarf, you will have it for years and they are always “in” (or at least coming right back).

But buying an inexpensive scarf is also smart. It’s an easy way to add a trend that you don’t feel like spending a lot of money on. I saw the girl on the left in London and loved the way she added animal print in a trend color for little cost.

Here’s an option from Jessica Simpson that has the same colors but in tartan. The turquoise gives an edge to what can be a plain-jane pattern. The fantastic part about inexpensive scarves is that you can experiment with colors and prints that you like but are a little nervous about. For me, I’m not really a red girl, but I’m going to add a red scarf this year. (Maybe it will break me out of my fear of that color).

Getting ready for this post, I went to some of my favorite US fashion blogs hoping to link information from them into this post. Each one listed accessories, but skipped scarves completely. Then I went to one of my favorite blogs abroad – Nicky’s Rag Tag Tales – and found an amazing gray and pomegranate pompom scarf. We are missing out, time to embrace the scarf.