Why’s Everyone Tying a Scrap of Cashmere Around Their Neck?
As author Bess Kalb (herself in a red kerchief) asked on her Instagram Stories over the weekend, “Are we all wearing the stupide little French scarf?” Indeed, it does seem that cashmere bandannas are everywhere we look these days: There’s the (capitalized) Bandana at Guest in Residence, a brushed-wool-and-cashmere one at Banana Republic, and another in leopard print at Le Bon Shoppe. Just yesterday, I noticed a foulard from &Daughter on Kule’s content director, Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin.
I couldn’t help but wonder why everyone is tying a scrap of cashmere around their neck. Maybe it’s what happens after years of massive rectangular scarves from Loewe and The Row. “It’s not that I don’t have scarves that I like, but none of them are triangular,” said our senior writer Michael Zhao in last week’s “Strategist Brain,” where he wrote about the appeal of Extreme Cashmere’s machine-washable n°35 bandanna. Could it be that the skinny scarf is trying to return? (At least Timothée Chalamet’s hoping.) Perhaps it’s that shrinkflation’s next victim is the scarf. For comparison’s sake, Acne Studios’ checked scarf (itself a wool, alpaca, and mohair blend) was $290 in 2021; in 2025, it’s $380. Maybe a scrap of cashmere is all any of us can afford now.
Or does it simply come down to the cashmere bandanna being a good accessory? There’s something about it that reminds me of an askew beret. It’s rather jaunty. It registers differently around your head (like a babushka) than around your neck (not unlike a French mime or jewel-heist thief). Not only does it help you stay warm, but it solves one cold-weather-layering problem: what to do about your scarf when not outside. “You don’t have to take it off like you would a scarf when you’re inside,” says our deputy editor Simone Kitchens. Anyway, it might be time to get yourself a cashmere bandanna. Here, a few for consideration:
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