Why’s Everyone Tying a Scrap of Cashmere Around Their Neck?
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As authorBess Kalb(herself in a red kerchief) asked on her Instagram Stories over the weekend, “Are we all wearing thestupidelittle French scarf?” Indeed, it does seem that cashmere bandannas are everywhere we look these days: There’s the(capitalized) Bandanaat Guest in Residence, abrushed-wool-and-cashmere oneatBanana Republic, and another inleopard printatLe Bon Shoppe. Just yesterday, I noticed afoulard from &Daughteron Kule’s content director,Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin.
I couldn’t help but wonderwhyeveryone is tying a scrap ofcashmerearound their neck. Maybe it’s what happens after years of massive rectangular scarves fromLoeweandThe 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 inlast week’s “Strategist Brain,” where he wrote about the appeal of Extreme Cashmere’s machine-washablen°35bandanna. Could it be that the skinny scarf is trying to return? (At leastTimothée Chalamet’s hoping.) Perhaps it’s that shrinkflation’s next victim is thescarf. 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 ababushka) than around your neck (not unlike a French mime orjewel-heist thief). Not only does it help you stay warm, but it solves one cold-weather-layering problem: what to do about your scarf whennotoutside. “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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