Brrr … the cold weather is setting in as autumn’s cooler winds whistle down the chimneys and nature loses its color as leaves pale and flutter to join the heap on the ground. The woollies start coming out and everyone is draped in many layers. But the cold weather shouldn’t stop you from looking trendy: you don’t have to go around looking like a stuffed toy because of the warm clothes you wear! You can look hot with the use of the most simple of accessories in your wardrobe—the scarf.

Wearing a scarf over your woollies gives you a nice burst of color. While many people wait for the cooler weather to start wearing scarves, you don’t need a season or a reason to wear one, you can wear them all year round.

There are several ways to tie a scarf. Of course, there is the standard method of wearing a scarf by draping it over the shoulders from the back to the front, with the two ends of the scarf running down the lapels of your coat, or you could try flinging the scarf over one shoulder.

Below are some different ways to look smart in a scarf this fall. While most people will be wearing their scarves flung back across both shoulders or dangling down their chests, you can stand out and accessorize differently.

Simple scarf knots
If your style is simple yet stunning, you could go for the basic wrap-and-tie look, which isn’t difficult. You just wrap the scarf around your neck once and tie the sides of the scarf in the middle over your chest, while the free ends dangle below. A variation of the wrap-and-tie look is to wrap the scarf around your neck twice and the second time tie your scarf over your chest and let the ends float free.

You could also go for the muffler, which is probably one of the most common ways to wear a scarf, as it covers the chest from the cold. The muffler usually pops out of the coat or shirt, while the ends are tucked into the front of the coat and the loop around your neck is invisible.

If you want to dramatize your look, drape your scarf over your shoulders and then throw one end of the scarf over the opposite shoulder giving the look of a drape—this is called the dramatic. You could also wear the scarf like a cape—the cape wrap—which is similar to the dramatic drape and covers both your shoulders but is tied right below the neck. You never knew you could be so creative with your simple scarf, hey? Why don’t you try the four-in-hand choker? Don’t worry it isn’t complicated. You wrap the scarf around your neck twice and then instead of letting the ends hang loose, you tuck them in around your neck giving a chic look to your outfit. If you feel cold, you could spread your scarf over your shoulders and then tie a knot over your heart, giving a neat look called the shoulder duster.

The shrug wrap is also an interesting way to wear the scarf. Bring the scarf from behind your neck to the front and take the two ends and cross them in the front, only to tie them behind your back. The front part covers the chest area, but gives you a great look. You could wear a short necklace or brooch to make it look trendy.

The Slip knot is another familiar way to wear a scarf nowadays. You fold your scarf lengthwise and insert the loose ends into the loop. You tighten the scarf in such a way that the loop with the two ends popping out cross over at the front of your neck.

Circle scarves
The DIY circle scarf is quite fashionable, especially if you are wearing a solid color and your scarf is a contrasting hue or a blast of color. The DIY circle scarf is worn wrapped around the neck like a multi-layered necklace. It keeps you warm and makes you look classy. You could strategically pin a brooch so that it adds to the elegant look.

The double loop is a looser version of the DIY circle scarf. Wrap the scarf around your neck twice and then tie the loose ends behind your neck, so you can’t see the knot and let the layers of the scarf fall in front.

Tie-style knots
The necktie knot, as the name implies, is tied like a necktie. It makes you look serious and tidy. You can take it off without untying the knot and slip it back on again. Like the necktie knot, the square knot looks like a tie knot, only bigger and loosely hanging mid-chest. This, again, is easily worn and taken off without going to the trouble of untying it. You just slip it on.

The Girly Windsor sounds quite royal and is an interesting play on the ordinary necktie. Place the scarf behind your neck and let the ends fall in the front and tie knots in both, allowing one of the knots to be looser than the other. Then tuck the tighter knot into the looser knot and pull to tighten. This will give you a tidy look as if you were wearing a loose tie.

Most of you won’t remember Pan Am: it was once the largest and the main international airline in the US. The air hostesses wore their scarves tied around their necks. The short scarf would be tied right under the chin, with the short loose ends pointing out in a style called the Pan Am knot. This style looks good on shirts, especially collarless shirt.

If you like a traditional-but-fancy style you could use the bow tie. Put the scarf around your neck, allow the loose ends to come in the front in equal length. Tie a bow tie at chest level and allow the loose ends to fall below the bow.

Everything French is fashionable, even a simple French knot. Tying a French knot looks great, especially a double wrap French knot: you wrap the scarf around the neck twice and then tie a knot on one side of the neck, letting the ends hang loose—preferably with one end pointing downwards and the other one casually left to float between your shoulder and chest.

Head scarf styles
The scarf is undoubtedly a great accessory and can be used in various ways. If you want to, you can use it around your head, tying it in different, beautiful styles. The simplest way to wear the scarf is the head wrap. As the name implies, you wrap the scarf around your head, just following the structure of the head. You could pin a brooch on it to make it look chic.

Those who want to show hair can tie the scarf like a headband knotted at the nape of the neck. You could leave the loose ends to fly on your back, determining the length you want as you like.

An interesting way to wear the scarf around the head is by twisting your scarf and then wrapping it on the head. You could cover your hair, or you could allow it to look like a bandanna, showing hair. Of course, when we wear a scarf on our head, we can’t resist tying it in a bow. This gives you a girlish look and adds texture to your scarf.

If you want to look wild, then the bandanna wrap is the style for you. It says, “I am a stylish rebel,” and is the easiest style for your scarf. And why not try the forehead wrap? Tie the scarf around from the back of your head, so that the knot (which could be a Pan Am, bow, or be tucked in) comes in the front. You could pin a brooch onto the knot, giving it a chic look.

So, if you haven’t tried wearing a scarf until now, this fall is your chance to keep warm and look trendy.