In the world of grand luxe, a silk scarf isn’t just a scarf; it’s a flexible artifact of the maison, ready to be repurposed across a variety of settings, seasons, and even basic uses. A silk scarf is less expensive than a handbag, more visible than a fragrance, and more flexible than ready-to-wear. The best silk scarves aren’t the ones that blare the house’s logo; they’re the ones that translate the house’s design sensibilities into silk.

Hermès is the flag-bearer for silk scarves. They’ve been making them since 1937, and they set the standard for luxury scarves that persists to this day: 90 cm (35.4”) square, 100% silk, screen-printed by hand, with hand-rolled hems. But scarves don’t end at Hermès. Below are four other excellent options; you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Today, whatever a luxury brand may say on its website, or however it may organize the physical space of its boutiques, the reality is that anything not prêt-à-porter is (or can be) unisex. Go to a grand luxe maison’s site and navigate to the women’s handbags section (it might be Women → Handbags or the like, or perhaps Leather Goods → Women’s Bags or similar). I guarantee you there are men carrying every one of those bags today.

It’s the same with scarves. Hermès, for example, organizes its online menus as Women → Scarves, Shawls and Stoles → Silk Scarves and Accessories on the one hand, and Men → Scarves on the other. In their world, 55, 70, and 90 cm carrés are in 100% silk and are for women; while 65, 80, and 100 cm carrés are in cashmere-silk blends and are for men.

This article focuses on the 90 cm carré in 100% silk, which the maisons assume is going to be worn by women—and it typically is. But in all sincerity: you do you. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t wear.

A generation or two ago, you didn’t see men wearing backpacks unless they were on a hiking trail, messenger bags unless they were on a bicycle, or small daypacks unless they were from Europe. In 2026, I see dozens of men in the city every day wearing those exact items. It’s the briefcase that’s weird now, not the backpack or messenger; the bulging wallet in the back pocket that seems strange, not the daypack. I myself own and use a backpack, messenger bag, and a daypack—depending on the setting—because they’re convenient and comfortable. And somewhere, men I’ll never know started those trends. Whoever and wherever they are or were, I thank them.

So perhaps the next trendsetter is you. Don’t let labels stand in your way.

A quick note on pricing: all these grand luxe maisons charge approximately the same price range for their silk scarves. For a single-sided, 100% silk, 90 cm carré, you can expect to pay approximately $500–750 or 500–750 €. Double-sided, embroidering, leather tabs, or other special touches can quickly send prices upwards.

Chanel’s scarves feature their double-C motifs, chains, and black-and-white colorways, and are tied to their seasonal fashion launches. When the name or logo is the focus, they’re less interesting. But when they lean into their haute couture sensibility, they’re at their best, and a runway-derived scarf seems like a sensible entry to Chanel’s idea of high fashion.

Their offerings are always shifting based on their latest introductions, but their current lineup has a Square Scarf in Ecru, Red, and Black that’s the nicest rendition of negative space in French design I’ve seen in a spell:

Gucci has true Italian scarf legitimacy: animal and floral imagery, their “GG” motif, the Flora line, and materials including both silk and silk twill. As with so many luxury brands these days, it’s easy to walk out of a Gucci store with something that announces to the world you just shopped there. It’s perhaps more interesting to walk out with something that, well, if you know, you know. Their Printed Flora Silk Twill Carré fits the bill perfectly:

Among the grandest of the grand luxe maisons, Loro Piana is the flag-bearer for quiet luxury these days. In ready-to-wear, they often express that sensibility in muted tones of Italian wool. In silk scarves—which they call foulards—their design language focuses on soft pastels. At its best, a Loro Piana scarf should feel like wearing a painting, in the best possible way.

You should always be able to walk into a Loro Piana store and find a selection of painterly scarves. Of their current offerings, may I suggest the Ricordi D'Estate L'Alba 90 x 90 Foulard? If you’re intrigued by the idea of wearing a quiet work of art, here you go:

Most of Louis Vuitton’s scarves are rooted in their history, their monogram, or the theme of travel. Many people who might not buy Louis Vuitton luggage for one reason or another can buy a scarf and wear a bit of their travel design language. Their scarves are most interesting when they feel like miniature journeys.

Their Malles Merveilleuses Square 90 brings it all together: their history dating back to the 19th century in Paris, their early focus on high-quality luggage, and of course their monogram. (Yes, it does have their maison’s name in large type, but I give them points for rendering it in the old style, along with everything else in the foreground of the scarf.) In the dark brown version shown below, it emphasizes their primary corporate color:

I think of a grand luxe silk scarf as a test. Can a luxury brand compress their world into a 90 cm square of fabric without cheapening it? Can they imbue it with their brand language without it becoming advertising? A silk scarf can be the most interesting and wearable entry point into a brand, or the most obvious. The difference isn’t price, but judgment. Judge well and walk out with something you can wear happily for years, or even decades.

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