Ethnic scarf with shades of green

A 110 x 180 cm cotton scarf in two greens

Length is what makes this one worth owning. Those 110 x 180 cm of cotton make a full rectangle, not a neckerchief, so you can decide how much of it shows. Wound twice at the throat on a cold morning, only the sage end stays visible. Left open with both ends hanging, the two prints read together in a single glance. Opened right across the back with the khaki end brought forward, it does the job of a light stole over a plain dress. The fabric falls rather than holds, which is why knots stay soft instead of standing up.

Small white stars above, large white spots below

The two halves share the length without blending into each other. Across the pale panel, small white stars on sage are printed tightly enough to lift the colour when you step back from it. On the darker half the ground deepens almost to brown and the motif changes size altogether: large white spots on khaki, set far apart and easy to read from across a room. It is the gap between the two greens, more than the change of motif, that gives the cloth its depth. Other prints cut to this same length sit in the women's scarf department.

The ivory edging that separates them

An ivory band with fine stripes runs along the join between sage and khaki, then widens into a plain border that goes all the way round. It does two jobs. It stops the two prints running into one another, and it slips a warm neutral between two greens that would otherwise pull cold. Rolled up for a bag, this band is the only part still showing, since the edges end up on the outside.

Greens that are easier to wear than they look

The khaki end behaves like a neutral. It sits against brown, camel, cream and denim without any effort, and it holds its own over a navy coat in autumn. Sage is the fussier of the two, and it is the ivory edging that rescues it, softening the meeting with beige or off-white. If you are already wearing green, go for the clear contrast: a plain khaki jumper lets the stars stand out, whereas a mid-green in between muddles both halves. A gentle 30 °C wash and air drying keep the white motifs crisp.

A shorter cotton square, if that is what you are after

This one is built to drape; it will not fold into a tight triangle at the throat. For a short knot or something to tie in your hair, the cotton squares kept with the bandanas come in a far more compact format, in the same fabric. The two are not rivals: length for draping, a short square for knotting.