Ethnic grey and black scarf with gold details

A rectangle of 180x100cm, not a square

Squares fold into triangles and sit flat at the collar. This one behaves differently. There is enough length for two turns without the ends riding up, and enough width to open the whole piece over the shoulders of a sleeveless dress. In 100% viscose the cloth stays soft, packs down into a bag and comes back into shape once it is shaken out.

Where the gold sits on an ethnic grey and black scarf

The print belongs to the ikat family: chevrons with frayed edges and short gold dashes, repeated in uneven bands along the whole length. Three tones carry the pattern: a mid grey, an off-white and a dense black. The contrast stays strong enough to read from across a room. Where the chevrons zigzag, the gold stays level, and the gaps between the dashes keep it a highlight rather than a second print.

Three knots, three silhouettes

Where the weight of the fabric ends up is what changes the look.

• Double it and knot it at the throat: the print gathers under the chin and the ends vanish into a coat.
• Drape it loose across the shoulders, the only version that shows the full run of chevrons.
• Hang it long down the front, both ends loose, for a vertical line under an open blazer.

Shape changes the result more than colour does. To see how a square or a shorter rectangle behaves in the same knots, the range gathers long and square prints side by side.

Pale colours let the print speak

Grey and black go quietly with navy, charcoal and denim, but the pattern has more to say over something light: a cream jumper, a sand trench, a white shirt. The gold dashes give a reason to wear a matching earring or belt buckle on the same day. When winter sets in properly this is a layer rather than a defence, and the next range along holds the snoods and triangle wraps for colder mornings.

Looking after viscose

Wash it by hand, or put it through the machine on a delicate cycle at 30°C. A cool iron on the reverse keeps the gold areas matt. Viscose holds a sharp crease, so a wide hanger does more for this scarf than a drawer does, and a loose fall saves you reaching for the iron again.