Trendlet: The neckerchief is a perfect spring accessory

This silky accessory will connect you with your inner artist while taking early spring strolls or sipping seltzer with lime at outdoor cafes.

Tie on a soft print neckerchief - think cowboy, sailor, or Laverne and Shirley. Maybe tuck one into your button-down shirt like you would a cravat. Or gently tie a longer scarf behind your neck so it loosely drapes over the yoke of your blouse.

The earliest use of scarves was more about function than fashion. Ancient Egyptians tied sudariums (or sweat cloths) around their necks to catch perspiration.

During the ensuing centuries, neck scarves served to identify military rank. In the 18th century, cravats - precursor of the necktie - became fashionable with men. By the 19th century, French fashion houses, namely Hermés, marketed scarves as the most versatile of fashion accessories for men and women.

Jump to the 1950s, and the neck scarf was the cute extra to be paired with poodle skirts. The silky tie hung around the clavicles of well-dressed women through the 1970s.

Scarves were replaced by bows in the 1980s. However, in the late '90s, trendy working women became obsessed with pashminas - cashmere scarves that take their name from the Persian word for wool.

Pashminas evolved into the infinity scarf, a key part of the androgynous uniform.

Finally, during September's chic runway shows, designers including Lanvin, Chloe, Balenciaga, and Balmain featured lots of neck-scarf action. It didn't take long for our favorite fashion haunts, from H&M to Target, to start shilling them as a spring must-have.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Claudia Schiffer; Kate Moss; most models; anyone who wants to look effortlessly put together.

I'm more of an infinity scarf girl. I can see myself going batty tugging at my neckerchief all day.

These scarves are a cool way to wear hard-to-mix patterns together - think a striped shirt with a polka dot scarf. If the mixy-matchy doesn't work for you, no one will bat an eyelash if you remove it in public.

ewellington@phillynews.com
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