"They are the ultimate accessory for a chic finish. Worn wide-spread over the ears, or folded down, the scarf lends an edge to any ensemble," says Shadaab Razak, a Dubai based fashion consultant.

Fabrics and colours

New York based fashion designer Pooja Munshi says fabrics include hand woven and fine soft silks, chiffon, crochet, light cotton and woollen. These come in many shades like blue, green, pastel, lavender and red.

Some scarves even have exotic shades of tobacco, butter, cilantro, wine and lemon grass.

Designs and prints

Shadaab says fashion houses like Hermes and Christian Dior have immortalised the scarf trend with their own signature prints. "Film stars like Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren were known to favour scarves by these designer labels," adds Shadaab.

Geometric and floral prints are quite popular. However, these days you even get beaded, embroidered, painted and self embossed scarves.