Best women's scarves for warmth and style this winter

Whether you want a cosy winter neck warmer or to add a finishing touch to a casual spring or summer outfit, a scarf can provide a practical and stylish fix. And having a range of scarves in your wardrobe means you can instantly update your look throughout the year, whatever the weather.

From heavy-weight knits to floaty chiffon wraps, we've rounded up the best women's scarves to add to your coat rack, including tried-and-tested recommendations from the Mumsnet Talk Boards.

Here are the best women's scarves to buy this year.

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1. Best overall womens scarf: Seasalt Fireside Shawl

Price: £45 | Buy now from Seasalt

"Seasalt scarves are always great quality and very affordable. I like this one in pure wool" - (Recommended by AnnieSnap)

Seasalt’s felted wool shawls come in a range of designs and colourways, and are of a good size and surprisingly lightweight. Beautifully made, and with a lovely grown up feel, they exude quality and style, and will finish off any outfit nicely. The Fireside Shawl range is keenly priced for pure wool, too.

Key specs

• Material: 100% wool

• Size: Approx 190 x 60cm

2. Best budget women's scarf: Mulberry Tree Scarf

Price: £5 | Buy now from Amazon

We love these cheap and cheerful scarves from Swanky Swans. They come in 19 different prints and colourways, and the reviews suggest they wash and wear well, despite their competitive price tag. These would be great to take on holiday when you want to jazz up plain outfits, or for using as a headscarf, a belt, or just tying on to your bag for a bit of snazz. They're super lightweight, too.

Key specs

• Material: 65% polyester, 35% viscose

• Size: 90 x 180cm

3. Best leopard print scarf: Style Slice Leopard Print Scarf

Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon

Everyone needs a leopard print scarf in their neckwear armoury, and this one ticks all the boxes. It comes in lots of different animal print shades, but we think this leopard with a mustard trim looks particularly stylish and would work brilliantly with loads of different outfits, from formal coats to casual skinny jeans. Add a bit of red lippy and some killer boots, and no one would know it was just a few pounds from Amazon!

Key specs

• Material: Viscose

• Size: 180 x 80cm

4. Best wool scarf: Hilary Grant Knitted Scarf

Price: From £120 | Buy now from Hilary Grant

"I'm currently obsessed with Hilary Grant's knitwear, currently lusting after the St Ives scarf. Her stuff is gorgeous!" - (Rated by Mumsnet user JaninaDuszejko)

"I bought two Hilary Grant scarves off the back of this thread and they are LOVELY!" - (Tried and tested by MamaNorth)

Made from gorgeously soft lambswool that is spun and dyed in Scotland, and then knitted on state-of-the-art Japanese machines before being hand-finished, we can see why Hilary Grant’s knitwear is so popular. These scarves are certainly a bit pricier than your average scarf but they're so beautifully made and finished you can justify the cost. The perfect pressie for someone special. Or for yourself!

Key specs

• Material: Lambswool

• Size: 48 x 196cm

5. Best colourful women's scarf: Claudia & Jason Sketch Tree Print Scarf

Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon

This cheap and cheerful scarf will add a splash of colour to any outfit. Featuring a bold tree print design, the fine and floaty fabric is easy to drape and style and will brighten up the greyest of days. It's available in a range of colours and at less than a tenner, you can buy one for every season. This would also make a lovely gift and looks far more upmarket than the price tag might suggest.

Key specs

• Material: Polyester/viscose

• Size: 180 x 90cm

6. Best cashmere scarf: Travelwrap Cashmere Scarves

Price: £235 | Buy now from The Travelwrap Company

"I got a Travelwrap last year. It's massive and so comfortable and I get asked where it's from every time I go out in it" - (Recommended by MadnessInMethod)

Knitted at a mill in the Scottish borders, and presented in a gorgeous gift box, these cashmere scarves scream luxury and elegance. Available in a huge range of colours (including some classy little sparkly weaves for evenings) this is another spendy option, but one that will last a lifetime if looked after carefully, and will never go out of fashion. The size makes it perfect for snuggling up in when travelling, and wearing in place of a coat in spring and summer. Not sure what to ask for for a birthday or Christmas? Ask for this.

Key specs

• Material: Cashmere

• Size: 180 x 190cm

7. Best colourful wool scarf: Avoca Handwoven Irish Scarf

Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon

"Avoca. I have a gorgeous orange and grey cashmere scarf from them" - (Bought and rated by DazzlePaintedBattle)

This amazingly cheerful scarf is reminiscent of Elmer the elephant. It's super-soft and beautifully made from gorgeous merino wool that's handwoven in Ireland. Perfect for jazzing up a block-colour winter coat, or throwing on over a plain shirt and jeans for effortless and fun styling.

Key specs

• Material: Merino pure new wool

• Size: 26 x 183cm

8. Best designer scarf: Louis Vuitton Monogram Shawl

Price: £405 | Buy now from Louis Vuitton

"Louis Vuitton monogram shawl, silk and wool. I have it in several colours" - (Rated by Mumsnet user HappyGirlNow)

If you're after a statement scarf with plenty of style cred, you really can’t go wrong with Louis Vuitton’s monogram shawl. Yes, it’s an investment piece, but it is absolutely stunning, and will be a go-to piece for years. Perfect over evening dresses, or to dress up a plain winter coat, it's the epitome of luxurious accessorising, and although it's pricey, it's probably not eye-wateringly so on a cost per wear basis. It comes in lots of colourways,  all made from a super-soft, super warm silk-wool blend.

Key specs

• Material: 60% silk, 40% wool

• Size: 142.5 x 142.5cm

9. Best blanket scarf: The Tartan Blanket Co Recycled Wool Scarf

Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon

Wrap yourself up in it, twist it into a long scarf, use it as a travelling blanket, shawl or pashmina - you’ll certainly not run out of uses for this recycled wool blanket from the Tartan Blanket Co. They do traditionally shaped scarves, too, but these blankets, woven in India from recycled fibres, are just so versatile. We reckon they're a great alternative to a pashmina-style scarf, and will be a hugely useful and practical addition to your wardrobe.

Key specs

• Material: 70% recycled wool, 30% mixed fibres

• Size: 145 x 190cm

10. Best faux fur scarf: Helen Moore Pom Button Faux Fur Collar

Price: £42 | Buy now from Amazon

"Helen Moore for good faux fur hats and accessories when winter really starts to bite.... just leaving that thought here" - (Rated by XingMing)

Oh the absolute glamour! Ok, so you aren’t going to wear it every day (or are you?) but everyone needs one of these beautiful faux fur stoles in their wardrobe. Great over party dresses in the winter, or to give vintage styling to a summer occasion dress (check out the truffle shade)  they are not just super-soft and cosy, but look absolutely stunning. This would look gorgeous with a tailored winter coat, or to accessorise a work suit. There's a huge colour range, including pastels - perfect for winter wedding bridesmaid wear!

Key specs

• Material: Faux fur with velvet lustre lining

• Size: N/A

11. Best print scarf: Louise Gardiner Cosmic Bloom Scarf

Price: £195 | Buy now from Louise Gardiner

"I love Louise Gardiner’s prints" - (Rated by MalagaNights)

If you want wearable art, look no further than one of the designs from Louise Gardiner. These stunning silk scarves are an investment piece and the workmanship and creativity is second to none. This is a real statement scarf, that will get everyone talking, and that you’ll never tire of wearing.

Key specs

• Material: Silk

• Size: 137 x 137cm

What’s the best material for a scarf?

For warmth, you can't beat wool, and for a luxe scarf to compliment evening wear, silk, velvet, or faux fur is your friend - but bear in mind you'll be looking at dry cleaning or very careful hand-washing every few wears. If you're after a day-to-day accessorising scarf to drape over a top or fill the collar of your denim or biker jacket for the school run, go for something you can throw in the washing machine: viscose or polyester will make life a lot easier!

How long should a scarf be?

How long is a piece of string! If you want a warm scarf to keep the chill off your neck and chest on your commute, then go for a traditional shape that you can wind round a couple of times, or fasten French loop/Hoxton knot style. Wanting more of a shawl style to drape round your shoulders? Go as big as you can find. For neckerchief or head-scarf tying, look for length over width for the perfect finish.

What’s the best women’s scarf to buy?

We chose the Seasalt Scarf because it was a gorgeous design, and buyers raved about its softness and warmth, as well as its excellent quality at a good price. And as well as being a little bit of affordable luxury for our own wardrobes, it would also make a lovely gift, too.

How we chose our recommendations

Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out what type of scarves Mumsnet users had bought. We checked out the types they recommended for being stylish, functional, and well-priced. We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which scarves had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customer reviews said about them.

Having collated all that information, we picked the top 10 scarves we thought would make the best buys.

Why you should trust us

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