Terminator + the baby from Hangover
Summer arrives, bodies are exposed, and you rack your brains to maintain a killer style in simple jeans/T-shirt, any additional layer of clothing being doomed to failure and a transformation into a walking hammam. How do you stay cool in such a simple high-low combination? 
There are several solutions: have a body shaped like a calendar model for girls (like Justin "Preteen Magnet" Bieber opposite, who perfectly illustrates bad taste in clothing and the attraction that celebrity can exert), make combinations of absolutely sublime colors and cuts (not like the aforementioned), or “break” this simplicity with a strong accessory , such as a bracelet, ring or… scarf.
I really like scarves in summer : it's a quick and often very elegant to give character to this type of outfit. By choosing them light enough, you can get past the sweating aspect and can have American class without looking like a weird cross between Terminator and the baby from Hangover .
However, it's like everything, there are several colors, cuts (and prices 😉) that we will use for different purposes and occasions.
The stole
A generic term for any type of long, narrow scarf. Wearable on almost all occasions, outdoors, indoors, in the evening, on a backpacking trip in Afghanistan as the local populations prove to us every day, and when getting out of the shower over your towel (sisi, it's doable , read H2G2 – if you haven't already). 
You can find them almost everywhere and in all price ranges, from €15 (at H&M) to more than €250 (Faliero Sarti). The ideal is to get good value for money.
The disadvantage of the summer scarf is that it must be made of a light material, that is to say a material that is very pleasant to wear, quite fluid, not very thick and which does not tolerate cheapness, for a accessory which often only lasts the summer (unless you are very careful), but which you carry to the beach, to aperitifs, etc.
Materials
In terms of material: jerseys are very pleasant, whether viscose jersey (very light, very fluid, almost transparent, inexpensive... many advantages which are paid for by a lifespan close to that of a whale in the Sea of Japan) or cotton jersey (slightly thicker, less fluid, rougher to the touch).
A little higher in price, we find linen (easily maintained, a little rough, very “roots” appearance). However: cannot tolerate poor quality weaving (you can see it straight away) and wrinkles very quickly, which will make the scarf less fluid).
If you want to go more high-end, look for cashmere or silk veil (a way of weaving on a single stitch, which makes the scarves very fine, very beautiful, and extremely pleasant). However, these materials are quite expensive (nothing below €140) and very fragile.
Don't hesitate to look in the women's section of a store, you often come across models that are versatile enough to be worn by a man.
Addresses
In order of upscaling.
- Zara offers excellent scarves every summer at very competitive prices (~€20). Unfortunately, they don't hold up for two seconds compared to those in the range just above, for which you only need to add €20, whether in terms of the colors (dull) or the material (unpleasant). However, it is almost the only low-end PAP brand that offers such a choice.
- American Vintage makes superb monochrome scarves every year, ranging from €40 to €130 (for cashmere veils). By far my favorite address in this area 1 , to be found in store or on the e-store . FYI, AV scarves are quite long (around 1.80m) and therefore allow for fairly casual wear.
- John Smedley is an English cotton weaving specialist and excellent value for money. Although less stocked than AV, it makes magnificent cottons at very competitive prices, notably the Seasalter model in Bright red , Zingy bright yellow-green , Gray blue and Ice-cream , €40.
It is better to buy on its website (more choice), but for those allergic to online sales, you can find it in Paris in the Marais, at the Boutique Homme (32 rue des Blancs Manteaux), at Jacenko (rue de Poitou) and at Le Bon Marché.
-Glen Prince . Same niche and same prices overall as Smedley: however, they offer much looser scarves, almost towards plaid, and many more patterns (even if most of them are awful). They notably have beautiful colors, but which unfortunately fade very quickly. Question of dyeing undoubtedly.
This model , although very feminine, presents very interesting work on the material with different colored stitches which give a contrasting, somewhat “brick wall” appearance to the fabric. An absolutely magnificent white and red tartan pattern bordered with black on this second , a very virile play on polka dot shapes in this third , where the red model is particularly interesting, and a beautiful pattern with perfectly matched colors in the latter .
- Eric Bompard , the cashmere specialist, offers very beautiful cashmere voile scarves between €95 and €140. Very intense colors and a fluidity due to the material which make them very strong pieces (notably this model in Crystalline and Guava ).
One downside though, they tend to pill after two or three washes. As a reminder, fine cashmere such as Bompard can be washed cold (30°C), or by hand and does not wring out by twisting the fabric like a shirt or t-shirt, this breaks the stitch and sags the scarf. . No tumble dryer either, but hung, in the sun and in a ventilated place.
Unfortunately not all models are available on the e-shop, I advise you to take a look in the store.
- Faliero Sarti is the Rolls-Royce of scarves. Prices oscillating between €150 and €350, wildly audacious prints and knitwear. It is only found in France at l' Eclaireur , with prices accordingly and a magnificent finish.
1 American Vintage's specialty is color. They make very beautiful accessories and T-shirts in almost every shade imaginable (especially bamboo, rust or coral tones, very summery colors).
- Saynoha is a small brand that is emerging and which offers beautiful 100% cotton scarves made in the traditional way in Laos. I recommend them if you want to approach fresher colors than what you can come across in stores in France.
More tips on how to wear your clothes?
To go further, you can complete this reading with the guide to men's accessories .
And on questions like casual chic, casual outfits, or how to reconcile fashion and virility, we have written the Guide to the Stylish Man... Even Unshaven .
