Now that the heat – and humidity – are with us for the next three months, there’s nothing like a pretty silk scarf to cover the wild, swollen strands of summer. By day, you can rock it the way Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Marge did in The Talented Mr. Ripley – as a super-glam ponytail holder.

By night, create a chignon effect the way Tyra Banks did here (in a picture from the Italia spread) by smoothing it over your head and letting the scarf’s tails hang.
You can amp up the glam by knotting the scarf’s tails into a bun.

The coolest thing about the head scarf is it triples as a neck tie and shoulder throw – ‘cause in this economy it’s all about doubling your money. Speaking of, you can get the red Gucci scarf pictured above for 30% off on Bluefly.

To Jessica Alba…

…there aren’t many places these lightweight accessories haven’t been spotted. Even Rachael Ray has donned a jaunty scarf, though that didn’t work out so well for her.

You won’t see me sporting a scarf this summer. I get the arguments for: it’s an easy way to add color and pattern to an outfit. (Believe me, I went through a scarf phase about 10 years ago because I thought they were a professional way to add pizzazz to a suit. I had a very elaborate way of tying the fabric, that in retrospect, made me look like I had been decapitated and was trying to keep my head tied to my body through a small square of fabric and sheer force of will.)

Yeah, yeah, it’s versatile and can be balled up and thrown in a bag. Though I don’t quite buy the argument that a wispy piece of see-through fabric can offer any defense against full-force air conditioning. In my mind, a more substantial wrap or light jacket offers the same portability AND better insulating potential.

But here is my main argument against the scarf trend:

Gorgeous girl, cute tank. But the scarf…just no. If it’s hot enough to wear sleeveless and spaghetti straps, you don’t need to add any extra fabric around the neckular region. Has your neck ever been shivering cold while the rest of your body was sweltering? I rest my case. I would have loved to see this top paired with a colorful chunky necklace instead.

But I’m willing to be proven wrong. Do you sport a summer scarf? What do you like about the look? Is this something you’d like to see on your man, or are you saving this trend all for your own?