As the year transitions out of summer and into fall, the bi-annual clothing swap happens. Out with the shorts, in with the jackets. Sandals out. Boots in. And there, amongst the flotsam and jetsam, you spot it: a long swath of fabric. As you correctly deduced, it’s not a veil. Or a very long, abandoned sleeve. No, it’s the scarf. The scarf is the accessory that everyone wears better than you, and it’s frustrating and stupid to the point that you say, “Screw it. I’m not wearing a scarf this year.” Here’s the thing though: it gets better.

There’s a new way to tie a scarf or an edgy way of letting it dangle off of your body, and to that, I say, Do not lie to these people. There are only two ways to wear a scarf. And it comes down to one question.

Here it is:

Are you wearing a jacket?

Yes.

Wonderful. Look at you, you warm gent. When you’re wearing a jacket or coat, the scarf conundrum becomes much easier. What you’re going to do is fold that scarf into two equal lengths, with the ends touching. Put that around the back of your neck and pull the loose ends through the loop on the other side. Tuck the slack into the buttoned or zipped up part of your jacket. Boom, you’re done.

You might say, “But isn’t that a cheat?” and I say, “Negative, ghost rider.” That’s the easy, classic way to sport a scarf. To paraphrase Marshall Mathers, “I do know one thing though. Scarf trends they come and go.” A classic loop-and-pull-through approach is all you need, and the perfect bonus is that if you’ve been leaning in on those savory fall and winter foods, the loop-and-pull-through is the accessory version of the turtleneck, hiding all signs of that double chin. Bless this scarf.