Although scarves may be accessories, they are essential and have their own category in most stores. Yes, they keep your neck and shoulders warm, but they also add dimensions to an outfit like no other accessory.
Many of the top movie moments are graced by scarves—they may even have revolved around them without us realizing it. There are probably hundreds of them out there, but here are our top five choices, from classics to contemporary.
5. Audrey Hepburn’s Stunning Red Scarf in Funny Face (1957)
The five-minute modeling montage of Greenwich Village intellectual turned model Jo Stockton (played by Audrey Hepburn) is an iconic scene.
In the 1957 movie “Funny Face,” Audrey Hepburn, as bookstore clerk turned fashion model Jo Stockton, wears a red scarf wrapped around her neck while dancing in Paris (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
But the scarf moment was when she was traipsing down the Daru steps of the Louvre, dressed in a red Givenchy gown and a matching red scarf billowing above her head.
Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) glides down the Daru steps, holding a red scarf above her head in the film Funny Face (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
This is the scene when we believe Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) was finally smitten–and the audience as well. Stanley Donen directed the scene, and the song playing was “S’Wonderful,” written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and performed by Fred Astaire.
4. Renée Zellweger’s Chic Headscarf in Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Oh, Bridget. A holiday weekend out in the country with a gorgeous man (e.g., Hugh Grant) is enough to drive Grace Kelly’s illusions through a girl’s head.
Until that moment, where it flies off in the wind, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) looked especially classy in her monotone headscarf.
Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) looks gleeful in her headscarf on her ride to the country with Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) (Credit: Universal Pictures)
If she had chosen this pink, sequined Valentino, there might’ve been more weight to hold it down, or at least it would’ve looked good with that top.
Valentino Sequin Scarf, $916.30
3. The Girl with the Green Scarf: Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
The Girl with the Green Scarf isn’t exactly a scene. Still, we all confess to wanting our own crinkled Kelly green scarf as soon as Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is baptized with the pseudonym by the handsome finance editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy).
Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is the shopaholic financial journalist Girl With the Green Scarf (Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Patricia Field, the costume designer and stylist for the film, designed the green scarf Isla Fisher wore in the movie.
“We haven’t been using scarves very much, and all it takes is the right scarf. I just did a movie called Confessions of a Shopaholic and it was about a girl in a green scarf, and it plays very heavily in the storyline so I had to come up with a scarf that was different and people could get excited about. It was basically two triangles connected at the points and it’s pleated and you can wrap it around your neck or lay it on your shoulders and it does everything a scarf should do. I really love accessories, because really we all wear the same basic shapes but it’s accessories that make us stand out. Whether you’re Bill Gates or Average Joe, you wear a collared shirt,” the well-known costume designer and stylist told Glamour in 2008.
In the 2009 movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” Isla Fisher’s character Rebecca Bloomwood is often seen wearing a green scarf, which is a significant accessory that represents her love for fashion and shopping (Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
If you want something more polished, you can go for Pierre-Louis Mascia’s two-toned silk and cashmere blend scarf, although you can order the real thing from the movie’s stylist, Patricia Field.
Pierre Louis-Mascia Scarf, $266.17
2. Susan Sarandon’s Iconic Headscarf in Thelma & Louise (1991)
The 1991 American road crime comedy-drama film Thelma & Louise paved the way for female road trip movies and made the headscarf an official trend after Susan Sarandon, playing feisty Arkansas waitress Louise Sawyer, put it on with a pair of fierce sunglasses.
The iconic Polaroid shot of Louise (Susan Sarandon) and Thelma (Geena Davis) with the headscarf plus sunglasses combo (Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Louise Sawyer goes on a road trip with her friend Thelma, played by Geena Davis. She is often seen wearing a headscarf, which becomes an iconic and defining accessory for her character.
The headscarf worn by Susan Sarandon’s character has become an iconic symbol of the movie, and it is still remembered as one of the most iconic fashion pieces worn in a movie to date (Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
There is style amidst the chaos and the drama, and if you want to get the look, any scarf will do. But we thought Alexander McQueen’s floral grey pashmina is an excellent mix of moody and chic.
Alexander McQueen Floral Scarf, $444.10
1. Meryl Streep’s Hermès Elegance in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
We put the most stylish of them on Number 1, platinum blonde editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (impeccably played by Meryl Streep).
If you didn’t read the book, you missed that a white Hermès scarf was the character’s staple item. But we love how every designer scarf, wrap, and stole was her thing in the film.
Meryl Streep is Hermès scarf-wearing, stone-cold editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (Credit: 20th Century Fox)
In honor of the mother of all fashion-themed books turned movies, this Hermes Vintage Bookshelf printed scarf reminds us of the scary but strong Miranda Priestly.
Hermès Vintage Bookshelf Printed Scarf, $1,348.03
Scarves have undeniably played pivotal roles in cinematic fashion, but they’re just one of many accessories that have left lasting impressions on the big screen. Footwear, for instance, has been central to many iconic movie moments. From Dorothy’s ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz to Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahniks in Sex and the City, shoes have helped define characters and style trends. Learn more about these and other memorable movie shoes in our dedicated article on iconic footwear.
Similarly, jackets have shaped characters and set trends in film history. Think of Marlon Brando’s leather jacket in The Wild One or Keanu Reeves’ trench coat in The Matrix—these pieces are as iconic as the movies themselves. Explore our feature on timeless outerwear in cinema for more examples of famous movie jackets.
Dresses, too, have created some of the most unforgettable moments on the silver screen. From Audrey Hepburn’s black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Marilyn Monroe’s white halter dress in The Seven Year Itch, these outfits have become symbols of elegance and glamour. Dive deeper into the world of famous movie dresses with our compilation of iconic cinematic gowns.
