The Luxe Accessory Every French Woman Wears on Repeat

A collage of French women's winter outfits with scarves.

If you scroll through Who What Wear on any given day, you'd most likely glean that we love French fashion. One might assume that our infatuation is rooted in the styling in Netflix's breakout show Emily in Paris, starring our former cover star Lily Collins. In truth, we were about French fashion long before it became a part of the broader zeitgeist. From searching Paris's runways for trends to scouring our feeds for outfit inspiration, we can't get enough of everything French adjacent, so it's only natural that we turned to them again when thinking about ways to make winter outfits feel more luxurious.

After much research, we concluded that only one winter-ready accessory is the key to replicating that je ne sais quoi that's innate to French women: cashmere scarves. Though it may seem trivial, this accessory can make any outfit look more elegant and make any person (no matter where they live) feel chic. In an effort to prove the power of this piece, we found examples of how French women are wearing this luxurious winter accessory. Plus, we rounded up the 32 best cashmere scarves across the internet based on price point, sustainability, and wearability. Keep scrolling to see how this plush accessory plays a significant part in Parisian fashion.

A French woman standing in a park wearing a tan coat with a matching cashmere scarf, a tan handbag, jeans, and black ballet flats.

(Image credit: @lovisabarkman)

A French woman standing outside wearing a black cape scarf over a red leather jacket with a red leather skirt, black tights, and red pumps.

(Image credit: @thevisuelofgrace)

A French woman standing outside wearing a checkered cashmere scarf over a black coat, black sweater, baggy jeans, and chunky white sneakers.

(Image credit: @leasy_inparis)

A French woman standing outside wearing black sunglasses, gold earrings, a brown cashmere scarf, a gray blazer, black leather gloves, and black pants.

(Image credit: @sylviemus_)

A French woman standing outside wearing a tan cashmere scarf with an olive green coat, tan bag, and tan knee-high boots.

(Image credit: @aida.bdji)

French woman wearing a checked scarf with a white coat and light wash jeans.

(Image credit: @melodiebanfield)

French woman wearing a skinny scarf with a matching sweater, a gray pleated skirt, and a long black coat.

(Image credit: @fakerstrom)

Woman wearing an all-black outfit with a black scarf.

(Image credit: @frannfyne )

This post was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Jasmine Fox-Suliaman
Freelance Fashion Editor

Jasmine Fox-Suliaman is a freelance writer and editor living in New York City. What began as a pastime (blogging on Tumblr) transformed into a lifelong passion for unveiling the connection between fashion and culture on the internet and in real life. Over the last decade, she's melded her extensive edit and social background to various on-staff positions at Who What Wear, MyDomaine, and Byrdie. More recently, she’s become a freelance contributor to other publications including Vogue, Editorialist, and The Cut. Off the clock, you can find her clutching her cell phone as she's constantly scrolling through TikTok and The RealReal, in search of the next cool thing.