Forget Silk Scarves—Fashion People Everywhere Are Tying This Fall Essential Around Their Waists Instead

Whether you spent the summer at Surf Lodge, Borough Market, Malibu Country Mart, or just relaxing on your couch scrolling through your phone, there’s a 99.9% chance you noticed the silk-scarf styling trend. If you were partying in Saint-Tropez and missed it, then fashion people were transforming silk scarves into belts, tying them around their waists so that the scarf draped diagonally across their hips with the longer end on one side. While many have continued to wear scarves this way, a new styling technique is gaining popularity among insiders, and it involves plaid shirts.

First, let me clarify: Yes, the plaid print is back for fall 2025. It reappeared with the spring/summer 2025 collections (think Bottega Veneta, ACNE Studios, and The Row) in a slightly softer look than in the early 2000s when it was initially popular. After that, more designers and the fashion crowd embraced it, and the rest is history. Now, plaid shirts are everywhere, offered by brands such as Proenza Schouler, Miu Miu, H&M, and COS. Even celebrities like Elsa Hosk and Emily Ratajkowski are sporting them.

Fast-forward to the fall/winter 2025 collections, and we saw designers reinvent the plaid shirt as more of an accessory and styling prop. For example, at Kallmeyer’s show during New York Fashion Week, the American designer presented a trouser look finished with a black-and-white plaid tie, not a shirt, attached to the pants and wrapped around the waist. Whether this look inspired fashion people or not, it has since been everywhere—layered over Bermuda shorts, pleated trousers, maxi dresses, and everyday jeans—and is expected to grow even more as we head into winter.

If yo​​u’re on the fence about the trend, I have four outfits that’ll change your mind. Keep scrolling to see them and shop the pieces needed to re-create the looks this fall.

A solid-colored tee, jeans, and a leather belt are an outfit formula that always works and looks chic; however, if you’re bored with the look, consider swapping your belt for a plaid shirt. Tying a plaid shirt around your waist is a cool and fresh styling hack that instantly elevates even the simplest outfits. The trick works because it breaks up the wardrobe basics while adding pattern and color.