Man Scarf
Forget the footie fleece or even the business tie - the hottest fashion in menswear this winter is the man scarf.
Dubbed the marf, the scarves are the menswear staple for blokes wanting fashion with function.
From simply knotted woollens to elaborately-tied cravats, men of all ages are donning the marf to look sexy while keeping warm.
Ash Ali, 29, owns about eight marfs and agrees they are becoming popular.
“I’d normally wear a T-shirt and then use the scarf to flower it up a bit,” Mr Ali said yesterday.
Fellow marf wearer Sam Cochrane said the marf fitted in between the formal and the casual.
“It’s good middle ground if you don’t wear a jacket,” said the 26-year-old from Sydney’s Surry Hills, who owns many.
“You take a chance though - the risk of looking feminine in the way you tie your scarf. I wouldn’t be surprised if guys might put other guys down for wearing it.
“But if you’re old enough to wear a scarf, you’re old enough to handle the put down.”
Colin Cole has worked in menswear for 44 years, half that time managing Tie Rack at the MLC Centre, and has noticed a surge in marf demand.
“More men are treating scarves like fashion accessories,” he said.
“It used to be that businessmen were buying just plain black or grey lamb’s wool just to keep warm. But now they’re more fashion conscious and moving into chunky cable knits.”
Lowes Menswear accessories buyer Stan Kaczor said marf demand had rocketed, with sales rising 35 per cent compared with this time last year.
He said buyers were opting for woven, cotton scarves, which were a current summer trend in Europe.