How to Wear a Shawl With a Long Dress

If you think that shawls are old-fashioned and only something that aged people wear, well, you are wrong! A shawl is a versatile piece of garment that can be worn in so many different ways. It doesn't just keep you warm but if worn the right way, it can also make a great style statement! In this article, we show you some creative ways of how to wear a shawl.

You can use either a shawl or a scarf for this. Look elegant and effortlessly fashionable at the same time with these great shawl styles.

How to Wear a Shawl?

A shawl can be worn in many ways. The Europeans wear it in certain ways, the Arabs in completely different ways and South Asians also have a way to wear a shawl.

Some Simple Ways to Wear a Shawl

The traditional way

This is a timeless way of wearing a shawl that'd never go out of style. Nothing can be more comforting than a soft shawl draped around your shoulders giving the ultimate feeling of warmth on a cold day. This is a great style and goes very well with ethnic outfits. You can wear it over kaftans, kurtas/ kurtis, ethnic suits, sarees and a host of other traditional dresses. Since it complements a traditional outfit so well, this style is great to be worn at weddings and other functions. Wrap yourself with a shawl in the traditional way and let people think of you every time they think of 'elegance'.

Wear it as a dupatta

Replace your dupatta with a shawl. This also works great when you are a little uncertain about the weather but also don't want to take the risk of not carrying a shawl. Well, this style is your savior in such times! Wear it as a dupatta and if the weather gets too cold, just use it as a shawl to stay warm- that's two birds with one stone!

Use it like a scarf

How to Wear a Shawl? - The Ultimate Tutorial 1

The best way to wear a shawl scarf is by draping it around your neck. This is a classic style that is also quite stylish. You can wear this with western outfits. Adding a jacket over your outfit would give you a great look. Wearing high boots will add oomph to your complete look. This is one of the best ways you can style a shawl/ scarf.

This is how to wear a shawl wrap:

Take your favorite shawl/ scarf and drape it around your neck in any way that you may like. That's it, you are done. This is one of the simplest ways of wearing a scarf.

Creative Ways to Wear a Shawl

Wear it like a poncho:

Did you know that you could wear your scarf/ shawl like a poncho? Well, now you do! This is one of the best ways of how to wear a large scarf shawl or any other shawl. This is how you do it:

Take a shawl and drape it across your shoulders. Don't fold/ crease it and drape the whole shawl across the shoulders. Its ends should be at the front.
Take a few safety pins.

How to Wear a Shawl? - The Ultimate Tutorial 2

As you can see in the picture, there is a gap between the shawl at the front. You need to close this gap with a few pins. You should need around 3 to 4 pins for this.

The picture below is what it should look like after securing it with pins.

And there you have it! A shawl draped like a beautiful poncho!

How to Wear a Shawl? - The Ultimate Tutorial 3

As the last step, you just need to turn the pinned part of the shawl on your left/ right shoulder.

Belt it:

Another way of wearing a shawl is with the help of a belt. This is a great style for the days when it isn't that cold out but you still need a layer of protection to stay warm. This style works very well with western outfits and can be worn over jeans and over dresses as well.

Here is how to do this style:

Take any belt of your choice.
Drape the shawl across your shoulders the same as you'd need to do in the previous style mentioned above.
The shawl should cover only half of your hands i.e. till your elbows.
Tie a belt around your waist and you are done!
The image below is what your end result should look like.

Wear it as a shrug:

Yes, your shawl can also be made to become a shrug! Sounds interesting, right? This is another super creative way of draping a shawl. It gives a very boho kind of look.

Here are the steps to converting a shawl to a shrug

Take your favorite shawl/ scarf.
Take an end of your scarf and bring it to the middle of the longer side of the scarf. Tie a knot there.
Repeat the same process with the other long side of your scarf.
Put your arms through the places where you have tied the two knots.

Voila, your scarf shrug is ready! This is one of the best ways of how to wear a large scarf shawl.

Wear a scarf this way and impress everyone with your creative skills.

The Waterfall Style:

This is yet another wonderful style with an interesting name. This is, again, a scarf-like style. But, you can use either a scarf or a shawl for this.

Here is how you can create the waterfall style:

Drape the scarf/ shawl around your neck.
Its ends should be at the front and one end needs to be longer than the other end.
Now, take the longer end and make a loop around your neck with it.
Take the same end again. Separate its two ends. And then take it at the back of your neck again and tuck it there.
Your waterfall style scarf is done.

The picture below shows what your end result should look like:

How to Wear a Shawl? - The Ultimate Tutorial 4

The Hoodie Style:

This is yet another great style of how to wear a shawl wrap. You can make your shawl function as a hood with this creative style. This style works great when you want to cover your ears from the cold.

The following are the steps to creating this beautiful style:

Take your scarf/ shawl.
Open it completely.
Fold it in a triangle by joining any two opposite ends.
Drape the shawl around your shoulder with the two ends at the front.
Now, take it over your head. Take one of the ends and take it on your opposite shoulder to secure it.

Your hoodie-style scarf wrap is done!

Asymmetrical Wrap:

Another way that a scarf can give you a great look is by dropping it in an asymmetric manner. There are no rules to this way of draping. Wear it the way that you find most comfortable. This is a great style for all those super cold days.

With a know at the back:

This is another simple style that looks great on any outfit. It looks especially great with flowy dresses.

Here is how you can do this style:

Take a shawl/ scarf.
Open it completely.
Now, drape it around your shoulders in such a way that the ends of the scarf hang at the back.
Now, take both the ends of the scarf hanging at the back and tie a knot with it.

And, you are done!

How to Wear a Shawl: For Men

Who says that only women can wear shawls? Men can too! Here are some great ways of how to wear a shawl as a scarf for men.

Just drape it:

One of the best ways men can wear a scarf/ shawl is by just draping it around their necks. It can be topped off with a jacket for a more stylish look.

Wearing it as a muffler:

A shawl or scarf is very versatile and men can wear it as a muffler too.

The Knot:

This is another very simple way that men can use to wear a scarf or a shawl.

How to do it:

Take a shawl or a scare and drape it around your neck with the ends at the front.
One end should be kept longer than the other.
Take the longer end and make a knot at the shorter end.
You are done!

This is a classic style that looks clean and stylish.

The Parisian Knot:

Yes, this style also looks as stylish as it sounds. This looks very classy and also provides great warmth during cold temperatures.

How to tie the Parisian knot:

Fold the scarf in half, widthwise.
Now, fold it lengthwise.
Then, drape the scarf around your neck.
Now, take the one loose ends and pass it through the hole that was formed when the scarf was folded.
Tighten the scarf a little and you are done!

The image below is what the end result should look like.

Over to You

That's it, folks! In this article, we shared some great ways of how to wear a shawl, how to wear a shawl as a scarf and how to wear a shawl wrap. We hope you liked them and found them useful. Out of all the great shawl draping styles mentioned above, which one is your most favorite?

If you would like to have a look at our collection of Pashmina Shawls and Woolen Stoles , please visit our shopping page.