By Oliver Charles Harry - Founder and Creative Director of Ghini Como, a silk scarf brand based in Argegno on Lake Como
Quick facts: silk scarf sizes
- A silk twilly is a long, narrow scarf - typically 5-8cm wide and 85-120cm long - originally developed as a practical accessory for tying through bag handles, around ponytails, and at the wrist, where a square scarf would be too bulky to knot cleanly
- The standard luxury silk square scarf measures 70x70cm, which is the dimension at which a folded triangle produces a neck knot with sufficient fabric to tie securely without either end being too short to drape correctly
- Hermès produces their classic carré at 90x90cm, their maxi-twilly at 8x120cm, and their standard twilly at 5x86cm - the proportional difference between these formats reflects different intended wear positions and styling methods
- A 70x70cm square scarf folds to a working triangle of approximately 99cm on the long edge, which is the minimum length required to tie a standard neck knot with two visible ends
- Twillies became commercially significant in the 1990s as a bag-accessory format and have grown into one of the most versatile formats in the luxury scarf market, with applications across neck, wrist, hair, and bag styling that a square scarf cannot replicate cleanly at the same scale
Silk scarf sizes explained: twilly vs square - which is right for you?
The choice between a twilly and a square silk scarf is frequently misunderstood as a matter of preference, when it is more accurately a functional question about where and how the scarf will be worn.
The two formats have different geometries, different drape properties, and different practical applications, and choosing the wrong format for a specific intended use produces a result that looks wrong regardless of the quality of the silk or the design.
For example, a square scarf tied around a bag handle looks bulky and unresolved where a twilly would look precise, and a twilly worn as a neck scarf cannot produce the full-drape triangle knot that a 70x70cm square creates naturally.
Understanding why requires understanding what each format is actually designed to do.
What a twilly is and what it was designed for
The twilly (from the French touille, a type of twill fabric, though the word as applied to scarves is largely a modern coinage) is a long, narrow strip of woven silk, typically between 5 and 8cm wide and between 85 and 120cm long.
Its proportions are not arbitrary - the width is narrow enough to fold into a neat cord of approximately 1.5 to 2cm when rolled lengthways, which is the correct diameter for tying cleanly through a bag handle, wrapping around a bag strap, or forming a precise knot at the wrist without the bulk that a folded square would create.
The format became commercially established in its current proportions through Hermès, whose standard twilly measures 5x86cm, though the format has since been adopted across the luxury accessories market because its utility is genuinely distinct from that of the square.
A twilly at these proportions can be worn in ways that a square scarf physically cannot produce cleanly.
It can be tied flat around the handle of a handbag in a full-length wrap with the ends tucked; knotted at the wrist as a bracelet substitute with the two tails trailing; tied at the base of a ponytail or bun with the ends loose; and worn as a choker-height neck tie in a flat knot where a square folded small would be too thick and too short to maintain the correct proportions.
The twilly is also, practically, the lower-commitment entry point into a silk scarf wardrobe.
At £45 for a Ghini Como Laglio twilly versus £75 for a 70x70cm square, the price difference reflects the difference in silk content - a twilly uses significantly less fabric - and the twilly format allows someone who has never worn a silk scarf before to experiment with styling without the perceived intimidation of a large square.
What a square scarf is and what it was designed for
The 70x70cm square is the standard dimension for a luxury silk square scarf for a specific geometric reason: it is the minimum size at which the scarf, folded diagonally into a triangle, produces a long edge of sufficient length to tie a standard neck knot with two visible tails of proportionate length.
A square smaller than 65x65cm folds to a triangle too short to knot at the neck without the ends disappearing; a square larger than 90x90cm — the Hermès maxi format — produces a fold that is too bulky for most neck styling and is better worn as a shoulder wrap or a head scarf.
At 70x70cm, the folded triangle has a long edge of approximately 99cm. When that triangle is rolled or folded into a band and placed around the neck, the two ends are long enough to cross, knot once, and leave tails of 15 to 20cm - which is the proportional length at which the knot reads correctly against the collar.
This geometry is also what allows the square to work as a head scarf, a shoulder wrap, a wrist wrap in the larger style, and a bag accessory in the oversized knot format - though the last of these is where a twilly outperforms it.
The design possibilities of a 70x70cm square are significantly broader than a twilly in terms of styling range - it can be worn in at least a dozen distinct ways that produce genuinely different looks - but it requires more confidence and practice to style well, and it is a more visible, more dominant accessory than a twilly.
The practical differences in how each wears
Weight and drape
A 70x70cm square in 14 momme silk weighs approximately 30-35 grams, and when worn at the neck it drapes with a weight that keeps it positioned through movement.
A twilly at the same momme weight is significantly lighter (approximately 8-12 grams depending on length) which is why it holds its shape when tied through a bag handle but will not drape independently with the same fluidity as a square.
Versatility
The square scarf has more distinct styling options overall, but the twilly has more distinct styling options in the specific category of accessories and detail accents - bag ties, bracelet replacements, hair ties, and belt loops are all positions where the twilly's proportions work and the square's do not.
Occasion
A twilly is inherently a detail accessory, as it usually completes a look rather than defining it.
A square scarf worn at the neck is a statement piece that is the first thing people notice. If the intention is an understated daily luxury that can be added and removed easily throughout the day, the twilly serves that function more precisely.
If the intention is a considered wardrobe piece that changes the register of an outfit, the square does.
Which is right for you
The answer is almost always both, used for different purposes rather than as alternatives, since the two formats occupy genuinely different positions in how an accessory functions.
If a first purchase, a twilly at £45 is the correct entry point - lower risk, immediately useful across multiple styling positions, and an introduction to silk quality that makes the square an easy next step.
If the primary intended use is neck styling or a singular accessory statement, the square at 70x70cm is the correct format from the start.
Both Ghini Como formats are produced in the same 14 momme mulberry silk twill by the same Como mill, woven and finished within the province - the quality and provenance are identical.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to how you are planning to wear your scarf.
Oliver Charles Harry is the founder of Ghini Como, a silk scarf brand based in Como, Italy. He lives in Argegno on the western shore of Lake Como.
