By Oliver Harry - Founder, Ghini Como, Argegno, Lake Como
Quick facts: silk twilly as a bag charm
- The silk twilly (5-8cm wide, 85-120cm long) is well-suited for bag styling because the narrow proportions allow it to wrap, knot, and hang from hardware without the bulk a folded square scarf creates
- A silk twill twilly grips bag hardware more securely than satin-weave alternatives because the diagonal rib structure creates friction between the fabric layers, preventing the scarf from sliding down the handle during use
- The three primary attachment points on a handbag suitable for a silk scarf are the handle, the D-ring or shoulder strap ring, and the carabiner clip, each producing a different visual result from the same piece of fabric
- Silk bag charms became a significant luxury accessories trend from the late 1990s onward, largely driven by Hermès customers tying twillies to their Birkin and Kelly handles as a personalisation device, a practice that has since become standard across the luxury accessories market
- A 70x70cm silk scarf can be used on a bag handle but requires tight rolling to approximately 2-3cm wide to avoid bunching, making the twilly the more practical format for most bag handles and hardware
Silk twilly as a bag charm: the complete styling guide
Silk twilly scarves offer a much-needed splash of colour and character to your everyday outfits, and never is this more true than with silk twilly bag styling.
Bag charms are trending hard at the moment, and while leather charms can be cute, a silk twilly is cuter still, and provides a far more sophisticated look (although we might be biased...).
However, while many people love the idea of styling a silk twilly on their handbag, they feel intimidated with the prospect of tying the bow correctly, and looking silly if they get it wrong.
That's why we have created a complete styling guide for tying a silk twilly scarf on your bag:
Which scarf format works best on a bag
The twilly is the correct format for most bag attachment methods for a straightforward geometric reason.
At 5-8cm wide and 85-120cm long, it rolls to a cord of approximately 1.5cm in diameter, which is the right thickness to wrap cleanly around a standard bag handle, thread through a D-ring, or attach to a carabiner clip without creating the bunching and excess fabric that a rolled square produces on narrower hardware.
A 70x70cm silk scarf can work on a bag, but it requires rolling considerably tighter to manage the volume of fabric, and the result on a short or narrow handle tends to look thick rather than elegant.
Where the square silk scarf does work well is on a larger tote with a generous handle circumference, where the additional fabric volume fills the handle proportionally rather than overwhelming it.
For structured top-handle bags, crossbody straps, and any hardware attachment, the twilly is simply the more practical choice.
The three attachment methods
The handle wrap
Roll the twilly lengthways to approximately 1.5cm wide. Hold the midpoint of the twilly against the midpoint of the bag handle.
Wrap both ends in opposite directions along the handle, each spiralling outward toward the end of the handle.
When both ends reach the base of the handle where it meets the bag body, tie them together in a flat knot tucked underneath so it sits out of sight from the front.
The wrap should be firm enough to stay in place through a day of use, but not so tight that the silk distorts against the hardware. This produces a fully covered handle with the print visible along its length.
The bow at the D-ring
Thread the twilly through the D-ring or between the handle and the bag body at one end of the handle, pulling it to the midpoint so both ends are equal.
Tie in a double bow directly at the attachment point, leaving the loops at approximately 4-5cm each.
Rather than covering the handle, this puts a deliberate detail at the corner of the bag, which suits smaller structured bags where a full handle wrap would be disproportionately dominant.
The Laglio Navy against tan leather is the combination that reads as intentional rather than decorative.
The larks head drop
Fold the twilly in half to find the centre point. Fold the doubled fabric into a loop at that midpoint and attach it to a carabiner clip, D-ring, or chain link by passing the two loose ends through the loop and pulling tight (a larks head knot).
The two ends hang freely below the attachment point and move with the bag rather than being fixed to it.
This is the most relaxed of the three methods and works on any bag with a hardware attachment point, the silk swaying freely as the bag moves rather than sitting neatly against the handle.
Which colourways work best
The bag charm works as a detail rather than a statement, which means the silk should complement the bag rather than compete with it.
Navy silk against tan, camel, or cognac leather is the most reliable combination because the contrast is clear without being jarring.
Cream or ivory against dark leather (black, chocolate, or deep burgundy) works on the same principle.
Where the bag charm tends to fail is when the silk and the leather are too close in tone, which produces a result that reads as accidental rather than considered, and when the print scale is too large for the attachment method being used.
The Laglio twilly at 5cm wide hits the correct scale for all three attachment methods above, narrow enough to wrap and hang cleanly without the fabric overwhelming the bag's hardware or silhouette.
Oliver Harry is the founder of Ghini Como, a luxury silk scarf brand based in the Province of Como, Italy. He lives in Argegno on the western shore of Lake Como.
