Many men tend to wear clothes that have a functional purpose. That is, they may desire to be fashionable but often they choose clothes that are designed to do a job (cover, protect, keep warm, etc.). Many men's clothes were designed in this way for many years, leaving little room for fashion sensibilities... especially on the job. Today's man, though, has many more options and men's fashion is a growing industry allowing for men to look great and enjoy functionality in their clothes.

One item that should be in the fashionable man's wardrobe is the mens cashmere scarf. While the stereotype might be that real men don't wear scarves, the reality is that it can be cold and men need to stay healthy and warm no matter what the weather. The result? Gorgeous scarves that look great on men.

Mens scarves come in vivid but subdued colors and stick fairly closely to the basic color groups. No periwinkle blue or azure. Instead, there will be various shades of blues, greens, reds, oranges, and yellows... but all fairly safe. After all, there simply isn't the variety of color in men's clothes that there are in women's clothes. And mens scarves fit the bill.

If you are man buying a mens cashmere scarf for yourself or you are a woman thinking about buying a scarf for your man, how do you know what to get? One benefit of the man's wardrobe - especially the business suit - is that they so often come in black or dark blue. And many colors work well with both.

Avoid any mens scarves that are shiny or shimmery or have fringes. Instead, stick with bold but subdued colors that are solid, without fringes, and are in a soft, non-reflective material. Cashmere, pashmina, and wool are great looking scarves to get... very difficult to go wrong.

If you do get mens scarves that are patterned, find ones that are not pattered with too large of a pattern: a very small check or a thin stripe will do the trick nicely. Because these scarves are primarily only worn outdoors (unlike women's scarves which can be typically worn indoors or outdoors, depending on the kind of scarf it is), you don't have to do a lot of matching because these scarves will often be worn with a fairly plain, usually dark colored coat.

Here are some great combinations to consider:

...Pair a long, thin white or off white scarf with a leather jacket for the world war one fighter pilot look.

...If you're wearing a long wool trench coat, find a tightly knit scarf or a pashmina scarf in a forest green. It looks great. If the trench coat is black, as so many of them are, mens scarves in orange, or red also look fantastic. These scarves should not be too long.

...For casual evening and weekend wear, a looser knit scarf - perhaps slightly longer - will look great with a three quarter length jacket.