The coolest summer accessory is already hiding in your bottom drawer

What We're Thinking is a weekly take on the fashion issues and questions on our minds – from what we adore to what we abhor.

In my life, both professional and personal, I often find myself asking, "WWLAD", which translates to "What would Lisa Aiken do?"

Aiken is the fashion director of online retailer Moda Operandi, and formerly of Net-a-Porter. She is also one incredibly stylish lady. When she dresses, women the world over pay attention. I've had the pleasure of chatting to Aiken a few times in Sydney, New York and London and not only does she have one of the best "eyes" in the industry, she never, ever looks as though she tried too hard.

Last week, Aiken stepped out at London Fashion Week with a scarf tied around the waist of her white maxi-dress by New Zealand designer Wynn Hamlyn. Suddenly, I wanted to tie a scarf, sarong style, around the waist of everything I owned. My jeans, my black pants, my ...

But just as I thought Aiken had cracked a major style hack for all the pretty silk scarves that are laying waste at the back of my drawer, she confessed: "I would love to say that the tied scarf was a savvy styling trick but it is actually the very clever @wynnhamlyn," she posted on Instagram.

Burberry showed a neat trick in scarf-tying in London.Credit: Sipa USA

Still, Aiken was definitely on to something as just days later, nay hours even, several designers were doing fancy things with squares of printed silk up and down the catwalks of the city the world's most famous scarf wearer, the Queen, calls home.

At Burberry, scarves were tied, apron style, over skirts, and then back to the front, to create a sarong-cum-belt (a "barong", perhaps?) effect. At Regina Pyo, they were worn, somewhat conventionally, as simple bandanas. And at Erdem, scarves were dramatically tied around necks and under wide-brim hats, two ideas that ought to get your spring racing inspiration pumping.

Wynn Crawshaw, who started Wynn Hamlyn five years ago, has used scarves aplenty in the upcoming resort collection, on blazers, sleeveless vest dresses and skirts.

The designer shrugged off suggestions he was ahead of the international brands when it came to reviving the trend.

"For me, scarves first came up when I was designing resort '20, and they were part of the inspiration of that collection," he said. "The collection was about Crystal Voyager, a surf film from 1973. Scarves were in vogue at that time.

"What I discovered was they are actually a super versatile accessory that can be bought as part of a garment but then rearranged and worn in different ways, which is also what people did back in 1973. From my perspective, they are popping up in collections right now as people are trying to introduce 'heritage-esque' elements that customers seem to be searching for."