Everybody loves the Fall. Being mid-October, we’re thick in the middle of pumpkin-flavored this and apple-spice that. Personally we can’t get enough of it. A million girls in Uggs and North Face could never trample our enthusiasm for Autumn, and we’re savoring every day of it.

A large part of the reason we enjoy it so much is that we get to wear scarves again. A good scarf is easily and absolutely our favorite fashion accessory. The only thing we don’t like about scarves is that it’s really difficult to resist buying more of them.

Henry Miller

Paul Auster.

Italo Calvino.

Now, you may not have need of an entire drawer devoted to scarves, but with an infinite number of patterns and colors and lengths and materials available, we’d encourage you not to stop at just one. All of the scarves we own fall into one of three categories, each of which has its own purpose and price range.

Under $25 The everyday scarf. Pick one that’s solid or fairly plain and matches your favorite coat. Go for something like acrylic that’s cheap and comfortable. This one’s just for wearing around and keeping warm.

$25-$50 If you do end up with a scarf collection, most of them should be of this category. You can get some pretty nice scarves for around fifty bucks, especially if you wait until Spring or are buying at a Marshall’s/TJ Maxx type store. Scarves also make great gifts to give and receive with no sizing and universal appeal. If you’re spending $40-$50, go for something classic that will grab some attention but still go with most things; houndstooth or checks and the like.

Over $50 There’s so much quality and variety in the mid-market, you’re not going to want to splurge too much, but if you should happen to find yourself in a shop in the Scottish Highlands, browsing over a handmade cashmere 6 foot scarf with a fuck-off Tartan pattern that’ll stand out in a snowstorm 3 miles away, go ahead and buy it. You won’t regret it.

So go forth in warmth Baltimore, and take a cue from some of the century’s greatest writers. A good book, a hot cup of coffee and an overdose of wool can take a man pretty far in life.