In 1856, Thomas Burberry was 21, a former draper's apprentice, and he opened his first shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire, at No. 20 Winchester Street. Twenty-three years later he invented gabardine, a tightly woven cloth that kept rain out while the wearer could still breathe. That is the story I think about every October, when the first cold morning sends me looking for something to wrap around my neck.

That is why a Burberry scarf makes sense to me as more than a logo on fringe. The house started as a practical outfitter, and the check began in the 1920s as a lining for rainwear, glimpsed rather than shown. It then wandered out of the coat and onto scarves. The brand's own line on the check scarf is that it is woven in Scotland from cashmere in over 40 shades, a coat lining worn on the outside.

So start with the cashmere check ones, because that is where the story lives. The Check Cashmere Scarf in Finch Beige is the camel classic with fringed ends, and the product page says it comes from a Scottish mill founded in 1797. I would wear it with a navy coat and plain denim and leave it alone. The Bow Pink version is the one for a gray wool coat when you want one soft color near your face. Marlborough Charcoal is the quiet pick for a black overcoat. If you like the pattern bigger, the Classic Giant Check in Archive Beige is the one I would reach for, and the Giant Check in Burgundy goes deep and rich with a camel jacket.

Before you commit, hold the fringe up and look at how the check lines up at the ends, and check the label for where it was made. Then drape it over your forearm as if it were a coat sleeve: it should fall, not stand.

The silk scarves are where the brand lets the check relax. Burberry's own scarf page describes silk twill scarves printed with checks, florals and archive artwork, and that range shows up here. The Watercolor Check Silk Scarf in Archive Beige is a square with a tan border, and the Cornflower Blue version turns the same idea into a floral. Both are 100% silk made in Italy, so they behave like a proper square: fold it into a triangle, knot it low at the collarbone, and it sits under a trench or a wool coat without bulk.

For a slimmer line, the Contrast Check Silk Skinny Scarf in Finch Clay is the one I would tie to a bag handle or loop twice around the neck with a white shirt. The Anemone Watercolor Check Reversible Silk Skinny Scarf in pink gives you a floral on one side and the check on the other, which is two scarves in one folded strip. The London Silk Scarf in cream, with the Thames, Big Ben and Westminster Bridge, is the funny one. I would knot it over a plain gray crewneck and let it do all the talking.

Run your thumb along the edge and check that it is rolled neatly, then hold the print up to a window to see if the colors sit cleanly inside their borders. Silk also marks easily, so keep it away from lip balm and hand cream.

What I would skip: a busy print like Raining Cats and Dogs under a patterned coat. It wants a plain background.

A wool scarf does the job the cashmere one cannot always do, which is live in a tote and get tossed on a chair. The Fringed Check Wool Scarf in Sand is 100% wool, made in Italy, and about 35.4in wide by 78.7in long, so it is closer to a blanket than a strip. Wrap it once, drop one end behind you, and it works as a shawl over a black turtleneck. The Giant Check Wool Scarf in Cirrus Blue has frayed edges and the same generous size, which I would pair with a white coat for a soft look.

The reversible ones are the clever buy for anyone who dresses in a hurry. The Reversible Check Cashmere Scarf in Marlborough Gray Ink has the house check on each side, and the page says it is woven at a Scottish mill founded in 1797 and given a spring water wash. The Camel version is double-faced cashmere with contrasting colorways, so you can flip it to match your coat in the morning. The Reversible Check Wool-Silk Scarf in Sand Vole Brown is lighter, a wool and silk gauze with eyelash fringing, and the one I would wear in October before the real cold.

Hold the scarf open and look at the weave against the light. Even tension across the width is what you want, and the fringe should be firmly twisted.

What I would skip: the Wide Check Wool Scarf if you have a short neck or a puffer coat. The width will swallow your collar.

Burberry's logo has its own backstory. The Equestrian Knight Design was chosen through a public competition around 1901, a mounted knight carrying a banner marked Prorsum, which is Latin for Forward. In February 2023 Daniel Lee, the brand's new chief creative officer, brought the knight back with a serif typeface. The 2018 rebrand had replaced it with a sans-serif wordmark, so the return was the point. Every scarf in this group wears that choice.

The Equestrian Knight Design Cashmere Scarf in Mitten Bow is two-tone gray and pink with the knight embroidered above fringed ends. The EKD Check Reversible Double Face Cashmere Fringe Scarf in gray flips from the knight to the check, and it is 12in by 66in, which is a good width to knot. Silk is lighter: the Equestrian Knight Check Silk Scarf in Sand is long and skinny with the knight and the check at the border, and the Etched Equestrian Knight Reversible Silk Skinny Scarf in pink uses hand-drawn illustrations. For a wool option, the Logo Wool Scarf in Beige carries an archival Knight stamp first seen in the 1980s.

I would wear the logo scarves with plain clothes, a camel coat and black trousers, so the knight is the only loud thing in the outfit. Turn each one over and check that the jacquard is clean on both sides, with no loose threads behind the motif.

What I would skip: the Check Knight Stamp Silk Scarf, a diamond shape, if you do not enjoy tying scarves. It needs a deliberate fold.

A pre-owned scarf is the easiest way into the archive, because a scarf asks so little of its previous life. The pieces here are all pre-owned, and the condition notes matter more than the pattern. Two cashmere plaid pieces, the black and gray and the black and white, both measure 52in by 6.25in and are listed in excellent condition. They are slim, fringed and easy to wear tucked into a coat.

The Gray and Black Checkered Merino Wool Cashmere Snood has a 28in neck opening and raw edges, so it is a loop you pull over your head, handy for a cold commute. For silk, the Signature Plaid Silk Scarf in beige and olive is a 34in square with hand-rolled edges and original tags, which is as close to new as pre-owned gets. The Vintage Silk Satin Scarf from the 1960s in the house check with a gold border is the collector's pick, listed as good with wear consistent with age. The Riccardo Tisci era London logo scarf with the unicorn aristocrat print is unworn and mint with tags.

When you open the package, check the corners and hems for snags, smell the fabric, look at the fringe for thinning, and hold silk up to the light for tiny pulls. Look at the label stitching and compare the check pattern with a current piece.

What I would skip: any pre-owned scarf with a stain near the border. Silk rarely forgives it.

I would begin with the Check Cashmere Scarf in Archive Beige, because it is the one that makes a plain coat look decided. Then I would add a silk square for a collar and keep a wool one by the door for the days that turn.

If a pre-owned piece catches your eye, read the condition line twice and trust it. Thomas Burberry started with a draper's shop and a better idea for rain. I like that a scarf from the same house still comes with a bit of that practicality, and a good fringe.