A friend said this at my kitchen table, and she was not joking: “I’m constantly leaking or covered in spit-up, so what’s the point of trying?” The scarf was my answer to that, and I did not plan it. It was the thing I grabbed on the way out the door with my second, and on the bench it became the cover, in the car it became the blanket, and in the mirror it turned out to be the only piece of colour near my face that day. One soft square, three jobs, and nothing to buy.

Here are ten outfits built around a scarf, each one pictured below. The scarf changes: white, striped, camel, black. The job does not. If you own one large soft scarf, you own most of this post.

1. The navy half-zip, navy trousers and a white scarf

A navy knit half-zip over a black clip tank, navy wide trousers, white sneakers and a soft white scarf. The zip pulls down and the tank clips; the scarf goes over the shoulder as the cover. Navy on navy with white near the face is the quiet uniform for a cold school run.

2. The brown V-neck tee, blue jeans and a striped scarf

A mocha V-neck tee over a tank, classic blue barrel jeans, ivory sneakers and an ivory striped scarf. Pull the V aside, clip the tank. The stripe near the face is the whole outfit; the rest is the clothes you already wear.

3. The black tank, cream slip skirt and a printed scarf

A black clip-down nursing tank worn as the top, a cream satin slip skirt, black heeled ankle boots and a black and white printed scarf. The slip skirt pulls on; the tank is the feed; the scarf dresses it up and covers what needs covering at the table. The date-night one.

4. The black shirt open over grey jeans with a camel scarf

A black button-down worn open over a black tank, grey wide-leg jeans, a camel scarf, gold earrings, a black watch, ivory sneakers and a brown tote. The shirt is the layer, the scarf is the warmth and the colour, and everything below the waist hides a mark.

5. The blue striped shirt, light jeans and a black scarf

A pale blue striped button-down over a black tank, light-wash jeans, a black scarf, gold earrings, brown loafers and a tan tote. Three buttons from the top. The black scarf is the one that works as a cover in the brightest room because nothing shows through it.

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6. The white tee, camel shorts and a striped scarf

A white scoop-neck tee over a tank, camel linen shorts with a soft waist, ivory loafers and the striped scarf. The warm-day version: the tee lifts from the hem, the scarf is for the air conditioning and the bench. Keep the dark tank under a white tee for the leaking weeks.

7. The black knit dress, black jacket and a white scarf

A black ribbed scoop-neck midi dress, a black cropped shirt-jacket, white sneakers and a long white scarf. The scoop pulls down over a tank. All black with the white scarf near the face is kinder than all black alone, and it photographs better at the christening.

8. The cream knit set with a camel scarf

A cream short-sleeved cardigan with black trim, buttoned over a tank, cream trousers, a camel scarf, black ankle boots and a dark brown tote. The cardigan unbuttons from the bottom. This is the smartest outfit here; keep the camel scarf handy as a bib-level cover for the lunch.

9. The black coat, oatmeal polo knit and cream trousers

A long black belted coat that opens to the hem, an oatmeal button-placket polo knit, cream trousers, a black scarf, black loafers and a black tote. The polo placket opens three buttons, the coat opens all the way, the scarf goes over both. The only coat shape for a cold car-park feed.

10. The camel poncho, navy knit and grey trousers

A camel poncho over a navy long-sleeved knit and a black tank, grey tailored trousers, a grey lace bralette, a camel scarf, brown loafers and a black bag. The poncho lifts, the knit pulls up over the tank. The warmest look on the list and the one for the long cold walk.

I did not set out to make the scarf a nursing accessory. It made itself one, the way the useful things do, and by the third baby I had one in every bag. The lesson underneath is the one I keep coming back to: a mama deserves to be cared for as intentionally as her newborn, and sometimes that care is as small as a soft square of fabric in a colour that is kind to her face.

Every piece here is one of the ordinary shapes in the Year Round Capsule, two hundred outfits laid out and then worn, with three pictures of you in them on the house. If you want to know which scarf colour is yours, First Look reads your colouring from one photo, free. And if you would rather someone picked the outfit under the scarf each morning from your own closet, that is Anah inside the Atelier.

One scarf, three jobs. The focus is on you, mama.