Why you should wear a "Shood" - here's 9 of this cosy two-in-one staple we didn't know we needed - from £22

The craziness of luxury fashion prices really landed with me while I was writing this piece. It’s about how handy and chic hooded scarves are, because, honestly, who wants to look for both a scarf and a hat as you’re heading out the door, when you can have a quick two-in-one?

And because I enjoy making up silly names for products (jegging and tregging are just a couple of the fun names I’ve coined over the years), I thought why not play with this one – so “shood” it is!

Why a “shood” ? Well, first they are super cute and very stylish, like a cross between a bonnet and a silk square scarf, and more useful than both put together. Given the classic silk scarf is being loved and worn again, this new, wintery version makes perfect sense as a cosy and feel-good fashion statement.

Right now, hooded scarves are also the height of high luxury style. Prada has a grey double faced wool hooded scarf in its new collection for £1,790. Meanwhile Burberry has a checked hooded scarf for £990.

But you do not need to spend anywhere close to that to find a great hooded scarf that will keep you warm, make you look and feel good, and cause heads to turn at your sheer pizzaz and stylishness.

The first one that caught my eye is the grey cashmere from H&M Studio, the premium collection from the retailer, and the closest to Prada’s at £119, but still a fifteenth of the cost. If you like colour and quirk, British brand Damson Madder has brightly colored knitted squares that do excellent warm weather duty.

Anthropologie’s hooded scarf (£48) is cosy and chunky for very cold days, while John Lewis’ navy ribbed hooded scarf (£39) will serve as a scarf until the mercury plummets, but its cut to become an instant hood the moment you need it.

With brown being essentially the new black this year, I’ve also selected two brown hooded scarves, one in 100% wool from Malene Birger at £200, the other in acrylic from Asos, at £22. I've also shared a version in wool and cashmere version in black, by Cos, at £87.

This all goes to show that, no matter your budget, this is a garment you can easily incorporate into both your autumn style and cold-weather arsenal, though I always recommend going for natural fibres; they'll keep you warmer, last longer, and won’t damage the planet by ending up in landfill at the end of their use.

Discover the 9 best best hooded scarves now