True story- I was two hours into a outfit-making session with one of my loveliest clients. This was the second time I had been in her closet and, assuming I had seen everything but still feeling something was missing, asked if she had any silk scarves. Out of a box in the closet, she reveals, almost as an afterthought, an Hermes silk scarf.

I probably don’t need to tell you how much trouble she was in (lots) that it took four hours of working together and my shot-in-the-dark probing to uncover the single most important accessory in the history of fashion and style. Since her look (like most of my over-40 clients) centers around pristine basics accented by fabulous accessories, that single scarf literally changed the punch and power of many, many outfits. That is the force of an Hermes scarf.

I understand that $400 is a lot of money to pay for any item, much less a scarf. I also understand that there are birthdays, holidays and other special occasions; piggy banks, consignment stores and hand-me-downs. While I think $400 is nothing to pay for the best accessory money can buy, anyone should be able to acquire one for less. Wear as a belt with jeans, tie around the handle of a big girl bag, or sport the old fashioned way: around your neck. For you women over 40, the necessity of this item increases as you age, when sophistication and refinement [should] become the backbone of your look.

Available in countless amazing patterns (horses appearing the most frequently, a tribute to the House’s roots as an equestrian boutique) and every color of the rainbow, I recommend their signature orange. If you’re ready to buy, here is my choice for classic, here is my choice for modern, and here is my choice for very modern.