A lot of the neckwear in the Sartorialist blog looked like what I would describe as "scarves," rather than "ascots" in American usage, what I think the British call "day cravats."
I wore ascots quite a bit around 30 years ago, got out of the habit, but I have gotten back into them of late. In the past year I have increased my collection of ascots from a solitary ascot from Beau Ties Ltd. to a total of seven, the most recent of which I purchased at Carroll & Co. in Beverly Hills Saturday before last. I got a lot of compliments the first time I wore it.
They are not readily to be had at most menswear stores. In Southern California, stores I have encountered that carried them include:
Carroll & Co.
RL Polo BH (the one in South Coast has had them on occasion, too)
Gary's Fashion Island (kinda pricey, about $130, as I recall)
Brooks Brothers, South Coast ($150, ouch!)
Discount bargains in ascots seem very rare. Some Brooks stores were selling them cheaply awhile back.
Probably the best value in an ascot, in my experience, are those from Beau Ties of Vermont. They do not have as much fabric and are not quite as sumptious as those from Carroll & Co., but they cost a third less and are still quite nice. The Carroll & Co. ascots go for $95, the Beau Ties ascots are $65, with discounts for orders of any three items (bow ties, neckties, pocket squares, ascots, etc.) or more. Beau Ties calls their ascots "cravats." Their "ascots" are Velcro fastened affairs suitable for high school ROTC drill teams and such. I eschew solid-colored ascots for the reason that they look most appropriate for drill teams.
An ascot can really spiff up an otherwise mundane outfit. On any given weekend, there are millions of guys out there in sport shirts and khakis. The mere addition of an ascot adds a whole new level of faux-patrician elegance and panache to an otherwise utterly commonplace ensemble.