Pashmina Shawls: A timeless accessory

With winter at its peak, the resplendent pashmina shawl becomes the most hot-selling item in local bazaars. Made from the wool of a special breed of Himalayan goats, pashmina shawls, with their delicate fabric and heavenly softness, enjoy an equally prominent repute in international fashion as well.

Though it’s been around for a while, the fabric gained popularity quite recently, becoming an indispensable fashion accessory for people across all age groups. If you hold the notion that a pashmina shawl is meant for older people or for formal occasions only, prepare to get enlightened. It is a unique accessory, which transitions well from day to evening, from work to a night out with friends and family.

It’s an absolute essential as you can wear it with anything and everything. As these stunning shawls come in almost all colours, lengths and sizes, with a little creativity you can use them to adorn your outfits for every occasion. You can use a bright patterned pashmina shawl with a simple shalwar kameez or you could down play a dress with intricate embroidery by wearing it with a nude shade pashmina shawl.

It can be worn in different ways, making you look trendy and fashionable. Wear it as a full shawl wrap draped over the shoulders or as a stole by letting it hang on the upper arms — both work quite well. For a vibrant look, two different coloured pashmina shawls could also be intertwined and worn as a scarf on a plain shalwar kameez.

These winter accessories are no longer just restricted to eastern attires. They have gained immense popularity among Hollywood celebrities and international designers as well. Be it Drew Barrymore wearing a purple embroidered pashmina with jeans and sneakers or Kristen Dunst wearing a plaid pashmina shawl in place of a necklace, it looks as good with western wear as it does with eastern.

Wear it around the neck tied as a noose wrap, or for bolder fashionistas, wear a vibrant pashmina as a head scarf — both make you look stunning. Surprisingly enough, international male fashion icons like Brad Pitt, Robert Downing Jr and the Jonas brothers have also been spotted looking extremely stylish in a pashmina scarf. However, this trend has not really set in Pakistan but is definitely a great idea for men thinking of sprucing up their winter wardrobes.

It may come across as a very versatile accessory to play around with, but at times people do tend to go overboard with pashminas. While accessorising with a pashmina, be careful that you do not make your attire look heavy. For instance, one should not wear it with a chunky woollen sweater or accessorise a pashmina with too many beaded strands — it would definitely kill the sophisticated allure that a pashmina adds to the attire. Also don’t try to match it too much, i.e. do not wear plain red shawl over a simple red attire. Try to liven it up with either a patterned shawl or wear a contrasting colour shawl (i.e. black) with it.

A common misconception about pashmina shawls is that they are light on the shoulder but very heavy on the pocket. For instance, a plain pashmina stole could be easily obtained for under Rs1,000 while a heavily sequenced scarf or a stole with intricate beadwork (which looks great on jeans and a t-shirt) would cost between Rs1,200 to Rs2,000. Similarly, pashmina shawls prices range from Rs1,400 for a plain shawl to Rs20,000 for an intricately embroidered one. A pashmina shawl with patchwork, which is the perfect thing to liven up a plain dress, can also be purchased for less than Rs5,000.

One can get hold of pashminas at Zainab Market in Karachi, Liberty and Auriga markets in Lahore and Jinnah Super in Islamabad. However, be extremely careful in ensuring that the one you are buying is an authentic pashmina because a number of fake (synthetic) shawls are also available in the market. At times, for the untrained eye, it is very difficult to differentiate between a synthetic and a genuine pashmina. However, one way of confirming that a pashmina is fake is that it will accumulate static electricity and attract small particles like dust, hair, bread crumbs, etc, when rubbed against plastic material. Another way to spot a fake one is if its label is glued on to the shawl. A real pashmina does not stand for gluing.

In Pakistan, pashmina shawls are not just an accessory but a popular hand-me-down as well. I, for one, treasure my grandmother’s black embroidered pashmina that was given to me as part of my trousseau. At times, it has literally helped me dodge a fashion disaster. If you need to buy a gift for someone, you can never go wrong with a pashmina shawl or scarf. It sits well with people of all ages and styles. If you are looking for ways to pamper yourself or someone special, go buy a pashmina shawl. That would really help in spicing up your wardrobe!

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2011