WRAP IT UP
Shawls are another one of those accessories that have been around basically forever.
You don’t have to be a curator at the Met costume collection to know that people have been wrapping themselves in an extra layer of fabric ever since they’ve had fabric.
A fashion for fancy print shawls that started in the late 18th century, though, is a little different – and still with us today.
As early as the 13th century, people in India were wearing soft, beautifully patterned Kashmir shawls as status symbols. Slowly, trade opened with Western Europe, and the shawls started making their way to fashionable females there.
The trend really gathered steam as the French, and especially the English, increased their presence in India. The elaborate shawls were given as gifts, and quickly became a very sought-after piece in a lady’s wardrobe.
And no wonder. They were truly gorgeous, elaborate, multicolored, sometimes embroidered, or beaded, designs incorporating classic Eastern motifs that seemed incredibly exotic to their European wearers. From a craft standpoint, they were incredible, too, with the intricate woven-in designs and careful embellishments.
By the mid-19th century, the shawls weren’t just fashion statements, but family heirlooms. Writers of the time encouraged the idea that they were a precious piece given to a girl on her wedding day and cherished until it was time to pass it on to the next generation.
The interesting twist here is that the shawls were often worn by men in India, so the British men who brought them back apparently thought they were making some kind of statement about power and cultural dominance. The women who wore the shawls mostly ignored that. For them, it was mostly about the bonds between women – mothers and daughters and granddaughters who wore and loved the pieces.
But only married daughters and granddaughters. Single women were discouraged from wearing the highly-valuable shawls because it suggested a “love of luxury” that might make it tough to find a husband.
An awful lot going on with one pretty piece of fabric!
By the 1870s, the exotic cachet was fading, and there were a lot of paisley shawls around, loomed not in India, but Paisley, Scotland. Elegant late-Victorian and Edwardian ladies didn’t particularly want to swathe themselves in shawls that were – or looked like – Grandma’s, so the real ones often ended up as decorations on pianos.
And there they stayed for a century.
Just about the turn of the 21st century, though, beautiful “pashmina” shawls started showing up on the red carpet, and in First Class as part of the kit for stars and socialites. This version was usually a luscious solid color, and significantly smaller and easier to wear and carry than the older ones. Fashion moved a bit faster than it had in the 18th century, too, and by the early aughts, a fuzzy cashmere (or wool or rayon) shawl/scarf was a wardrobe basic.
They still are.
They’re still special, too. Since they often go with a dressy outfit, and they’re so useful for traveling, many of us associate ours with moments and memories. I still have the bright-pink one I carried on my honeymoon…and maybe I’ll get to give it to a granddaughter one day!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
You don’t have to be a curator at the Met costume collection to know that people have been wrapping themselves in an extra layer of fabric ever since they’ve had fabric.
A fashion for fancy print shawls that started in the late 18th century, though, is a little different – and still with us today.
As early as the 13th century, people in India were wearing soft, beautifully patterned Kashmir shawls as status symbols. Slowly, trade opened with Western Europe, and the shawls started making their way to fashionable females there.
The trend really gathered steam as the French, and especially the English, increased their presence in India. The elaborate shawls were given as gifts, and quickly became a very sought-after piece in a lady’s wardrobe.
And no wonder. They were truly gorgeous, elaborate, multicolored, sometimes embroidered, or beaded, designs incorporating classic Eastern motifs that seemed incredibly exotic to their European wearers. From a craft standpoint, they were incredible, too, with the intricate woven-in designs and careful embellishments.
By the mid-19th century, the shawls weren’t just fashion statements, but family heirlooms. Writers of the time encouraged the idea that they were a precious piece given to a girl on her wedding day and cherished until it was time to pass it on to the next generation.
The interesting twist here is that the shawls were often worn by men in India, so the British men who brought them back apparently thought they were making some kind of statement about power and cultural dominance. The women who wore the shawls mostly ignored that. For them, it was mostly about the bonds between women – mothers and daughters and granddaughters who wore and loved the pieces.
But only married daughters and granddaughters. Single women were discouraged from wearing the highly-valuable shawls because it suggested a “love of luxury” that might make it tough to find a husband.
An awful lot going on with one pretty piece of fabric!
By the 1870s, the exotic cachet was fading, and there were a lot of paisley shawls around, loomed not in India, but Paisley, Scotland. Elegant late-Victorian and Edwardian ladies didn’t particularly want to swathe themselves in shawls that were – or looked like – Grandma’s, so the real ones often ended up as decorations on pianos.
And there they stayed for a century.
Just about the turn of the 21st century, though, beautiful “pashmina” shawls started showing up on the red carpet, and in First Class as part of the kit for stars and socialites. This version was usually a luscious solid color, and significantly smaller and easier to wear and carry than the older ones. Fashion moved a bit faster than it had in the 18th century, too, and by the early aughts, a fuzzy cashmere (or wool or rayon) shawl/scarf was a wardrobe basic.
They still are.
They’re still special, too. Since they often go with a dressy outfit, and they’re so useful for traveling, many of us associate ours with moments and memories. I still have the bright-pink one I carried on my honeymoon…and maybe I’ll get to give it to a granddaughter one day!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
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