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Winter shawls and wraps

Winter shawls and wraps are a very necessary part of your winter wardrobe. Wrapping a larger, smooth-textured but warm shawl around your throat and neck gives you lots of winter comfort.

Winter Shawls and wraps for style and comfort

Winter shawls, pashminas and wraps come in great variety, colours and textures and are readily available throughout the winter season.

Pashmimas

  • The word "pashmina" has become a brand name in recent years to describe shawls that are made up of cashmere (goat hair) and silk blends or are all cashmere. With this blend or all-pure fibres, it has warmth, softness and strength. You can get pashmina scarves, wraps and shawls.
  • Pashminas come in an amazing variety of colours and patterns. Quite often, they will have embroidered borders, beads, beaded fringes or other embellishments - all adding a rich, luxurious look.
  • The size is very generous with the length being generally either 36" x 80" or 28" x 80". Having something smooth-textured and soft against your skin that adds that important layer of defense against the winter cold is what makes a pashmina great to wear.

Wool and acrylic shawls and wraps

  • Other winter shawls and wraps come in wool, wool/acyrlic blends, acrylics, silk/acrylic blends. They have the same roughtly the same features and benefits as a pashmina shawl.
  • The price could be similar or less but the choice would be yours to match your coat or jacket. Regardless of what you choose, it allows you to wrap the shawl around both your neck and head to keep those pesky cold winds out all the way around your face.

How to wear oversized winter pashmina shawls and wraps

The long shawls and pashminas generally go just once around your neck. You can either tie it to hang either inside if there's enough room or outside your coat.

Here's what I do...for those really cold days, I like to wrap a pashmina shawl around my head first then put my shaped felt hat on to keep the shawl in place. I then throw one end over my shoulder and keep the other in front tucked inside my coat where it keeps everything together.

If you find that too bulky or uncomfortable then substitute it for a regular width and length winter scarf.

Fashionable indoor wear - Mobius

A recent winter fashion item is the mobius. It's an open all-in-one continuous shawl that slips over your shoulders. Think of it as a open-sided circle. Quite often, the style is an open weave displaying large stitches so it's more of a fashion accessory rather than anything that has real warmth. You can position it over your shoulders to add to your turtleneck or winter shirt you are wearing.

It just adds a nice light, colourful layer when wearing anything heavier inside would be too warm. The new acrylic yarns with their fun textures and great colours are ideal for making a mobius. You can find them in stores although finding them at artisan craft shows is a better option. Buying it there, you'll know that it's going to be handmade by a textile artist and are usually one-of-a-kind usually - always a nice bonus.

Caring for your pashminas, shawls and wraps

These winter shawls and wraps are made up of finely spun cashmere or cashmere (70%) and silk (30%). Special cleaning care is needed for either type, generally being that dry-cleaning is best. Do check what's recommended on the garment's label though as you don't want to ruin it.

A pashmina shawl and Formal evening wear

Wearing a beautiful pashmina shawl to complement your outfit is a good excuse to indulge in an extended retail therapy session until you find one (or two!) that's perfect.

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