CEBU, Philippines - In these rainy days, it is not rare to see a woman walk by wrapped in a shawl. In fact, they’re all around at this time. The shawl is a very practical piece – it is good protection from the cold weather and it makes very good fashion statement, too.
This generally square or triangular piece of material worn by women across their shoulders, over the top of their dresses, provides an additional layer of warmth during the cold days. It’s very useful during the sunny days too; it can fashionably take the place of an umbrella in providing shade from the sun.
The shawl is said to have originated in Asia and the Far East, traditionally worn by both men and women. But it was the women who had more elaborate uses for it – the shawl was the accessory every self-respecting woman about town needed in her wardrobe. And then it caught on in the neighboring regions, and the rest of the world.
E. Papot, in an article at www.napoleon.org, writes that Josephine, the future empress of France and a renowned fashion buff, owned numerous shawls and was one of the first ladies to own an exotic piece brought back from Egypt by Napoleon Bonaparte. Papot quotes her remarking in a letter to her son, Eugène, “I have received the shawls… They seem most ugly to me. Their great advantage is their light weight. I do not believe they will catch on; no matter, I like them for they are extraordinary and warm.”
But Josephine, Papot continues, quickly changed her opinion of shawls, and proceeded to put together an enormous collection. An account from the period remarked, “The empress Josephine was passionate for them, and I am sure no one else ever had such a precious collection [of shawls]. At [her home in Navarre], she had 150 of a most incomparable beauty, and of great value too. She sent designs to Constantinople, which were used to make shawls as pleasing to the eye as they were precious. Every week M. Lenormand went to Navarre and sold her the most striking examples he had. I saw ones in white, sprinkled with roses, cornflowers, parakeets, peacocks, etc., which I believe are unique to Europe. Each one, we estimated, was worth 15- or 20-thousand francs.”
It was the British that brought the shawl to Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries following the development of the empire’s interests in the Far East. Persia and the Kashmir region were the primary rivals in the production of finely embroidered or woven fabrics. France then tried to refine the product in order to match the imported foreign fabrics for weave quality and delicacy.
“The shawl, particularly in its elongated form, could be worn in a number of different ways,” Papot writes. “As well as hanging over the shoulders, it could also be knotted around the front, pulled across the chest or even wound around the head in the style of a turban. It was a warm accessory that could both negate the need for a jacket and complement an outfit.”
Rare and highly sought-after, the shawl was often made of the finest, most expensive materials, in particular cashmere, the wool from the Himalayas. In high-society Paris, cashmere shawl was an heirloom item, often handed down through the family, from mother to daughter.
Today, the shawl – and its close cousin, the scarf – has been a handy fashion accessory mainly to improvise one’s look. Many women wear it to help maintain their hairstyle as it is and avoid it being ruined by bad weather. Or they wrap it around the neck for a more fashionable look.
This piece of cloth is amazing in its versatility. It can be tied, folded, looped, or simply used as a wrap. And it comes in various materials to choose from, depending on the weather – silky, knitted, thin or bulky cotton warmers. In the corporate world, women use it as their version of the man’s necktie. (FREEMAN)