2010年5月23日星期日

2010年5月22日星期六

Cashmere Scarves - Beautiful and Luxurious

It goes without saying that we all need clothing, not just for looking good but for feeling warm and comfortable. Though most people tend to wear what they can afford, everyone allows themselves at least a few luxury items in their wardrobe. Whether it's a pair of designer shoes or a classically-cut suit, it always makes the wearer feel that little bit special.

The average winter wardrobe contains the usual items; some warm coats, thick knitted jumpers and woolly hats and gloves are just some of them. For many, one of the must-haves is a scarf. In the cold months, a significant amount of people wouldn't leave the home without one. Cashmere scarves are considered to be some of the best.

The material, famed for its softness and heat-retaining qualities, is obtained from the Cashmere goat. It's an extremely efficient insulator, and keeps the neck free from the biting wind and overpowering cold. The goats are found all over the world, although the biggest producer of the fabric is China.

There are many wonderful clothing retailers in the high street, including some of the world's most famous fashion names. Superb scarves can be found in every store, and Cashmere ones are simply the most luxurious. Available in all types of colours and styles, the hard part isn't finding them, it's deciding which one to buy.

Online retailers also have a wide variety of Cashmere scarves to choose from, including some from prominent designers. Every famous name can be found, fresh from the catwalks of Milan, Paris, London and New York.

Shopping on the Internet is so simple, and can be done from the comfort of one's own home. It's so easy to see the latest styles without having to barge through the crowds. Pictures of the garments, in each style and colour, can be viewed on the computer screen, making it easy to select the right item with confidence.

Scarves made from synthetic materials cannot retain the heat like Cashmere ones do, and are nowhere near as warm or soft to the touch. For these reasons alone, many people wouldn't even consider owning man-made scarves.

Whether you're looking for a plain colour or a patterned one, they're easy to locate. Among the most noticeable patterns are small and large checks, and brightly coloured stripes.

The material, distinctively elegant, is also used to make jumpers and cardigans, and is mixed with other fabrics to make other items such as socks, tights and gloves. Cashmere is a beautiful and exceedingly versatile substance, and has been popular with people for centuries.

It's the softness of the fibres that gives Cashmere its distinctive feel. The lightweight strands are easy to spin into thin or thick yarns, which adds to its versatility. Taking a little time to select the right scarf will ensure you locate the perfect one. The reward will be a warm and supremely soft garment that will last a lifetime.

Cashmere scarves are a wonderful luxury item. These high quality scarves are available from many good online retailers.

2010年5月16日星期日

what is shawl ?


A shawl (Persian شال, Shāl, from Sanskrit: साडी śāṭī[1]) is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape. Other shapes include oblong shawls.

The first shawls, or "shals", were part of traditional Persian costume in Achaemenid Persia, worn by both males and females. Shawls were also part of the traditional male costume in Kashmir, which was probably introduced via assimilation to Persian culture. They were woven in extremely fine woollen twill, some were even said to be so fine as to fit through a ring. They could be in one colour only, woven in different colours (called tilikar), ornately woven or embroidered (called ameli).

Shawls are used in order to keep warm, to complement a costume, and for symbolic reasons. One famous type of shawl is the tallit, worn by Jewish men during prayers and ceremonies.

Kashmiri shawls were high-fashion garments in Western Europe in the early- to mid-nineteenth century. Imitation Kashmiri shawls woven in Paisley, Renfrewshire are the origin of the name of the traditional paisley pattern. Shawls were also manufactured in the city of Norwich, Norfolk from the late Eighteenth century (and some two decades before Paisley) until about the 1870s.

Silk shawls with fringes, made in China, were available by the first decade of the nineteenth century. Ones with embroidery and fringes were available in Europe and the Americas by 1820. These were called China crepe shawls, China shawls, and in Spain "mantones de Manila" because they were shipped to Spain from China via the port of Manila. The importance of these shawls in fashionable women's wardrobes declined between 1865 and 1870 in Western culture. However, they became part of folk dress in a number of places including Germany, the Near East, various parts of Latin America, and Spain where they became a part of gypsy dress especially in Andalusia and Madrid. These embroidered shawls were revived in the 1920s under the name Spanish shawls, a named derived from their use as part of the dress of Spanish Gypsies, also known as gitanas. Their use as part of the costume of the lead in the opera Carmen contributed to the association of the shawls with Spain rather than China.

Some cultures incorporate shawls of various types into their national folk dress, mainly because shawls were much more commonly used in earlier times.

Today, shawls are worn for added warmth (and fashion) at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is warm enough for men in wool suits but not for women in dresses and where a jacket might be inappropriate.

The Kashmiri shawl

The shawls made in Kashmir occupy a pre-eminent place among textile products; and it is to them and to their imitations from Western looms that specific importance attaches. The Kashmir shawl is characterized by the elaboration of its design, in which the "cone" pattern is a prominent feature, and by the glowing harmony, brilliance, depth, and enduring qualities of its colours. The basis of these excellences is found in the very fine, soft, short, flossy under-wool, called pashm or pashmina, found on the shawl-goat, a variety of Capra hircus inhabiting the elevated regions of Tibet. There are several varieties of pashm, but the finest is a strict monopoly of the maharaja of Kashmir. Inferior pashm and Kirman wool — a fine soft Persian sheep's wool — are used for shawl weaving at Amritsar and other places in the Punjab, where colonies of Kashmiri weavers are established. Of shawls, apart from shape and pattern, there are only two principal classes: (1) loom-woven shawls called tiliwalla, tilikar or kani kar — sometimes woven in one piece, but more often in small segments which are. Sewn together with such precision that the sewing is quite imperceptible; and (2) embroidered shawls — amlikar — in which over a ground of plain pashmina is worked by needle a minute and elaborate pattern.

Knit shawls

Triangular knit lace shawls are usually knitted from the neck down and may or may not be shaped. In contrast, Faroese lace shawls are knitted bottom up and contain a centre back gusset. Each shawl consists of two triangular side panels, a trapezoid-shaped back gusset, an edge treatment, and usually shoulder shaping.

Nederland’s (Dutch)

hoofddoek, sjaal, omslagdoek

Français (French)

n. - châle

v. tr. - couvrir d'un châle

Deutsch (German)

n. - Umschlagtuch, Schal

v. - einen Schal umhängen

Ελληνική (Greek)

n. - (ενδυμ.) σάλι

Italiano (Italian)

fazzoletto, scialle

Português (Portuguese)

n. - acessório de vestuário

Русский (Russian)

шаль, покрывать шалью, укутывать

Español (Spanish)

n. - pañuelo de cabeza, chal, estola, mantón

v. tr. - envolver en un mantón

Svenska (Swedish)

n. - schal

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))

披肩, 围巾, 用披肩裹

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))

n. - 披肩, 圍巾

v. tr. - 用披肩裹

한국어 (Korean)

n. - , 어깨 걸이, 외투

v. tr. - ~ 숄을 걸치다, ~ 숄로 싸다

日本語 (Japanese)

n. - 肩掛け, ショール

v. - ショールをかける, ショールに包む

العربيه (Arabic)

‏(الاسم) شال

עברית (Hebrew)

n. - סודר, צעיף, מטפחת

v. tr. - כיסה במטפחת, צעיף וכו', או בדומה לזה

Evening Shawls - How to Wear an Evening Shawl!

Gorgeous evening shawls... Some people in this world are gifted to have an innate sense of good style. Picking the right clothes and matching the right accessories comes naturally for them and they are able to make anybody and everybody look good. They can be resourceful and work with limited items and still pull off something that is presentable. Unfortunately, some people must accept that they do not all have these gifts. Thus, this guide is here to help them on their way to a new and stylish look.

The focus of this particular guide is how to wear an evening shawl well. A shawl is just one kind of accessory that can be used yet some people still find it hard to match one with their outfit. Keep on reading and you will find reminders, tips and other friendly advice regarding solutions to your little problem.

The first step is picking out your shawl in terms of design, color and texture:

Always remember that your shawl should match the dress in terms of color. Do not try to go for very bold and bright colors since you will be wearing it during the evening. One thing people tend to forget is that the texture of both the shawl and your outfit should also match. People do notice those little things so you might as well take the extra effort to match this up properly as well.

Lastly, pick a shawl that is just the right size for how you want to use it. Something too long will make you look sloppy while something too short will make you look weird

The next step is to know how to wear an evening shawl:

There are several ways of tying, wrapping or wearing a shawl so educate yourself in the varying techniques.

One rule, do not try any street or casual looks such as wrapping a shawl around your arms and legs while in a semi-formal or formal outfit. It will look weird in completely inappropriate

The safest ways of wearing a shawl is to put it behind your neck and let the ends rest over your shoulders

If you are feeling adventurous and want to try out other ways of wearing shawl, just keep in mind that you should always dress according to the event you will be attending. Do not try to look too sloppy or too out of place.

Wearing an evening shawl from Fashion Scarves and BelleNew.com Look great and feel great! You'll get the maximum benefit by tying these luxury black evening shawls. These fashion statements are not only luxurious, but practical. Click the link to visit this quality website today.

2010年5月15日星期六

Cashmere Scarf Can Be the Ideal Gift for the Special Lady in Your Life


Are you thinking of an ideal gift for someone in this Christmas? Or are you concerned about your friend's birthday? Is she a classic and sophisticated, smart dressed woman? There are plenty of gifts to give but you are not getting the suitable one. Let's give you a suggestion. You have tried many things before. Why not try a cashmere scarf or a cashmere socks or any other ethical cashmere stuff? She will surely appreciate it season after season.

Cashmere scarf is put around the shoulder and it gives a wonderful feeling of luxury. It provides warmth along with a classy aura. It is something really beautiful to touch and have next to the skin. Cashmere basically is extremely a fine and soft type of wool which is quite different from any other types of wool. It offers a lot of warmth from a very thin layer as a result in order to get warmth too much bulk will not have to be carried around. This unique softness makes it a bit expensive purchase.

However, there are people who do not mind investing a bit more for getting this unique and exquisite accessory. You can expect its price to be ranging from 50$ to 100$ and some designer varieties costs more than 600$.

If you take a careful look at the knitting of the scarf, you will understand that the weave is very tight so as to enhance the durability. If however, you want extra warmth and durability, you can go for that cashmere which are made of yarn and is double plied. These also have the less possibility of getting holes. However, not all cashmere is of the same quality and so you will have to be a bit careful while purchasing it.

When you are gifting your friend this ethical cashmere scarf and the lady lavishly wraps up the scarf around her shoulders, you will feel the warmth of her hug and the price will then not matter to you much. If taken proper care, it will really be a gift to be cherished and this can be passed on to the next generation.

Therefore it is always recommended to get the cashmere scarf dry cleaned instead of getting it washed at home. Along with the softness, the color will also stay for longer periods of time.

Both cashmere scarf and cashmere socks are so small that it can be easily sent through mail without much cost. Your friend or the receiver will simply be glad to receive this gift.