Beauty, Utility And Warmth Of Shawls

Southland Times, Issue 23888, 5 August 1939, Page 16

Beauty, Utility And Warmth Of Shawls

Interest in the shawl has been revived to some extent, and the: following extract from a paper read at the Southland Women’s Club m connection with the display of these decorative^ articles, should give pleasure to admirers of such charming accessories. As an article of apparel, the shawl is common to practically all races and climates. The name shawl, however, is derived from a Persian word shal, that was applied to the article as made and worn, in India and the surrounding portions of Central Asia. The word reached the west, along with the finest and most highly-prized form of the shawl—the Cashmere or Ring shawl. The wool used in the manufacture of these shawls is the fine under fleece of the Tibetan goat, which roams the well-nigh impenetrable regions north of the Himalayas, in the Central lands of Asia. The great bulk is m a pale warm grey, but there is also a great deal of white. The industry which once absorbed 25,000 craftsmen is now almost extinct, while those thus employed now use their skill m the making of Cashmere carpets. All over Europe the shawl was adopted by the peasant classes as an article of apparel, because of its utility and warmth. In the coastal areas involved in the fishing industry, we find that the fisherwomen have adopted an almost universal costume with slight modifications for each country-such as the Irish fishing girls, the Scottish herring girls, the Welsh cockle fishers, the Breton, Dutch, Portuguese and Italian fisherwomen. In England and Scotland the sombre shawl seems to predominate among the mill workers, as it does among the field workers of Europe, except on festival days which called for the wearing of national costumes and shawls characteristic of the various provinces. It is to be regretted that such customs are dying out, ana many parts of Europe are losing such colourful displays of art and craftsmanSh To most of us the word "shawl” carries our thoughts to pre-war Spain, with its sun-lit gardens, splashing fountains in whose mirrored pools are reflected the richly-glowing colours of the dark-eyed senoritas. It is in Spam that we notice particularly the various modes for wearing the shawl, characteristic to each province, and in the new world where the Spaniards once held sway, the shawl remains as a symbol of their former occupancy. < The most colourful shawl the British Isles has created is the Paisley, woven in both silk and wool. It came into its own during the reign of Queen Victoria. - Its intricate patterns and beautiful colourings will ever keep it in the 'first ranks of national ’’•mdcrafts. Tn such a very wide subject, it is impossible to mention the shawls of every country, but it is interesting to note that in India which is the home of the shawl the Sari, its colourful equivalent, is used extensively, and the variations in the drapings denote various caste. Coming a little nearer home, the Maori mat and the Hawaiian feather mat are the Polynesian equivalents of the shawl. It may be surprising to learn that the Icelandic national costume includes a very fine lawn and lace head-shawl. Mention may be made also of the use of the shawl by the Indians of North America, Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, and for gorgeous colouring it would be difficult to find, anything to surpass the . brilliantly-embroidered silk shawls worn by the Tibetan lamas in their

religious ceremonials. It is to be hoped that in this modem age, the use of toe shawl, such a graceful adornment in my lady’s wardrobe, will regain its place in fashion’s fancy.