You may call it a scarf, but I call it a shawl. Using shawls as part of ones wardrobe and as an addition to ones home décor has been a long-standing tradition in my family. Shawls are passed down through the generations, and every woman in my family has amassed a collection of their own. My personal shawl or scarf collection is small compared to my mom’s or aunts’, but it’s growing.
Once, when one of my aunts was visiting my family in Calgary, I casually commented on how lovely I thought her shawl was. Immediately, being the kind and generous aunt she is, she gave me her shawl. The shawl was beautiful – tan with hand-stitched red thread in a delicate pattern.
When it comes to using shawls in your home and wardrobe, there are so many options. As it’s getting in to the spring season, I plan on adding in my shawls and scarves to my wardrobe. It’s not cold enough to wear my thick winter jacket anymore, but a little too cool out for just my spring jacket.
Though this shawl is made of viscose, and is on the thin side, compared to thick wooly ones, it can still be used in a variety of ways:
-Casually draped on one shoulder
-Rolled and tied around one’s neck
-Slung on each arm, with the fabric hanging loosely at one’s back
-Tied around one’s waist
-Placed in one’s lap when out at a movie or theatre performance (those places tend to be a little chilly)
-As a movie/TV cover-up in the comfort of your home
-Draped over a chair or sofa arm in your home
I remember a chilly late-winter afternoon, when a friend and I were going to the Opera, in Calgary. We didn’t have enough time and were being thrifty, so didn’t want to check our coats—plus, we didn’t have any that were nice enough to go on top of our dress-up clothes. What did we do? Well, we ran from our car to the theatre. It was snowy outside, and the parking lot was fairly far from the theatre. What I would’ve given to have a pretty shawl like this one, from Camilla Olson!
This Camilla Olson scarf I received reminds me of traditional Indian block-printing. It’s priced at $69, and can be purchased from the Camilla Olson website. It is a generous size: 34’’ x 76’’.Each of the scarves (shawls) from Camilla Olson are hand-printed, meaning each one is unique.
Soft viscose scarf with fringed ends. Hand printed using an eco-friendly print process. Each scarf is unique, color and print will vary slightly. 15% of online scarf sales will be donated to the University of Maryland Scholarship supporting entrepreneurship in women.
