fall shawls

By Vinita in Thailand, this generous shawl is woven of a seductive rayon and silk blend. Luscious damask flowers appear in pink on pink.

Raquel and Gregor let their Peruvian heritage of incredible textile creations guide them to craft a chic complement for the season. Baby alpaca, cotton and rayon threads unite in a palette of pink colors to form this authentic shawl, boasting a classic pattern and fringes—ideal for showcasing your natural grace.

Working in batik on a soft blend of silk and rayon, Vinita creates a plaid motif. Orchid pink and white make this modern shawl easy to combine.

Working in batik on a soft blend of silk and rayon, Vinita creates a plaid motif. Pink, orange, scarlet and white make this modern shawl easy to combine.

Working in batik on a soft blend of silk and rayon, Vinita creates a plaid motif. She applies bands of purple, pink and sunny yellow on white by hand for a shawl that is cheerful and contemporary.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente is woven by hand in strips, which is how it came by its name (kente means "basket" in the Ashanti dialect). Ghana's Rachel Armah creates this colorful cotton blend scarf in cheerful shades of blue, pink and cream. The scarf's width allows it to double as a shawl.

In kente cloth, each color has a symbolic meaning: black symbolizes maturation and intensified spiritual energy; blue signifies peacefulness, harmony and love; green symbolizes vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, and spiritual renewal; gold represents royalty, wealth, high status, glory, and spiritual purity; grey is for healing and cleansing rituals; maroon signifies the color of mother earth, associated with healing; pink and purple are associated with the female essence and female aspects of life; red symbolizes political and spiritual moods, bloodshed, sacrificial rites and death; silver is associated with the moon and represents serenity, purity, and joy; white is for purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions; and yellow represents preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, and beauty.