Well, hope you enjoyed reading these simple tips on how to keep yourself warm this winter. There are plenty of other ways to keep yourself warm and not blow the budget. Just be creative and plan ahead.
]]>It’s an unfortunate fact that there are people out there who, knowingly or not, try to sell fake pashmina at the same price as real pashmina, and in fact there are a lot of people who don’t even know the difference.
The first thing to know is that pashmina and cashmere essentially mean the same thing: pashm is the local word for the wool, and the fabric made from it is pashmina, but in the Western world it’s often called ‘cashmere’, because it was exported from Kashmir.
So if something is described as cashmere or pashmina, it might be what you’re looking for.
Luckily, there are other tests to be sure you’re buying quality fabric rather than an item made from synthetic fabrics like viscose, or even non-pashmina fabrics like cotton. Keep the following in mind, and you should never be fooled!
There is one more test you can do if you need to be really sure, but this involves burning part of the pashmina. You don’t need much: just a tiny scrap of fringe would do.
Obviously you should be careful with using this method: you can’t go burning pashmina in a shop or at a stall to prove whether it’s real or not! But if you do need to check, then take a tiny sample of the fabric from somewhere that won’t be noticed, and burn it.
Pay attention to how it smells and looks. Real pashmina will burn with a burnt hair smell, and leave a powdery residue behind.
Viscose smells more like burnt leaves, and burns more brightly, and polyester and acrylic smell like burning plastic and leave a small lump behind.
Click here for the pashmina test videos.
The burnt hair smell tells you that just like your own hair, the fabric is made of a protein called keratin, which is produced by living creatures.
]]>A pashmina for wedding is a piece of fabric that’s fashioned into a shawl, scarf, or wrap.
Commonly, pashmina for weddings falls into a wrap or a shawl to make sure that it covers the shoulder and arms perfectly and the wearer can wrap herself up with it comfortably and conveniently.
A real pashmina is made from the wool of goats that normally grow in the Himalayan regions including Nepal and India. The process of creating an authentic pashmina is so tedious and complex it certainly deserves its heavy price tag.
A pashmina shawl for wedding , for example, would usually cost around $200 or even more, depending on the quality and the design.
Because of the fragility of the material, it’s never woven in a loom but rather worked on by hands. It’s also normally dyed.
1. They keep everyone warm throughout the ceremony. This is especially true when your wedding is scheduled around dusk or after sunset. By then, the air has changed, with cold chills becoming more prevailing. As ceremonies tend to last for 30 minutes or so, you and the rest of the guests definitely deserve something to warm you up.
2. They make gorgeous presents. Some presents are incredibly beautiful, but pashminas are a whole league of their own—they’re not only insanely gorgeous but they’re so useful as well, making them perfect gifts for everyone.
In fact, you can give them before the ceremony so they have something to cover themselves up as the weather turns colder.
3. They’re the easiest way to upgrade dresses. Wedding dresses are usually quite expensive, especially if you’re getting them brand-new. Moreover, you need to spend for the rest of your entourage, as well as for other accessories.
If you wish to cut back on the wedding costs—and definitely you’d like that—you can complement wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses with pashminas instead.
With their rich dyed cloth and even intricate patterns, they can liven up any dress in no time. Again, too, you can give them away as favors for our bridesmaids.
1. Make sure that you’re getting most of the pashmina. While there are so many so-called pashminas in the market, only a few of them are legitimate. How do you know you have a real one? First, know the material. It’s possible to get a real pashmina, but be ready to pay a good amount of money for it. If you want to go for something more affordable, seek those that are combined with other materials such as silk. However, be aware that for the pashimina shawl, wrap, or scarf to be called authentic, around 70% of the material must be real pashmina.
2. Buy them in bulk. A wedding is actually a great time to buy plenty of pashmina especially for giveaways or party favors.
The good news is you can be entitled to huge discounts or rebates when you buy them in many pieces. You can also save on delivery, even get them for free shipping.
3. Use pashminas as a complement. Choose pashminas well. For your bridesmaids, you can match the shade of their dresses with that of the shawl.
For the bride, light colors such as beige are a perfect choice. Every girl wants her wedding to be special. A pashmina for wedding can help you achieve that.
]]>Many guys believe that accessories such as scarves are befitting to women only. Obviously, as you check out men’s magazines and glossy ads, you’ll realize that like pants that women have worn for so many years, scarves have also crossed over as men’s latest fashion piece.
Why More Men Prefer Scarves
Although many men still prefer jackets and other types of accessories, we’ve also seen the growing demand of pashmina scarves among their population.
Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Pashmina scarves are incredibly flexible pieces. You can wear them anytime of the year: in the summer, you can pair them with flip-flops and board shorts and still look really cool, not to mention manly.
In the fall and winter, you can bunch up a bit with a sweater and a scarf. You can go casual with buttoned-down shirt and jean or a bit high fashion by complementing the scarf with a full suit and tie.
2. They’re easier to wear. Granted, some knots and loops take some time to master, but once you do, you can get all dressed up in a matter of minutes. 3. They’re luxurious without being too blunt about it. Some fashion pieces are so loud they can immediately overpower your entire fashion style.
Before you know it, you are a candidate for some bickering over at Fashion Police. The great thing about Pashmina scarves is they are beautiful, and yet they’re subtle in their gorgeousness.
How to Wear
1. Choose the right Pashmina scarf. Pashmina scarves and shawls are often used interchangeably, but still, they’re somehow different from each other as scarves are significantly shorter than shawls.
Moreover, when it comes to design, it’s best if you stick with more solid neutral colors, like gray, brown, and black. If you want some patterns, then you can never go wrong with plaid. The logic here is that these designs are simple and easier to pair with the clothing pieces in your closet.
2. Bring out the beauty of the scarf by complementing it with the right shirt. The safest choice when it comes to Pashmina scarves is to pair them with basic pieces like white shirts or single-colored sleeves. But sometimes the look gets all boring. To upgrade it, all you have to do is to create contrast. In other words, if you’re wearing patterned scarves, go for plain shirts. Meanwhile, if you’re having a printed or colored shirt, stick with a basic-colored scarf.
3. Start with the simpler styles. Checking out the many crazy things you can do with the pashmina scarves can be very overwhelming. So we suggest you begin with the following styles:
If dry cleaning isn't an option, try to wash by hand, first use very cold water. You may add a little soft detergent such as baby shampoo or Woolite if you wish but please be certain the detergent is completely dissolved first. Then wash very gently by hand while being very careful with the hand-tied tassels if you are washing a pashmina accessory. You may want to check these images and see if you can find something similar at your local store:
If it's a pashmina sweater or cardigan, turn it inside out. Soak in lukewarm water with shampoo added.Do NOT squeeze or twist. To dry a pashmina, keep it in a towel and roll in towel to soak the dripping river from the pashmina.