Pashmina Shawls Among Must-Have Fall Fashion Accessories

Traditional Black and Natural Off White Are Joined by New Fall Favorites

Suddenly popular and now very much in style in America, luxurious pashmina shawls and wraps make beautiful fall fashion accessories. Online retailer, The Pashmina Store, recently announced the top-selling fall colors. In addition to traditional black and natural off white, the most popular colors this fall include dark chocolate brown, silver gray, cranberry, purple and midnight blue. Gold, sage green and burgundy pashmina shawls and wraps have also risen on the popularity chart. Cheetah and leopard are the leading animal prints. Last year's top-selling fall colors included bright red, champagne and burnt olive.

The pashmina wrap or shawl is new enough in the American fashion marketplace that many may not be familiar with this plush, softer-than-cashmere fabric. Pashmina wool comes from India or Nepal and is said to be the finest cashmere in the world. Shawls and wraps can be 100 percent pashmina or a blend of pashmina and silk.

According to an online article, "Suddenly in Style: Pashmina," pashmina shawls, wraps and scarves have become quite popular of late and "are the most distinctive accessory to the affluent woman's urban uniform." The article states that women's magazines such as "Redbook" and "InStyle" have been recognizing the fabric as a "must have" for several months.

The article states that local weavers in Nepal and India knead, dye and combine pashmina goat hairs with silk, which gives the material durability and luster. Generally, the ratio of pashmina to silk is 70 to 30 or 80 to 20.

Much of the fabric then passes on to numerous middlemen, which causes a huge jump in price. Market-watcher Lisa Merkatz said in the pashmina article that pashmina is not regulated, and quality can sometimes be compromised.

Enter Blair Rhodes and her mother Charlene. After a 2000 family visit to Nepal, they developed firsthand appreciation for how pashmina fabric was made and the tradition behind it. Deciding to eliminate the middleman, they established The Pashmina Store in 2003 and set about making pashmina shawls, wraps and scarves available to the public at affordable prices, with a quality guarantee.