A zari Kani pashmina shawl with a plain black field, left quiet so the borders can do the talking. Down both long sides runs a band of small paisleys in crimson, saffron, rose and indigo on an ivory ground, and each end carries a deep palla of tall, sweeping boteh in red, gold, olive and plum, set among tiny flowers. A large paisley buta sits in each inner corner of the field, and the ends finish in a row of bright stripes in red, blue, purple, green and orange, each tipped with a small flame.
The design
This is a semi-Kani shawl: the field is plain pashmina, and the zari Kani weaving is kept for the borders, the palla and the corner buta. It is a classic Kashmiri layout, and the contrast is the point. The black makes the colours in the border glow, and the zari gives them a glint as the shawl moves, so it looks rich without feeling busy.
How it is made
The borders are not printed or embroidered. They are woven into the cloth colour by colour using the Kani technique, with zari carried through the weave alongside the coloured threads. Turn the shawl over and you will see the reverse of the weave, with the thread changes and zari floats visible behind the borders. That is the honest back of a woven pattern, not a fault.
The colour
Black with a jewel-toned border is one of the easiest shawls to wear: plain enough for everyday winter, with enough colour and zari at the edges to dress up an evening or a winter wedding. It works over black, ivory, grey, maroon or any solid colour picked out of the border.
Details
- Pashmina, with zari Kani borders
- Semi-Kani: plain black field, woven border, palla and corner buta
- Small paisley border along both sides; deep palla of tall boteh at each end
- Zari woven through the borders and palla
- Multicoloured striped ends with flame tips
- Approximately 45" × 85"
- Dry clean only by a specialist. Do not press zari directly, and keep away from rings, brooches and rough jewellery, which can catch the threads on the reverse
- Store folded, away from direct sunlight
One piece only. Slight irregularity in the weave is natural to woven work of this kind, not a fault.
Ships in Attan's branded box with a thank-you card, ready to gift.
