Nearly all women like to take time and trouble over their appearance. In most cases, it is not a vanity thing, but rather that everything from shopping for those lusted-after items to planning which outfit to wear and doing our hair and make-up is just such an enjoyable process. Of course, with a bigger budget to work with, we can enjoy the even greater sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing that the products we are using and the clothes and accessories that we have invested in are of real quality. Recession or no recession, however, treating ourselves to those really top of the range items is not something that all, or even most of us can do. In many cases we simply feel as though we have to accept the cheaper alternative and compromise on quality in favor of affordability. With some items, however, you really can get the very best without spending a fortune, and handmade women’s silk scarves and shawls are excellent examples of where this is the case.
The stores are, of course, full of regular printed silk scarves and shawls, but although these still often come with a hefty price tag, particularly the designer ones, they are typically not of the very highest quality and in many cases could only really be described as ‘ordinary’. Not only is the grade of silk used in their manufacture often inferior, but repeated designs are used and color ranges are limited. Despite having cost quite a lot of money, they still look and feel mass-produced, which of course is what they are.
Hand painted silk scarves and hand dyed shawls, as you might expect, are produced using an entirely different process than factory-produced ones. To begin with, the designs are created on the highest quality 100% silk fabric, which both looks and feels luxurious. Beautifully soft to the touch, it drapes in an entirely different way, without the stiffness which can be quite noticeable in inferior quality silk.
Every design, meanwhile, is totally unique and is created by an expert artist whose reputation rests on the quality of his or her work. After first stretching the piece of silk across a wooden frame to ensure that it is taut, all of the outlines of the pattern are then drawn on to the fabric with wax, which acts as a barrier to the dyes which are hand painted on to the fabric using a brush. Once the dyes have been allowed to dry, a steaming process is then used to fix the colors into place and to remove the wax outlines, before your individually handmade scarf or shawl is washed and ready to wear.
Every one of these gorgeous accessories is a luxurious work of art in its own right and yet it sells at a price which is comparable to many of the printed versions and often costs considerably less than the designer branded scarves and shawls. Even within a limited budget, we ladies really can have luxury, style and individuality – with no compromises.
Julie-Ann.
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