Pure Wool Stole with Aari Hand-Embroidered Butterflies and Floral Vines from Kashmir
Dry clean recommended. Store with natural cedar or neem leaves. Avoid direct sunlight and moisture.
Description
In the valleys where chinars burn gold each autumn, Kashmiri artisans have long kept a conversation between needle and wool that the rest of the world can only pause to admire. This stole is worked in pure wool, soft enough to wear close to the skin yet substantial enough to hold the mountain cold at bay. Across its surface, aari embroiderers have traced butterflies mid-flight among flowering vines, each motif built stitch by patient stitch with the hooked needle that is the signature of the Kashmir aari tradition. The ground cloth is generously proportioned, allowing the embroidery to breathe and the pattern to unfold with unhurried elegance. Available in five considered colours, from the depth of Black Onyx and Imperial Blue to the warmth of Burnt Sienna and the quieter grace of Opal Blue and Turtledove, the stole moves easily between seasons and occasions, from a winter wedding to a contemplative evening at home. Drape it over a plain silk kurta to let the embroidery claim its full attention, or fold it loosely over a tailored coat for a moment of unexpected softness.
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Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the hooked needle, the aari, that craftsmen in the Kashmir Valley have wielded for centuries. Worked on a wooden frame called the karchob, each stitch is coaxed upward through the wool ground to form the continuous chain that gives the work its fluid, painterly quality. The butterflies and scrolling floral vines on this stole belong to a visual vocabulary refined across generations in villages around Srinagar, where the craft passed from father to son long before it caught the eye of Mughal courts and colonial collectors.
How to style
Draped loosely over a Lucknawi chikankari kurta in ivory, the Black Onyx or Imperial Blue colourway becomes a considered focal point for an evening gathering. Fold it into a neat rectangle across the shoulders of a merino blazer for a heritage-inflected office look, and let the embroidered vine peek at the lapel. For a winter wedding, the Burnt Sienna reads beautifully against a deep burgundy anarkali; anchor the look with silver jhumkas and pointed kolhapuri heels rather than anything overtly ornate. All five colourways suit both draped and pinned arrangements.
Fabric & care
Pure wool holds warmth precisely because its fibres breathe, but those same fibres felt irreversibly under heat and agitation. Hand wash in cold water with a mild wool wash or a few drops of baby shampoo, supporting the stole's full weight as you lift it from the basin. Never wring. Press gently between two dry towels, then reshape flat away from direct sunlight. Once dry, fold along the warp rather than rolling, and store in a cotton muslin bag with a cedar block to discourage moths. Treated well, Kashmiri wool deepens in lustre across decades.
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