Wool Stole with Aari Embroidered Floral Border and Stone work from Amritsar
Dry clean recommended. Store with natural cedar or neem leaves. Avoid direct sunlight and moisture.
Description
There are wraps that merely warm you, and there is this one, which quietly tells a story. Worked by craftsmen in Amritsar, this wool stole carries the careful language of Aari embroidery along its border, each floral motif pulled into being by a hooked needle with a patience that cannot be hurried. The stone work set among the florals catches light in the manner of old jewellery, lending the piece a subtle opulence without any desire to announce itself. The wool ground is soft and substantial, well suited to the cool months when one reaches for something that is both useful and considered. Available in six thoughtfully composed tones, from the quiet warmth of Brown Rice to the depth of Estate Blue and the freshness of Laurel Green, each colourway feels like a different mood of the same poem. This is the kind of textile that rewards a slow look. Drape it over a handloom kurta for an afternoon out, or let it rest across the shoulders of a formal suit as an understated acknowledgement of craft. Either way, it carries itself with ease.
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Behind this piece
Amritsar has long been a city of two devotions: the sacred and the ornamental. Its Aari embroidery tradition, worked with a fine hooked needle called the aari, draws floral motifs from Mughal garden manuscripts and translates them into silk thread on wool. The stole you hold carries that inheritance along its border, each petal and tendril worked by hand in a city where this craft has been practised across generations of Muslim and Hindu artisan families alike. The stone work catches light the way old jewellery does: quietly, without performance, at the precise moment it is noticed.
How to style
In Mars Red or Estate Blue, this stole pairs beautifully with an ivory chanderi kurta and wide-leg palazzos for a winter gallery opening or literary evening. Draped over a charcoal wool overcoat with slim trousers and leather Oxford shoes, it transforms a formal occasion with warmth rather than weight. For the diaspora dresser, wear it over a silk slip dress in a corresponding tone, anchored with antique silver jhumkas. The floral border does the decorative work, so keep your base garments understated. Snow White is particularly striking worn against deep jewel-tone silk.
Fabric & care
Wool retains warmth through its natural crimp, which gentle care preserves for years. Hand wash in cold water using a mild, pH-neutral detergent, never wringing or twisting the fabric. Support the full weight of the stole when lifting it wet. Press it flat between two clean towels to remove moisture, then dry horizontally on a rack away from direct sunlight. Steam lightly on the reverse side; avoid direct iron contact with the stone work. Store folded in a cotton muslin bag with a cedar block to discourage moths, and refold along different lines each season to prevent permanent creasing.
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From the Journal
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