"Spring Ribbons ~ Sky Blue" Couture Silk Satin Chiffon Bridal Stole Wrap Accessory by Valentino
Over the 100,000 years that humankind has been making clothes, a special reverence for cloth shaped in the form of a Stole, Shawl, or Cape has prevailed in many cultures, resulting in a rectangular garment that relies on a depth of meaning and strong belief. Once worn in transformational situations, these shoulder coverings were not to be taken lightly. None originated from a view of clothes as utilitarian. A Shawl has been considered to be a garment that carries a special blessing as early as the 1800s.
In the long parade that fashion is, Indigo has played an equally important role for centuries. Indigo can be a color of leadership, of sacred significance, or of “blue collar” status, but it’s resilience has led to its use by farmers, fishermen and workers from France to Japan, from China to America throughout the ages.
Once artists discovered Indigo-bearing plants containing the gift of blue, an infatuation with indigo and a huge impact on our visual world began. Nothing compares with this dye’s ability to capture the blues of nature – a midnight sky, early dawn or an impression of the sea. It can also define a mood – of joy and vitality in the lighter variations, or of melancholy and mystery in the dark hues.
However, Indigo is a dye that demands discipline to use. Because of that, artists who make textiles that incorporate the color can be considered feats of dedication to create. Some creations posted here took thousands of hours to produce – requiring prolonged concentration akin to a meditative state. Others were made swiftly but with highly specialized skill and have a different kind of appeal.
In this blogpost, White Stole showcases the diversity of what the Shawl, Stole and Sarong have signified in cultures from the late 1800’s onwards – from the Ceremonial to the Sacred Wedding - with 6 historical photos from around the world. Enjoy!
In the long parade that fashion is, Indigo has played an equally important role for centuries. Indigo can be a color of leadership, of sacred significance, or of “blue collar” status, but it’s resilience has led to its use by farmers, fishermen and workers from France to Japan, from China to America throughout the ages.
Once artists discovered Indigo-bearing plants containing the gift of blue, an infatuation with indigo and a huge impact on our visual world began. Nothing compares with this dye’s ability to capture the blues of nature – a midnight sky, early dawn or an impression of the sea. It can also define a mood – of joy and vitality in the lighter variations, or of melancholy and mystery in the dark hues.
However, Indigo is a dye that demands discipline to use. Because of that, artists who make textiles that incorporate the color can be considered feats of dedication to create. Some creations posted here took thousands of hours to produce – requiring prolonged concentration akin to a meditative state. Others were made swiftly but with highly specialized skill and have a different kind of appeal.
In this blogpost, White Stole showcases the diversity of what the Shawl, Stole and Sarong have signified in cultures from the late 1800’s onwards – from the Ceremonial to the Sacred Wedding - with 6 historical photos from around the world. Enjoy!
 CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca. 1900 made of cotton, Indigo-dyed, with silk supplementary weft weave, metal toggles from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people |  CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca. 1900 made of cotton, Indigo-dyed, with silk supplementary weft weave, metal toggles from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people |
Photo 1 is a CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca. 1900 from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people
Long-nosed lions, serpent-headed birds are just two of the signs of a mythic imagination that inspired the creatures on this shawl. It implies a belief in the transformative vision of complex designs. Weavers have loaded the indigo background with an intricate diagram of ancient forms of hooks, spirals and stylized birds, serpents, and occasional people. Such a Shawl could serve as a facilitator of meditation, detachment and spiritual discipline.
Long-nosed lions, serpent-headed birds are just two of the signs of a mythic imagination that inspired the creatures on this shawl. It implies a belief in the transformative vision of complex designs. Weavers have loaded the indigo background with an intricate diagram of ancient forms of hooks, spirals and stylized birds, serpents, and occasional people. Such a Shawl could serve as a facilitator of meditation, detachment and spiritual discipline.
 CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca 1900 made of cotton, Indigo-dyed, with silk supplementary weft weave, metal toggles from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people |  CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca 1900 made of cotton, Indigo-dyed, with silk supplementary weft weave, metal toggles from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people |
Photo 2 is a CEREMONIAL SHAWL (Pa Biang), ca 1900 from Laos, Northern Tai Nuea people
Intensely symbolic Shawls are covered with signs of a dense imaginary world. Embedded in the maze in this piece are diamond shapes derived from Buddhism to suggest a star, or third eye. Looking closely you may also spot a river dragon, or naga, who is guardian of the underworld. Notice how the maze is not asymmetrical. The weaver’s goal was “to help the onlooker discard all preconceptions of balance and, in meditation, to question the very order of life itself.” Explains Patricia Cheesman, author of Lao Textiles: Ancient Symbols- Living Art (1988).
Intensely symbolic Shawls are covered with signs of a dense imaginary world. Embedded in the maze in this piece are diamond shapes derived from Buddhism to suggest a star, or third eye. Looking closely you may also spot a river dragon, or naga, who is guardian of the underworld. Notice how the maze is not asymmetrical. The weaver’s goal was “to help the onlooker discard all preconceptions of balance and, in meditation, to question the very order of life itself.” Explains Patricia Cheesman, author of Lao Textiles: Ancient Symbols- Living Art (1988).
 SACRED SHAWL (Ulos Ragidup), ca. 1900 made of cotton; warp resist (ikat); supplementary weft; natural dyes including indigo from Indonesian, Sumatra, Batak culture |  SACRED SHAWL (Ulos Ragidup), ca. 1900 made of cotton; warp resist (ikat); supplementary weft; natural dyes including indigo from Indonesian, Sumatra, Batak culture |
Photo 3 is a SACRED SHAWL (Ulos Ragidup), ca. 1900 from Indonesian, Sumatra, Batak culture
Sacred honor is bestowed whenever this type of shawl appears in Batak communities. It is a technically remarkable cloth with complex iconography that carries great significance. Wrapped around the shoulders of a person in transition at weddings, for pregnancy, and other life changes, it invokes speeches by chosen people whose great knowledge enables them to carefully observe the cloth and divine a way to enhance the wearer’s future.
Sacred honor is bestowed whenever this type of shawl appears in Batak communities. It is a technically remarkable cloth with complex iconography that carries great significance. Wrapped around the shoulders of a person in transition at weddings, for pregnancy, and other life changes, it invokes speeches by chosen people whose great knowledge enables them to carefully observe the cloth and divine a way to enhance the wearer’s future.
SARONG (kain kapala), 19th century made of cotton, factory plain weave; wax resist (batik)process; natural / synthetic indigo dye from Indonesian, Central Java
Photo 4 is a SARONG (kain kapala), 19th century from Indonesian, Central Java
Step into a Sarong and you enter via a network of symbols that support your place in a cosmic sacred landscape. On this sarong, a dark Indigo night is set off against a breathtaking day, both nurtured with a constant drizzle of growth and fertility – visually, plants are thriving as they drift across petals, floating coconut fronds and entwined tendrils. Fireflies flicker in the night while phoenixes and butterflies fly through the air during the day. A sense of vitality is bursting off the cloth, ready to accompany the wearer when they are participating in ceremonies wherever they may go.
Step into a Sarong and you enter via a network of symbols that support your place in a cosmic sacred landscape. On this sarong, a dark Indigo night is set off against a breathtaking day, both nurtured with a constant drizzle of growth and fertility – visually, plants are thriving as they drift across petals, floating coconut fronds and entwined tendrils. Fireflies flicker in the night while phoenixes and butterflies fly through the air during the day. A sense of vitality is bursting off the cloth, ready to accompany the wearer when they are participating in ceremonies wherever they may go.
KASHMIRI SHAWL with RUMAL design ca. 1870 made of wool, interlocked twill tapestry weave with embroidery in chain stitch; pieced; natural dyes including indigo from the Indian, Kashmir area (for export to Europe), Dogra Dynasty (1846 – 1949)
Photo 5 is a KASHMIRI SHAWL with RUMAL design ca. 1870 from the Indian, Kashmir area (for export to Europe), Dogra Dynasty (1846 – 1949)
Kashmiri Shawls once ignited a covetous desire throughout Europe. They were made of a lovely soft goat hair and evoked the aura of a royal Mughal personage. French King Napoleon Bonaparte saw soldiers bring them back from India around 1800 and his wife Josephine soon had acquired hundreds. Given this overwhelming demand, Indian producers began assembling shawls like this one, which is a mosaic of small woven segments locked together with embroidery. Meanwhile, weavers in Paris and Paisley, Scotland wove silk imitations that have endured in waves of revival unto today.
Kashmiri Shawls once ignited a covetous desire throughout Europe. They were made of a lovely soft goat hair and evoked the aura of a royal Mughal personage. French King Napoleon Bonaparte saw soldiers bring them back from India around 1800 and his wife Josephine soon had acquired hundreds. Given this overwhelming demand, Indian producers began assembling shawls like this one, which is a mosaic of small woven segments locked together with embroidery. Meanwhile, weavers in Paris and Paisley, Scotland wove silk imitations that have endured in waves of revival unto today.
“Once upon a time, or actually several times upon a time, Indigo was the most important dye in the world. At one point it helped prop up an empire, and then later it helped destabilize it. Ancient Egyptians used Indigo-dyed clothes to wrap their mummies, in Central Asia it was one of the main colors for carpets, and for more than three centuries in Europe and America it was one of the more controversial dye-stuffs, and it would have been familiar to people of many nationalities.” Victoria Finlay, Color: A Natural History of the Palette, 2002
View White Stole’s entire collection for size and color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes, Shawls and Veiled Bridal Hair Accessories for purchase, or rental, on our website.
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