For the chicks - The best Pashmina in the whole wide world

[TheD]

So.

Where can I buy exquisite pashmina shawl's in Singapore? Not the boring old solid ones that I see ever so often..

Soemthing in black or ivory with the finest hand embroidery (Asian/SAmerica/African) that would make Sotheby's green with envy?

Has anyone seen pashminas with Chinese calligraphy or dragon-ish prints? Or Japanese-ish prints?

And whats the deal with pashminas? Can I get a synthetic pashmina that would need a professional with a microscope to tell from a natural? I don't mind paying more for a synthetic over and above a natural.

Please help!

Shahtoosh?

[BoD]

I remember a guy in Kathmandu telling me that a Pashmina is good if it can be threaded through a ring. Mind you, he did have very big fingers

[Aliya]

I think this is a challenge the girls can rise to! I dont think you can get Shatoosh (legally) anymore - FM goes to Afghanistan and is good on this sort of thing, let me talk to him. Of course I am still waiting for my silver bracelet that he disgracefully gave away to some tart

[azzam]

Oo ooh! Let me and aliya go shopping for you!

[TheD]

Isn't that what they say about Shahtoosh BoD? I think the Kashmiris are having us on. Shahtoosh I could believe the wedding ring thing, but pashmina?

So BoD says Kathmandu
Aliya says Afghanistan
and
Azza wants to go shopping.

Focus people focus.

Pashmina
Most beautiful
Singapore

We have world music, world food, world this and world that.

Can't I find a bloody world pashmina?

[Kooky]

The Ladies are lunching today; PM your credit card details and we'll do our worst.

[canuck]

excellent idea kooky

edit: didn't like how it sounded

[cromasaig]

Since you need it to be in Singapore, I think a trawl round Takashimaya & Ngee An is your best bet. Shanghai Tang do a good line in quality and pattern? But I wouldn't describe them as 'world's best'. (Well out of my range though. Not that I'm bitter.)

But at least then you've got Chanel, LV et al, under one roof. They should be reassuringly costly!

[Aliya]

Give us some time and we will find one for you in Singapore! I honestly think that the Shatoosh ones are illegal now. But you can still buy fabulous quality, its all about price, how much can you borrow on your mortgage

I am off to Takashimaya today, will ask them what they have.

[Possum]

The Ladies are lunching today; PM your credit card details and we'll do our worst.

I will eat dim thingies but no way are you getting me to shop!! I would rather stab myself with a blunt pencil and bleed slowly to death [smilie=banned.gif]

[TheD]

Zis is what I want:

Jamavar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A jamavar is a special type of shawl made in Kashmir. Historically it was made by hand and some shawls took a couple of decades to complete. Original Jamavar shawls sell for high prices.

The jamavar design is a special floral pattern which resembles the mango fruit.

Kanika Jamavar is a high end variety of Jamavar shawl. It is made with weaving sticks and the patterns are so finely done that front and back of the shawl are indistinguishable. Pashmina wool is used to make these shawls. Less than a dozen Kani Jamavar shawls are manufactured every year. The primary manufacturing centre for these shawls is Kashmir while some low end, machine made shawls also coming from Naziwabad, U.P.

--

But I want Kimono-esque very subtle, very light (as opposed to heavy) embroidery. Apparently the light embroidery can take up to 5 or 7 years as the concentration required is so intense, the weaver works on a particular shawl for only an hour or 2 a day.

So has anyone grabbed a Kashmiri traditional weaver, and taken him off to the US/UK to make/train weavers? No? Why is the world so stupid?

I guess I am on a fool's errand here. I give up. For now.

No lunch for you K!

[Aliya]

FM! Helf, we need you.

[TheD]

BTW A, yes the Shahtoosh is illegal. (Hence my tongue smiley in my OP)

Do you know the real story of how Shahtoosh is made? Forget the internet stories.

The Chiru kid when very young has fine down fur growing on the inside of the stomach. So it has to be gutted open and the down kinda skinned off and cleaned. It may take up to 500~1000 kids to make a single shawl.

A few months back a slimy Kashmiri carpet salesman offered me a small Shahtoosh for only 200 Sing. And I know my Shahtoosh and this one was the real thing. Staggering what peope will do for a few 100 bucks.

[Tack]

The best quality pashminas that I have seen in Sg has been from these people
http://singaporefairs.com/viewHome.php? ... A+Pashmina

I'd contact them with your requirements even if you don't see what you want on the site; from a quick look they have much more than the site suggests.

[azzam]

I do love a challenge...

They specialise in Nepal, have dropped them an email.
It looks like you can get them online via India, but I guess you knew that already. Maybe a trip to little India is in order.
As far as I can see on the net, the Jamavars are fairly bold, paisley style designs.

[azzam]

I got a reply, and the man says you can get them in Little India. Do we go shopping now?

[Aliya]

Friday can?

[TheD]

Thank you Tack!

This sounds promising!



Thanks Azza! If you take Aliya with you on Friday, make sure she leaves at least a few shawls for me to pick from.

Azza you've got U2U !

[azzam]

No I haven't ..

[Aliya]

BHS, get it right its a PM now! Promise won't do a big buy up, on savings drive, horror of horrors. Can you give Az a heads up on colours etc preferred? Price?

[azzam]

Hmmm...I think I've just gone round in a circle. I emailed the guy AA Pashminas, and after a bit of to and froing, this is what he said.

"I don't really know enough about jamavars to confirm what you wrote. Those that I have known and come across are not exquisite. I also know that they are not made of pashmina 'wool', but rather wool from certain Indian goats mixed with sheep wool - these goats are different from the Himalayan goats from which we get our pashmina fleece. This is why the 'pure' jamavars I know and see everywhere scratch - and I have seen enough. Real and good pashmina shawls don't scratch. I also don't see how the mango design come in - it's more likely paisley. And paisley comes in all sorts of designs. There is nothing special about it. Neither are they rare nor costly. We are talking wool here, and wool is plentiful. That's assuming they are 'pure'. Most are fake or synthetic (nylon, polyester and the like) and these don't scratch, so buyers can be deceived.

I can make pashminas (modern name is cashmere) with elaborate paisleys and so on, even 2-layered ones. Front and back indistinguishable, yes, in fact they have contrasting colours, as it is the jacquard weaving technique that is being used. Not sure about all this talk about weaving sticks. They are likely to be machine made. But I really don't like to do them because they are 'not me'.

It is easy to be fooled by all these merchants out there - here or in India or anywhere else. The spin they generate amazes me to this day! If I come across someone who knows about 'Kanika' jamavars, will let you know."

So, I'm wondering now if Little India is the right place. Maybe we could start there and see what garden paths they lead us up. I'm happy to go and look, not exactlky rushed off my feet at the moment. Or you could think about buying off the internet - here's a UK site that may have what you're thinking of

http://h4heaven.blogspot.com/2007/11/h4 ... toles.html

(I'm getting into this now...hey, maybe I can make a documentary about it )

Seems to me, AD,BHS, that if you want to move away form these traditional Paisley type Jamavar designs...

http://www.pashminagolden.com/jamavar_stole.htm

...you should be looking for something in a designer shop. I'm not sure if such a thing exists when it comes to Pashminas.

[Aliya]

Hmmmm where would we start. Maybe my ladies at the shoe shop could help, they know all about all sorts of things, know they are into their material etc. Also the more upmarket shops on the other side of Serangoon Road have Pashminas as well. I always found Bangaldesh best for pashminas but dont go there now, sob.

[TheD]

Sorry Az, now you do

I don't have the energy to go into the histroy of Jamavar and mango/paisley Az.

Briefly, when Shahtoosh was banned, the Kashmiri weaving industry adopted machines largely and the hand weavers are mostly dead or dying. Original and vintage Jamavars either Shahtoosh or Pashmina can command upto 100,000 GBP and coming across one would be very rare.

Pashmina jamavars number about 10 a year from a single workshop and there are only 2 or at most 3 workshops I would consider. Out of those 30 shawls barely 5 or less would be to my taste. Most times none at all. These would go in the region og 20k GBP.

It is very much hand woven using techniques (sticks and needles) developed over a thousand years or more, no machines at all.

I'm not at all sure I will be very well received if I went to Kashmir and asked for a Kimonoesque hand woven pashmina jamavar

[Aliya]

I'm sure we will find someone willing to sell us a pashmina for GBP20k in Little India but positive it wont be what you are looking for .

Hmmmm so you asked us to find something that even you think is nigh on impossble. I know we are girls and girls can achieve miracles but..................

[TheD]

What are you doing here? Aren't you in Little India?