
Shawls are used for draping around for the purpose of keeping warm in cold weather. The term 'shawl' comes from the Persian shal, referring to a woven woolen fabric made from pashm (goat's wool).
Traditionally worn by men & women both they were available only in standard size that was enough to be draped around the body. The variety of fabrics, ranges from silk shawls and pashmina shawls to wool shawls, from chiffon to cotton shawls, from shawl scarves to shawl wraps. Indian shawls and the shawls with Indian embroidery are quite popular worldwide owing to their excellent quality and intricate embroidery work.
But with time the shape, size, design and utility of a shawl has undergone a change. Shawls are now available in a variety of sizes and styles. Even the way they are wrapped around has changed to a large extent. The other versions of a shawl are the shawl wraps, shawl scarves and shawl stoles. All of these are just different styles of a shawl that are suitable for different seasons and occasions. As fashion accessories they are used as neck shawls, and head shawls as per the need and the trend.