Baba Yaga, style icon

[cupcake_goth]

Because my chronic health issues have apparently decided I need more signifiers of You Are A Lady Of A Certain Age: I now get chilled easily if the temperature drops below 65. Oh yay? Also, our house doesn’t have great insulation and single-pained windows, and there are no heat vents in the space my desk is in. So I’m pretty much always cold right now. Therefore I have accepted my Slavic Crone future (Vampire Witch Queen remix), and am exploring the wold of giant wool shawls. The black/gold/pink floral one I bought arrived yesterday (it’s a very similar pattern to a skirt Thea’s mom gave me), and I spent the day swathed in it, NOT feeling cold! Oh that’s right, natural fibers are waaaarm. And breathable. I’m now eyeing a black silk/cashmere pashmina on eBay, and browsing roughly a bazillion listings for actual vintage wool floral shawls from Eastern Europe.

Bonus: If I drape one over whatever I’m wearing, I will look like I’m wearing real clothes during a zoom meeting, instead of a concert shirt and leggings. 

Comments

[staxxy]

Shawls are awesome. You might also cast about for gothy handmade knits...

[gatheringrivers]

You can also try Etsy, sort by "india" as shop location, and "woolen dupatta". Typically you'll find them in north indian colors - medium to dark colors, blue/purple/etc.

(A dupatta is basically a shawl, just typically 80" x 30-ish")

(If you don't want to shop Etsy, because they do suck a lot these days, it at least gives you a reference point for shopping other sites.)

Typically if they're north indian, they will be cashmere or a cashmere blend, though not labeled as such. The region of Kashmir is where the goats usually are that have that wool - I like it because it doesn't make me itch like a rabid fiend.

*Edit: corrected approximate sizing. Was just in on Etsy looking at more dupattas, lol.*

[danabren]

Link to black/gold/pink floral shawl requested for review. I live in a rotation of a Ravenclaw cardigan, College of Winterhold cardigan, and Darth Vader zipper front hoodie during the darker half of the year, but am always up for admiring pretty things.

[trystbat]

Sweater dresses are my jam the past couple fall / winters. With layers on top of them. Do I look like a walking blanket? Yes. Am I warm & cozy AF? Also yes.

[sistawendy]

The Florida girl in me has always preferred indoor temperatures that are warm by local standards. As culturally messed up as the South is, I do miss the climate.

You remind me of the Siberian Siren, whose grandmother(s?) in Russia would send her fabulous wool scarves.

[trilliumgrl]

One of the few things still sitting in my office that I am missing is my plain black wool shawl that I liberated from my mother when I was a teenager. It is double-thick and has gotten me through many a meeting in a freezing cold conference room.

[melworks]

When I lived in Alaska the cold didn't bother me that much. I became inured to it. Then I moved back to the South and my blood seemed to thin out. Nowadays, if the temp drops below 70, I feel chilly. If it's below 65 I'm wearing long sleeves. Below 60? I'm putting on a coat. From there, it's just a short tumble into hats, scarves and gloves.
In short, you are not alone. :)

[carmenbeaudry]

I broke down this year and ordered a small space heater. It has made a great difference living under my computer desk in the upper hall that has no heat vents. And, when the furnace broke down last weekend, it heated the entire upstairs.

[kore]

The shawl sounds lovely!

I would happily give you some of the calories (or whatever scientific term actually applies) from my hot flashes, which are now brought on by stuff like: too many blankets at night (more than one), drinking coffee, and sitting in indirect sunlight for too long. Ugh.

[archersangel]

i'm pretty much all Polish/Slovak/Balkan/Russian(maybe? ancestry.com keeps refining their parameters & stuff changes) so i could get into shawls.