The stole is a liturgical vestment of various Christian denominations. It consists of a band of colored cloth, formerly usually of silk, about seven and a half to nine feet long and three to four inches wide, whose ends may be straight or may broaden out. The center of the stole is worn around the back of the neck and the two ends hang down parallel to each other in front, either attached to each other or hanging loose.
Stole and Dupatta are two different things that women use for different occasions. Where a stole is basically an expensive shawl made from an expensive fabric to be taken around shoulders over a party dress and dupatta is kind of headscarf that can be made from different kinds of material as per one’s personal choice.
An Indian dupatta has been in use for centuries amongst women of Hindu and Muslim faith as a cover to their face from people other than her husband or family. In earlier times wearing a dupatta was a compulsory measure before a woman could come out of her room but now the world has changed and Indian dupatta has entered the fashion scene.
Earlier dupattas were made very simple as it was only a equipment to cover the face but now that it has become a part of every Indian woman group, the style and fabric for dupatta has gone a major transformation.
Stoles on the other hand have been a part of western women group for long and have been in use for as a fashion accessory. Today the style of stoles has also gone a sea change in the way they are made and wrap and therefore needs to be discussed in length.
Picking the right stole
Picking the right stole is very important so that you get the desired look when you wrap the stole. As a stole is usually wraped for formal gatherings, it is important for you to choose the right stole while making the purchase.
Stoles come in a variety of fabrics but you should choose stole made from richer or warmer fabrics like pashmina, wool, silk etc as you need to wrap it on your shoulders. You should pick up stoles that are rich in texture and have good shine.
Pashmina Stoles
Your personality also plays an important part in choosing the right stole. A right stole for you may not be the right stole for somebody else. Therefore, right stole is a personal choice. If you like bright colors you can go for colors like magenta, orange, peacock blue while if you prefer sober colors your can choose beige, nude, camel color.
Your personal choice is one thing but avoid buying a stole that is trendy because they are expensive and become redundant when they are out of fashion.
Wraping a stole:
Wraping a stole stylishly is as important for your personality as buying a correct one. Now that winters are around the corner, a quick review on various styles of wraping your favorite stole will give you fresh ideas of wraping a stole so that you look as beautiful as you really are.
Stoles Wraping Styles
Traditional style Wrape:
This is the most fashionable way of wraping a stole. You just wrape the stole around your shoulders and tuck the loose edge inside the loop around your neck. You can wear this style with dresses like skirt, maxi or even trouser. For formal gatherings you can just pick up a stole that has some tassels or latkans.
Single Loop Style:
This is a casual way of wraping a stole with your T-shirts and denims. In this style you just wrap the stole around your neck and loop it one. The style looks good if the two ends of the stole are of the same height when you finish draping it.
Single Loop Style Stole
The Eight Loop Style:
This is the trendy way of wraping a stole with all kinds of dresses especially the shorter ones. In this style of wrap you just tie the two ends together and loop around your neck until the entire stole is wraped. The only caution to take in this style is not to take a stole with fabric that creases very easily.
Eight Loop Style Stole
Western Style Loop:
This style of loop is used by both men and women. The style started off in Europe and is perfect for chilly weather. The wrap gives a layered look and starts by folding the stole in half and looping around your neck. When the stole is about to finish, put the lose end through the loop and bring it out to give a sleek design.
You can wear this style with both casual and formal clothes.
Western Style Stole
Choosing the right Dupatta and wearing them
Indian dupattas come in a wide variety of fabrics starting from synthetic and ending with the most exclusive silk varieties. The concept of right dupatta is entirely your personal choice because every individual is different so is their taste. Therefore a dupatta that you may love may not appeal to some other and vice a versa.
However, since dupattas are becoming increasingly expensive with every passing year, it is better to buy dupattas made from pure fabrics instead of mixed or synthetic fabrics.
Pure fabrics can be dyed to any color of your choice over and over again, while synthetic fabrics cannot dye. Secondly pure fabrics exude richness while synthetic fabrics only have shine that too does not long very last.
Indian dupattas come in a variety of fabrics such as cotton, georgette, silk, net, chiffon etc. The choice of dupatta to drape depends largely on the occasion and place. If you wish to wear the dupattas for normal casual wear, you can choose pure cotton dupatta as it is a very soothing material that allows free flow of air while if you wish to drape a dupatta for a formal gathering, you choose a fabric that goes best with the kind of dress that you choose to wear.
Here under are some dupatta fabrics that are most popular with women:
Net Dupatta:
Net dupattas are very popular with women from all walks of life. The best thing about this dupatta is that the fabric allows certain amount of visibility while at the same time it covers the portion you intend to cover.
Net dupattas are very light weight and they look very pretty when used with or without embroidery. If you wear this dupatta on your head, you can show off the style of bun on your head and also the beautiful accessories that you have used.
Net Dupatta Stoles
In case you drape the dupatta on your chest, you must take an embroidered piece of the same so that your chest is not visible. However, if you are comfortable in some body show, net dupattas look very beautiful with all kinds of dresses.
Georgette Dupatta:
Georgette is the second most popular fabric that women love to use for a dupatta. The fabric is opaque and also heavier than net therefore women that are conscious about skin show use it more frequently.
Georgette is a very good fabric with a very good texture. Almost all dress designers around the globe use the fabric for their creations whether it is gown, a single piece dress, a stole or Indian dresses like suits, Anarkali suits, lehnga or a dupatta.
IT’S TIME TO DIG IN THE WARDROBE!
As the chilly winter winds creep inside your pullover, it is time for you to pull out the stoles and scarves from the dusty corner of your cupboard. Wearing a scarf is easy but the hard part comes when you have to decide which style to sport on which occasion. The best part about stoles is that along with being a necessity, they have become a fashion accessory that can transform your normal outfit into a stylish one. So, here are some ways in which you can drape your scarf or stole to suit every occasion.
MODERN ONE-LOOP
This is the most casual and chic way to carry your stole. This style is not gender specific and looks stylish on both men and women. To make this style perfect, drape your stole around the neck with one end hanging almost at the waist level and the other end lower than that. Now, wrap the longer end around the neck once. Check the length of both the ends and adjust the height to make it the same. This style works the best when you are wearing a causal pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
EUROPEAN LOOP
An easy to make style, this can works with several casual outfits. This too is a unisex style thus, looks fashionable on both the genders. Fold the scarf in half so that you have two loose ends in one hand and a loop in the other. Now, wrap the scarf around your neck and put the loose ends through the loop to form a knot. Adjust according to your comfort. Pair this style with a jacket to make your look trendier.
CLASSIC DRAPE
This is the simplest way to drape a stole, scarf or even a shawl. This is a style that suits women of all ages. However, it is not a look that would suit a man. To have this look, drape the stole around the shoulders in one complete loop. Tuck the loose end back into the loop at the nape of your neck. To achieve a chic and modern look, wear this with jeans or tailored skirt and top.
INFINITY DRAPE
This style is often considered to be a more finished version of the modern one-loop. Wear the stole around your neck and knot the loose ends together. Now, use the large loop around your neck to form a figure 8 with one loop around the neck. Make the second loop go inside the 8 around your neck to finish the styling. This style is most suited with a casual outfit. However, if you wear a scarf which is made of luxurious material like silk or pashmina, you can wear it with formals too.
WATERFALL
This is a popular style in which the scarf can be worn to add style to a very casual look. Loop the scarf twice around the neck and make sure that the loops are small. Take one of the loose ends and tuck it into the loop at the nape of your neck. Adjust the fabric at this end of the scarf to make it look like a waterfall. Make sure that the other end of the scarf is so short that it gets hidden behind the fall.
BUNNY EAR
Wear the scarf over shoulder and make sure that one end is longer than the other end. Make a loop with the longer the end around your neck twice in the same direction. Make the same end that you looped around the neck, fir through the second loop and tie a simple overhand knot using both ends of the scarf. Make the loops over knot to make the two ends dangling off the loop, slightly to the side.
TURTLENECK
Wear the stole over the shoulder keeping one end significantly longer than the other end. Take the longer end and loop it around the neck three or four times in the same direction. Tie a simple knot with both ends of the scarf and then tie another knot to make use of the excess fabric. Tuck in the knot underneath the loop to hide the excess fabric.
mR. Happer 