"When that 'little black dress' is not enough ... SHANGRILA!"

Silk Scarves

A sixteenth century term, originally the scarf was worn by men as a sash or balderic slung across the body from shoulder to hip and served to carry small articles. In the nineteenth century the neckscarf became fashionable wear for men. Today, scarves are used by both men and women for warmth and to add a personal flair to their ensemble.

Because these scarves are works of art, please carefully follow this process in washing. Many of the scarves that we carry at Shangri-La are made of silk. Silk is a natural fiber and subtle variations in the weave and texture of silk fabric is expected and desirable and are in no way to be considered defective. Delicate or hand wash in cool water with mild soap. Use a neutral detergent or soap (nonalkaline soap such as Orvus Paste, available at feed and tack shops, or an olive-oil soap, such as Kiss My Face, available in natural food stores (grate into small pieces and dissolve in water ready for use) in cold water. Do not wring or twist and do not let the scarf soak. Rinse in cold water.

Once the silk has been washed, it can be rolled in a towel to absorb any excess water and laid flat to dry. This is better than hanging the silk, because hanging sometimes causes the silk to loose its shape. The iron should be set low, like a rayon setting; high heat damages silk. Use a press cloth between the silk scarf and iron. Some people prefer to iron silk while damp with a hot iron, but that is more difficult. There is no need to dry clean.

NOTE: These cleaning instructions do NOT apply to SILK VELVET. The cleaning of silk velvet is also easy, but requires a different approach that we describe elsewhere.