The development of the Indian shawl and its characteristic cone design, and the relations of the Indian, French and English shawl industries, have been fully dealt with and well illustrated in John Irwins excellent monograph, Shawls
The selection is huge, the styles are super vacation-friendly, and its easy to find something that works for beach days, brunch, and dinner without needing a whole new outfit
Sequin gowns, white halter neck dresses, velvet draping optional shop here
The Boden is a timeless dress made in Xirena's classic gauzy cotton for a cozy, lived-in look and feel
Or wear it scarf-style over a coat
(I never progressed beyond a plain black leotard, alas.) But the costumes spoke to that deep-seeded desire to be pretty and light -- a desire I try to suppress for being anti-modern or anti-feminist, but which still lurks inside me