Cashmere Stoles for Women: The Edit

These five cashmere stoles are for winter evenings, when a dress or kurta needs a layer for the drive home but a coat would hide the outfit. All five are designed by Ramola Bachchan and woven in cashmere, with crystals scattered across the surface. The crystals catch the light when the stole hangs loose. They come in two weights. Three are light ombre tie-dyes that fade from one colour into another. Two are thicker solid stoles with fringed ends, for colder nights.

Thick fringed stoles

The red is the warmest. Its cashmere is a heavier weave than the ombre stoles, so it can stand in for a shawl on an outdoor winter evening. It works wrapped once around the neck with both ends hanging down the front, or opened wide across the back and shoulders. Red goes easily with black, gold and ivory, and over a plain black dress it is the whole outfit.

The mustard is the same thick weave with the same fringe, and it has a small crystal motif worked near each end. It sits well with browns, olive and black, and it warms up cream or white trousers. Let the ends hang long so the motif shows above the fringe.

Light ombre stoles

The ombre stoles are lighter, and they fold smaller into a bag. That makes them the ones to carry for air-conditioned venues and for evenings that only turn cool late. Because the colour fades, each one changes depending on which end you put at the front.

The sea green is the boldest of the three. It goes from cream at one end to a deep green at the other. Worn across one shoulder with the green falling down the arm, it reads almost like a cape. Folded narrow, it is a softer drape for a formal dinner. The cream half goes with ivory and pastels, and the green with jewel tones.

The pink and grey has pink on the edge and inner side and soft grey across the rest, with a line of crystals near the hem. The grey makes it easy to wear with silver jewellery and with navy or charcoal.

The pink and cream is the softest: blush pink fading into butter cream, with a curved line of crystals at one end. It is pale enough to wear over a white or ivory outfit without breaking it up, and it softens a black dress.

For more ways to tie and drape a stole, see our stoles and scarves styling guide. To keep cashmere soft, see the cashmere care guide. If you want a layer with more structure than a stole, see cashmere capes.