Luxurious cashmere available on any budget

In the old days, cashmere was like good pearls or a sturdy overcoat. It was an expensive investment and still in the wardrobe 20 years later.

Today it's a steamy fashion item available in a surprisingly wide range of trendy styles, prices, sumptuous colors and retail stores.

Target boasts Isaac Mizrahi's cashmere gloves and mufflers at less than $20 each, testimony to the new popularized affordable rendition.

Although it is no longer priced in the stratosphere, cashmere still carries the cachet of something special.

It has a soft, comforting feel and a reputation for long-term wear. And at a time when luxury of any kind is an obsession in the global culture, the demand remains high.

Lands' End, the catalog and online retailer, offers at least 160 cashmere items, said Sid Mashburn, senior vice president for design.

The selection includes women's sweaters priced under $100, a $900 women's overcoat and an $800 blanket.

It's what trend watchers call "masstige," he said, or the democratization of a prestige product.

"It is considered a luxury, and people are responding to luxury right now," said Victoria Fisher Keller, a buyer at Nordstrom, where cashmere sweaters start around $100.

The mass distribution and accessibility of cashmere has influenced upscale sources to spiff up their garments to set them apart, said Lori Holliday Banks, a fashion editor with New York-based Tobe Reports, fashion retail analysts.

"People have had to push the envelope," she said.

They are offering fine, sheer-gauge fittings for evening or summers, sweater jackets, special button details, ponchos and trendy shrunken silhouettes to take a leap ahead of stores such as Costco and Target, where the luxury fibers are in the affordable range.

Cashmere "was once viewed as a classic category. Now it's more about fashion," Banks said.

It's all about the goat

Cashmere fibers, of course, are pruned from the underhair of a cashmere goat's belly. According to the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute Web site, the fibers come mostly from Mongolia, Tibet and China, where goat herds struggle for survival on frigid mountainsides.

New Zealand and Australia also have cashmere goats. The name cashmere is taken from the Kashmir region of India, although little cashmere comes from there now.

The fibers are collected with a long comb or by shearing in the spring during the molting season, and the goats are unharmed. The cashmere goat is a type, not a breed, which carries the down gene, according to the Institute. Strong, long fibers called guard hairs protect the soft hairs underneath. Once harvested, the outer and underhairs are separated, usually by machine.

Generally, the longer the soft precious underhairs are, the better the quality. When short hairs are spun into a garment they may be pulled too tightly and have a tendency to pill. Because cashmere is high-priced luxury fiber, the cashmere industry has been plagued with misconceptions and misrepresentations. In 1999, the fashion world heated into a frenzy over a so-called pashmina shawl. The implication was that the fibers, reported to be from Himalayan goats, were special and finer than other cashmere.

In truth, pashmina is not a fiber. It is an Indian word for cashmere and part of a huge promotional hype. Kenneth Langley, who tests cashmere for the Institute, often at retailers' request, said the pashmina story was a myth. Even when people were paying up to $500 for a shawl, the material was a blend of silk and cashmere.

Today, some manufacturers still use the word pashmina to describe 100 percent cashmere. And some use the term in reference to a blend. Legally, the word cannot be used without an authentic fiber content description.

The mislabeling of cashmere is an ongoing issue for the industry.

Certainly the blends with silk or wool can be lovely and appealing and may offer a way to have good-quality cashmere at affordable prices. But a sweater marked 100 percent cashmere cannot legally be diluted with wool. And if a garment says 20 percent cashmere, then it should contain that exact amount of the fiber, according to rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

The content and quality cannot be determined by feel. Langley, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, said it is not unusual to find textiles labeled 100 percent cashmere adulterated with wool. Processors have become skilled in treating wool fibers so they have the same soft feel of cashmere, he said.

The testing process involves cutting into the material and taking thousands of fibers. Langley said he has to examine at least 500 fiber hairs to authenticate the content.

In recent years, the Institute has sued some major retailers over mislabeling. CBS Television News in New York recently ran a report on the issue. Out of 10 garments a reporter purchased, eight did not test as labeled. The two that were 100 percent cashmere as marked were from Banana Republic and Target. The alleged cashmere scarves bought at kiosks on the street were acrylic.

The issue is echoed by a recent Consumer Reports article that said one of six of the sweaters it tested contained about 10 percent wool treated to have a soft feel. Recycled fibers also may be of lesser quality and also must be indicated on the label.

Patty Lounis, sourcing manager for Texas-based J.C. Penney Co., said Penney uses one primary production source, which oversees the fibers from the time they are purchased through the knitting phase to delivery. That way, she said, the company limits opportunities a supplier might have to scrimp on the cashmere along the way. "By diluting the product even just a little, he can save a lot of money," she said. Also as part of quality control, Penney tests the cashmere twice; before and after shipping.

Most cashmere knits are (and should be) at least two-ply yarn. The number refers to the density of the fibers. If bulky, a sweater may have more. Less expensive sweaters may be two-ply but have thin yarn and looser knit. Consumer Reports suggests checking the ply by untwisting the yarn in the repair kit. A single ply garment gives you less cashmere for your money.

Another frequent complaint in regard to sweaters is pilling, or balling of the yarns. Experts say pilling is often exacerbated by everyday wear that results from friction between a jacket over a sweater, for instance, or a handbag on a shoulder. "Just cut off those strings," said Nordstrom's Keller.

It's supposed to feel good

Ultimately, how do you get the best item for the money you have?

Even the experts can't judge the authenticity by the feel of a garment. Mostly, you have to buy on faith, they say. But you can be judicious.

Mashburn suggested you check the stitches per inch and density.

Keep in mind if the cashmere sweater is lightweight and sheer, it can still be made of high-quality fibers.

Look at the color selection, Keller said. You'll get an idea of how serious the producers and retailers are about cashmere.

In the end, the safest step is to shop with a reputable retailer you trust.

"Try it on," Keller said. "How does it feel to you? It's really about making you feel good."

CASHMERE: DON'T GET FLEECED

Shop with a reputable retailer. Sometimes your best option is to buy on faith.

Pashmina is not a fiber. It is an Indian word for cashmere, but it is used most often to indicate a silk and cashmere blend.

A sweater labeled 100 percent cashmere must be just that, according to laws overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. A blend indicating 20 percent cashmere must have that degree of the fiber. But there is no way to know for sure without it being tested in a laboratory.

Cashmere prices can be under $100 for a sweater. It depends on the retailers and how they buy the garments.

Examine the density of a sweater. It should be no less than two-ply.

MORE TIPS ON CHOOSING CASHMERE

If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Consumer Reports advises against going too low.

If you question the quality, Consumer Reports suggests you examine the yarn repair kit that comes with a garment. Untwist the yarn to be sure it is two ply. If it is single ply, you're not getting as much cashmere for your money. Move on.

Feel the garment. Try it on if possible. See how it feels to you.

Cashmere knits can be dry cleaned or washed in a mild detergent or baby shampoo and dried flat. Woven garments should be dry cleaned.

Three lakh sheep affected by drought

Jammu, Dec 23 The Deputy Commissioner Satish Nehru has visited Changthang area to take stock of the situation where nearly three lakh Pashmina and Merino sheep have been affected due to drought.

The state government has sanctioned Rs 3 crore under the calamity relief fund for the affected cattle and sheep, an official spokesman said.

During his tour yesterday, the deputy commissioner visited 25 villages in changthang.

The cash relief for purchasing of local barley as a feed supplement amounting to Rs 38.75 lakhs has been placed at the disposal of disbursing committees headed by SDM, NYOMA, and Councillors of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

Adequate quantity of fodder and feed has also been stocked in the remotest areas of the village.

An amount of Rs 22.57 lakh was disbursed in presence of Deputy commissioner and councillors to the beneficiaries, the spokesman added.

Nehru, who is also the chairman of the red cross society of leh unit, also distributed blankets and jackets among the poor and orphan children of Samad, Angkong, Kharnak, Fobrang, Man, Merak and kakjung Nomadic areas.

Can you do all your Christmas shopping on line in one hour?

YOU’VE left it late, the shops are crammed and you can’t face that last dash around the crowded high street in the cold. The deadline for Royal Mail parcels passed last week. So is it too late to buy all your presents on line and have them delivered in time for Christmas? The news is good - on-line retail sites are well geared-up for last-minute shoppers, and there is still an amazing selection of gifts for all the family. As long as you are prepared to fork out that little bit extra for courier delivery, it should still be possible to make sure everyone in the family has a happy Christmas - and pretend you were well-organised all along! Happy shopping.

00.00: Buy Dad a title, not a tie: If your father has always wanted people to treat him with a little more respect, you could make him a "laird" for as little as £40. By going to the scottishhighlandtitles.com site, you can buy him a square foot of a Caithness estate, which means you legally have the title of laird - or landowner. In return, you will be sent a deeds registration letter and map of the estate, where you can walk and fish at your leisure. You will also receive a car sticker to prove your aristo credentials. scottishhighlandtitles.com says if orders are in by 19 December, they should reach you in time for Christmas.

10 minutes: Pampering day for Mum: Lastminute.com has done an exclusive deal with a nationwide network of beauty spas to come up with a pampering voucher which can be redeemed anywhere in the country. At £89.95 for a Monday to Thursday or £99.95 for a voucher you can use at weekends, this is the chance for mum to enjoy "a world of total relaxation and pure bliss". The final date recommended for postal orders was yesterday, but by paying £7.50 for a next-day courier service, you can ensure the voucher arrives in time, provided you order on line before noon on Wednesday.

20 minutes: Pashmina for Auntie Kate: You can’t go wrong with a cashmere and silk pashmina and johnlewis.com has a gorgeous one for £75. Monday is the deadline for Christmas orders from johnlewis.com Express delivery costs £6.95, but it is free if you order gifts costing more than £150.

28 minutes: Chocolate weekend for best friend Sharon: Thorntons ( www.thorntons.com has teamed up with a chain of country-house hotels to offer specially themed chocolate holidays. Guests enjoy a whole weekend of chocolate-themed activities, guided by Thorntons’ chief chocolatier, Barry Colenso, making their own chocolates, enjoying blind tastings, dancing off the calories, and then going to bed with hot chocolate.

The ultimate chocoholics present costs £155, but there are a range of on-line goodies from chocolate reindeer to classic boxes of continental. Thorntons takes orders until 22 December.

Courier day delivery costs £5.99.

35 minutes: Thorntons Continental Selection for Auntie Mary: 400g of Continental chocolates, £10

37 minutes: A pig in Honduras for Uncle Donald: For the man who has everything, or who doesn’t hold with the rampant materialism of Christmas, the charity Worldvision has come up with a range of alternative, altruistic Christmas gifts at www.greatgifts.org - for £37, you can become the "owner" of a pig which will help people in Honduras to start a family business. Worldvision says you can order from its site until 2pm on 21 December.

46 minutes: Girl’s toy bikes for nieces Emma and Ellena: Toyshops can start looking a bit sparse round about now, when a lot of the most popular toys start selling out. Although some items are out of stock, you can still order from toysrus.co.uk until 11pm tomorrow.

54 minutes: Vortex howler for son Billy: Specialist site www.Iwantoneofthose.com has all sorts of inventive suggestions for gifts. For £12.99, you can have a Vortex howler, a missile-shaped toy which makes a loud screeching noise as you throw it. Courier delivery costs £5.95.

Your hour is up and you’ve done it - but beware the extra delivery charges mounting up. Expect to pay £5-£7 each time. Most high street stores have good websites featuring food, wine and gifts. M&S is taking orders until Tuesday, while Tesco will take orders until 23 December.

Ten things not to buy for Christmas

Looking for that elusive gift or sumptuous dining experience as the festive season approaches in many countries?

If you like these fancy cowboy boots or little evening bag, be aware that some native wild populations of crocodiles and snakes are in dire straits and critically endangered.
WWF says that by avoiding certain items and carefully sourcing your presents, you can avoid having a detrimental impact on the planet's natural resources and a guilt free holiday season.

"It's about being aware what you buy, and the impact it can have on species and the environment," says Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF's Global Species Programme.

"Some people have no idea what is legal or illegal. Our advice is based on threats to wildlife and the environment from unsustainable trade and consumer demand."

Beluga Caviar – If buying, buy carefully. While nothing is more evocative of luxury than black caviar, be aware that the sturgeon of the Caspian Sea could face extinction due to unsustainable and illegal plunder for their roe. Purchase caviar only from shops, only in sealed jars and, most importantly of all, make sure the jar or tin is sealed with a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) label.

Tigers/Tiger products – Don't buy. Owning a tiger as a pet, as well as tiger skin rugs and coats is gaining kudos in some elite circles. There are around 5,000 tigers left in the wild and populations are under immense pressure from habitat loss and poaching. All international trade of tiger products, whether used in traditional Asian medicine, as souvenirs or for 'good luck' charms, is illegal.

Ivory products – Don't buy ivory trinkets. The illegal trade in elephant ivory is a continuing problem world-wide. If an elephant is poached for its ivory, chances are great that the ivory will end up in a market in Africa or Asia. From there, trade moves through illegal channels into other markets in North America and Europe. The continuing existence of illicit ivory markets, particularly in Africa and Asia, remains one of the greatest threats to elephants today, particularly in West and Central Africa.

Turtle shell products – Don't buy. Six of the seven species of marine turtles are endangered or critically endangered, and the outlook is increasingly grim. In the Pacific, leatherbacks are heading for extinction, fast, and in the Mediterranean, green turtle numbers have plummeted. All international trade in marine turtle products is banned, so avoid those hair clips, bracelets and souvenirs you may see on your travels.

Shahtoosh – Don't buy. Shahtoosh is a high fashion scarf woven from the hair of the Tibetan antelope. To obtain the wool, the antelope has to be killed. Though some traders may tell you the wool can be collected from bushes which the animal has brushed against, that's false. Due to poaching, the population of this species is dwindling and the species is on the endangered list. Buy a wool pashmina shawl instead.

Coral products – Buy very carefully. Slow growing and long living corals are collected for jewellery and ornamental purposes, but intensive collection threatens the reef . For example, red coral, a popular coral found only in the Mediterranean, and used for jewellery, has become locally extinct due to over-harvesting. If you plan to bring it home from overseas, make sure you find out if you need a CITES permit. If buying at home, ask the retailer if the coral was imported with the necessary CITES permit.

Crocodile skin and snake skin products – Buy carefully. If you like those fancy cowboy boots or little evening bag, be aware that some native wild populations of crocodiles and snakes are in dire straits and critically endangered. While it's likely your belt, bag or shoes comes from captive bred populations, not wild ones, check that your product has a CITES permit before you part with your cash.

Cod – Buy carefully. Cod stocks have plummeted and are on the verge of collapse in the North Sea, Irish Sea and waters west of Scotland. There is also a huge problem with illegally caught cod. Only the stocks around Iceland and the Barents Sea are healthy and relatively well managed. Enquire at your local supermarket or retailer about the source and legality of cod for sale.

Cactus – Buy carefully. The prickly plant trade may be popular, but watch out. There is a flourishing illegal trade which is wiping out native populations, particularly from Mexico. Some species are totally banned from international trade and some require an import permit. Whilst the great majority of cacti for sale have been artificially grown in nurseries and are legal, cacti that are imported into a country do require a permit. So, if in doubt, check the paperwork!

Electrical items – Buy smart. If buying large electrical goods like stereos and televisions buy ones that can be turned off and do not just sit on standby. Often they use as much as 40 percent of their electricity in standby mode.

Wrap up in wool style

Designers who specialise in men’s or women’s wear are as common as the seasons of the year, but designers who specialise only in winter wear — and that, too, Pashmina — are few. One of them is Smriti Lohia who, with her label Naturally Classic, has been experimenting with the silk-and-wool weave for the past five years. Having exported to design houses abroad, she has now given Calcutta its first Pashmina-only outlet.

The Rawdon Street address that opened its doors earlier this week will deal in the best of this classic weave that has warmed up beautiful bodies and jazzed up royal wardrobes.

“We began with plain Pashminas in bold colours but soon moved into jacquard designs (geometric patterns woven on the material), a big hit with clients simply because of the rich look they give the piece,” said Smriti, who gets most of her work done by artisans in Nepal.

But the ring Pashmina forms the real high point of the collection. “Made from the finest wools and silks, this is so soft that it can be passed through a finger ring,” claimed Smirti.

These, along with Cashmere (woollen Pashmina), do best in the international market. “Both the jacquard designs and the ring Pashminas have been created keeping in mind international palettes, since we cater to the market abroad,” explained Smriti.

So, from electric pinks and blues to golden yellow and soft green, the Pashmina here comes in the most vibrant of colours. Yet, there are also the traditional blacks and maroons on the racks that the Indian consumer loves to don.

In keeping with the demand of the Indian body size, larger shawls have been created in the women’s section. Scarves, blankets and wraps form the bulk of other items available. For the fashion conscious, leather and Pashmina bags coupled with shawls and stoles jazz up the line on offer.

Selling Shawls to Save Children

Great Falls businesswoman holds brunch fund-raiser for newborns in Afghanistan.

What better way to kick off a newly reinstated travel business than with a fund-raiser for children half a world away?
Shano Kapadia decided that with one child in college and the other going away in the fall, it was time to pick up her travel-planning business once again, and to let people know who she is and what she does, she planned a pashmina shawl trunk show, with a portion of the benefits going to the Afghan Newborn Initiative.
�When I spoke with my mother, she suggested that I invite Ellyn Cavanagh, whom my mother had worked with on a project to build nurseries and hospitals for newborn infants and children in Afghanistan,� Kapadia said.
A native of Afghanistan herself, Kapadia and her family came to the United States in 1980 to start a new life.
�We were not refugees that had to depend on anyone. One of the proudest moments of my life was having my passport stamped �Employment Authorized� when we got here,� she said.
Kapadia�s family was prominent in Afghanistan. Her uncle, the late Abdu Karim Shadan, was the chief justice of the nation before his assassination in May 1992.
�It was the ignorance of the Taliban that killed him,� she said. �If they had valued his life, I think he�d still be alive.�
However, in order to keep his memory alive, Kapadia hopes some day to start her own charity to build schools in Afghanistan and name it after her uncle.
�He�s never been out of my mind,� she said. �He could�ve came over with the rest of us, but he wanted to make a difference for his country.�
Kapadia�s mother, Jamila Shadan, had been the president of Intermediate Medical Institute and project manager for the World Health Organization and had been involved with hospitals and women�s health issues in Afghanistan, she said.
�My intentions were to give (a donation) to a friend�s foundation for children of war, but my mother suggested Ellyn,� Kapadia said.

SHE HELD HER TRUNK show and brunch in her Great Falls home last weekend, inviting women from around the area whom she knew to get together and socialize, while providing an opportunity to raise a little money for the charity.
�Ellyn seemed like a very lovely lady, and I�m happy I was able to help her,� she said.
The brunch was informally set up, so those who attended could casually talk to whomever they chose.
The Afghan Newborn Initiative is a group under the larger Afghans for Civil Society, Cavanagh said.
�There is no prenatal care at all,� she said. �Most women deliver their babies at home, and any deliveries at the hospital are there because of complications. Many newborns are sickly because their mothers die in childbirth, and there�s no formula like we have here to help them grow strong.�
On average, three or four mothers die in childbirth every month, she said, which is actually a vast improvement from the three or four mothers a week it once was.
So far, Cavanagh said she�s been able to set up a neonatal nursery, �so babies can be warmed up and get basic care after they�re born. It�s vital to get these babies nutrition, and the money we raise goes to provide that nutrition and to help educate the families who are responsible for the babies if the mother dies,� she said.
Sadly, many mothers will go into a hospital to give birth with the intention of leaving their newborn behind.
�These are women who just walk away. On average, two babies a week are abandoned,� she said. �The nursery is responsible for clothing and caring for the baby for five days before it�s adopted out.�
Most of the work done by the Afghan Newborn Initiative has been done at the Rabia Balkhi Hospital in Kabul, she said.
There, she was able to set up a training school for nurses and doctors, to teach them how to resuscitate babies whose lungs are not fully working at birth.
�If you can resuscitate a baby, you�ll most likely save its life,� she said. �They don�t have the suction bags at the hospitals there that we have here, so we had to teach them other methods.�
For around $200, the group of doctors and nurses can take a neonatal-care course and purchase special equipment for the hospital, she said.
�It�s not difficult to teach this skill to the doctors and nurses, even with a language barrier,� Cavanagh said.

HER MOST RECENT trip to Afghanistan was earlier this year, when she went as a volunteer with the Department of Health and Human Services for six months.
�Under the Taliban control, women were kept trapped in their houses. They didn�t have the chance to communicate with each other, so here you have a group of women who haven�t been out of their house and socializing for five years,� she said.
Even now, the women who work in the hospitals are allowed to work only from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., because they�re still not allowed to be out of their homes without their husbands.
Cavanagh said she spent time at the Indirah Ghandi Children�s Hospital, where she found the medical workers in horrendous conditions.
�The intensive care unit there is worse than a barn,� she said. �There�s no running water. There are 40 women and their babies in this room the size of a suburban bedroom, and because there is one oxygen tank, the babies are lined up on a table and a tube is passed from baby to baby to warm them up.�
She has received some help from Zalmay Khalil Zad, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.
�He�s been wonderful,� she said. �He�s gotten some money allocated to our projects. About $5,000 would totally rehabilitate a hospital.�
Cavanagh said the $300 she received from the trunk show, and any money raised for the Afghan people, needs to be hand-delivered to Afghanistan.
�You have to take it there yourself to make sure it�s used for the right reason,� she said.
Yolan Williams, a friend of Kapadia�s through Langley High School, attended the event.
�I had so much fun,� she said. �Shano had these gorgeous pashminas and gave us the details on how they are made and how much people get paid to make them. I�m in awe of their artistry,� she said.

SHE HADN�T GIVEN much thought to the need for neonatal care in Afghanistan prior to the brunch, but she was inspired by talking with Cavanagh.
�There�s such a need to work with people who have newborns there, and hopefully there will be new frontiers in that area,� she said.
Williams also said she was impressed with Kapadia�s desire to help out those in need, at the beginning of her business venture.
�She�s thinking ahead to when her son graduates from high school and she�s got more time,� she said. �People don�t usually start a new job venture with an altruistic goal in mind.�
Kapadia�s long-term goal is to create her own charity in her uncle�s name to build schools in Afghanistan.
�Maybe if we can take the guns out of the hands of these children and educate them, it�ll make a difference,� she said.

Poncho power in pret pick

World leaders, including President George W. Bush, paraded it on a power catwalk at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit in Chile last month. From the runways to the high streets, down to the neighbourhood malls in the US, the UK and most other European countries, the one garb dominating fashion frontiers for the past few months has been the poncho.

This traditional outfit — a rectangular piece of fabric with a hole cut out in the centre for the head — is back with a bang, and this time with more style than ever before.

The trend has trickled down to our city too and some of our top designers have already started churning out interesting variations of this garment, deemed as this winter’s must-have.

The poncho plays a major role in designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s winter ’04 line (flaunted by model Tanushree in picture left). “The poncho is here to stay, at least for some time, and it’s the outfit to be seen in this New Year,” declares Kiran.

“I remember growing up as a child wearing ponchos in the Seventies, when my mother and aunts would knit them out of wool, with pom poms hanging from the end of the strings. It’s a fairly traditional garment, yet very current,” she adds.

What the designer loves about the poncho is its versatility, which makes it open to experimentation. Kiran has worked on quite a few variations of the traditional poncho.

Assymetrical high-low hemlines, wraparounds (where one open side of the outfit can be draped elegantly over the shoulder like a shawl), three-layered with tassels, slitted with one arm showing, hooded and even off-shoulder are some of the popular innovations.

“It’s a very interesting drape and can be utilised in whichever way one likes. One can just wear the regular poncho with the hanging sides in the middle and that immediately gives an interesting V-shape both at the front and back,” says Kiran.

Designer Rupam Banerjee has given an ethnic twist to the poncho with batik prints, hand-paint and embroidery. These are mostly in earth tones as base, with bright splashes of fuschia and pink.

While these have a fairly semi-formal look, the young designer also has a line of party ponchos in solid colours or embellishments like sequins, gotah, mirrorwork, and brass borders. The prints, where she has used them, range from the floral to the abstract. The palette picks on fuschia, turquoise, black, white and red.

There is experimentation in the cut too. The kaftan ponchos are slightly longer than the regular ones and have been perfectly paired with churidars, while there’s another variety in which one side of the outfit has been kept open to reveal a bustier inside. Rupam has also given some definition to the waist and the sleeves to lend a more feminine feel to this otherwise shapeless silhouette.

“I’ve been doing ponchos for quite some time now and my stuff has been majorly in demand with young girls. I think it’s going to be quite a big hit during the New Year,” feels Rupam.

The fabric focus is mainly on georgettes and chiffons for their free-falling advantage.

“Till now I’ve been doing mostly georgettes and chiffons, with some cottons and crochets too. For the winter, I have a special line of Pashmina ponchos. The ones I have done with Indian fabrics and brocade borders are just flying off the racks in the UK and the Middle East,” reveals Kiran.

Georgette seems to the most popular choice of texture when it comes to ponchos.

“The fall of a poncho is very important and it should be absolutely free flowing. So, it comes out best in georgettes, chiffons and crepes. But you can’t make silk ponchos as the fabric tends to be rather stiff and doesn’t give the outfit a good fall,” feels designer Megha Dalmiya, who has been quietly feeding the poncho fetish from her Alipore boutique, M&S.

Megha has a line of party ponchos with embellishments like coins, sea-shell buttons, beads, stones and patchwork. The beaten track is abandoned in the form as well — tie-on ponchos that can be strapped around the waist for feminine effect, off-shoulder ones are more. Megha’s casual line comprises printed ones with little embroidery.

“The poncho is an amazing garment and it suits practically everybody. You don’t have to bother about the fit and the cut. It covers up the mid-section figure flaws, too. It is doing really well with my clients, especially a line where I have teamed them up with brocade pants,” says Megha.

The best thing about the poncho, in fact, is that you can pair it with almost anything — skirts, trousers, jeans, capris and even churidars.

Whatever you wear it with, the poncho is the thing to be seen in if you are out to make an impressionable style statement this New Year.

What constitutes the perfect gift? Gifts that give back

What constitutes the perfect gift? Certainly it should be unique, affordable and warm the cockles of your loved one's heart.

What if a gift did all that and contributed to the world's greater good?

Don't tell us, we know. You'd probably buy a dozen of them.

There's karma in shopping, so, this year, give with a humanitarian spirit. Instead of bolting to Pottery Barn or Victoria's Secret for some meaningless, mass-produced present, give loved ones something that gives back - to the environment, indigenous groups and people who are going hungry right here at home.

You can find yummy lotions made by companies that don't test their products on animals. You can buy gorgeous shawls handmade by adults, not small children, who, because of you, earn a livable wage in their poverty-stricken country.

Best of all, your special someone will smile year-round knowing he or she was the inspiration for your good will.

Think this is all a bunch of Nativity naivete? Think again. We've chosen seven outlets with gifts certain to change your mind, if not your shopping habits, forever.

COMMUNITY SHOPS

CShops, a project of www.charityfocus.org, is an Internet storefront that allows grassroots communities to sell and market their goods.

Its current program, Manav Sadhna, benefits the women and children of the slum community of Ahmedabad, one of India's poorest areas. The program provides basic education, health, hygiene, addiction prevention and income management.

Intricately hand-painted clay candle holders in red, gold and white ($8) caught our eye, as did quilted silk beaded purses ($10) in a variety of colors and handmade greeting cards bearing sayings by Mahatma Gandhi (set of five, $7.50).

Go to http://cshops.charityfocus.org to shop or find out how you can volunteer with Manav Sadhna.

UNICEF

Why buy a pashmina shawl from a department store when, for the same $240, you can get an authentic hand-beaded one from India and help children in plight around the world?

Seventy-five cents of every dollar you spend at UNICEF goes to thousands of life-saving programs in 158 countries and territories. Help purify water in sub-Saharan Africa. Immunize children in India. Provide temporary schools and shelters for those ravaged in the recent Haitian hurricanes.

There are literally hundreds of gifts for kids (wooden building blocks, $40), dads (leather passport and ticket holder, $65), business associates (Peepul leaf desk organizer, $34.20) and everyone in between.

Go to www.unicefusa.org and scroll down to Buy Cards and Gifts. To order a catalog, call 800-4-UNICEF.

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

Here in the United States and 50 other countries, a family struggling with hunger and poverty could help sustain itself if it had livestock.

For $120, a sheep can provide milk, wool and meat for a needy family in Ukraine. A single chick ($20) can provide a poor Chinese child - who otherwise subsists on starches - with his annual intake of protein. A llama's ($150) fleece could mean warm clothes for a Peruvian family and a means of transportation across the high plains of the Andes Mountains.

Even better, every recipient family promises to pass on its animal's first female offspring to another family in need. So does that family, until an entire community is lifted out of poverty and into self-sufficiency - all because you decided to "Pay It Forward" instead of going to the mall.

For a gift catalog, contact 800-696-1918 or www.heifer.org.

THE HUNGER SITE

The ultimate stop for everything from saving the rain forests to the fight against hunger, The Hunger Site (www.hungersite.com) doubles the goodwill with many of its holiday gift ideas. For example, with the purchase of every sterling silver menorah pendant ($19.95) or Tibetan wool hat and mittens ($24.95), the nonprofit site donates 50 cups of food to a family in need.

Famine not the cause closest to your heart? No problem. The site has organized its online gift stores according to various charities. Buy a recycled Nepalese silk scarf ($17.95) from the Literacy Store, and the site will donate 0.5 books to needy children.

Link over to the Animal Rescue Store and buy a hot pink eyeglasses case covered in paw prints ($12.95). They'll fund 14 bowls of food for animals living in sanctuaries and shelters.

WORLD OF GOOD

A Berkeley, Calif.,-based fair trade outlet, World of Good sells and distributes accessories from cooperatives in developing countries. Then it reinvests the profits to better the communities from which they come.

The jewelry at Express doesn't compare with the Thar Desert Necklace ($19.99), a modern six-strand copper wire necklace made by Tara Project, an artisan cooperative outside of Delhi, India, that uses its funds to support children's education.

For the bookworm, try the Weight of the Jungle Book Ends ($39.95), elephant-curved and carved out of solid soapstone by Kenyan craftsmen from the Kisii region. The people there have faced declining health and land dispossession since the 1990s. Buying their goods empowers the people and supports their traditions.

World of Good products are available at select stores and online at www.world-of-good.com.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET

Talk about one-stop shopping: The same place you go for organic oranges and bulgur wheat is also a great source for holiday presents. Some items that tickled our gift-giving fancy:

_ Wildlife Works Organic Kid's Shirts ($19.99 starting Saturday), in pink and blue, covered with bunnies and chimps, are made with organic cotton grown in Kenya. Proceeds benefit an 80-acre wildlife sanctuary there.

_ Boxed holiday greeting cards designed by contemporary artists from New York's Museum of Modern Art. All greeting cards ($14.95-$16.95, box of eight) are printed on recycled or recyclable materials, use water-soluble or soy-based ink and uphold fair-trade standards. Proceeds benefit MOMA's art in education programs.

For Whole Foods locations and store hours, visit www.wholefoods.com.

GLOBAL EXCHANGE

It's not just a funky store with exotic crafts from 70 countries. Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org/store) is part of the international Fair Trade movement, which means no child labor, no sweatshops and the producers of the goods sold in the shop generally receive about 15 percent to 30 percent of the retail price. Many items at Global Exchange even bear the artisans' names.

In one trip, you can preserve the woodworking traditions of Egyptian craftsmen and help Haitians recycle old oil drums. The stunning metal wall hangings start at $33; also check out vases made by a Guatemalan collective out of Coke and 7-Up bottles ($23.50).

A popular holiday gift: No Sweat black-and-white tennies ($38.50), Converse knock-offs that aren't made in sweatshops. A pink high-top version ($42) is available by Women in Pink, a feminists-for-peace group.

Pashmina Guide

Pashmina