lilla

I'm hoping to buy a real pashmina in Istanbul for a lot less than the $100 they sell for in the States. Does anyone know approximately how much one would pay for one in Istanbul?

Scarlett

LOL, lilla, I bought mine in NYC for about $400 , so less than $100- would be a real bargain!
Are they still in fashion? I know mine is invaluable for airplane rides. The real ones come from Kashmir or India, don't they? Is Istanbul known for them too? That is great if you can get one that cheap! Buy a couple!!

Marko

My wife bought quite a few in April, el cheapo ones from the covered bazaar which she handed out willy nilly as gifts when she got back. The ones she paid the most for and were the nicest she bought in Cappodocia, usually at small roadside places or in small shops, one of which was in Urgup. Its winter here now and she wears them to work every morning. The most expensive one from memory was about 80 million lire, the cheapest about 9 million.

lilla

Scarlett, They had beautiful pashminas in all colors at Nordstrom's in Chicago for $99. Marko, we are going to Cappadocia also. Should I wait until we get there to buy my pashminas?

cigalechanta

lilla, pashima is simply cashmere from the goats in India and Nepal that is blended with silk. BUT there are different qualities and percentage of blends. I have one so thin, you can slip it through a ring. My heavier one is for travel because I hate air conditioning. I posted sites from google last year.

FromAtlanta

I bought mine in Vancouver and I only paid about $40 ... but like cigalechanta pointed out, it probably isn't the best quality. (I love it though!)

Scarlett

Yes, I know you can get them much cheaper than mine
But I have to say that mine is not mixed and I got it years ago, before they were selling them everywhere.
Today, I would buy them in several colors, mine is sort of muted.

cigalechanta

Scarlett, Pashima IS cashmere and silk.

Scarlett

A cashmere and silk scarf/wrap might be called a Pashmina, but mine came from Nepal and it is just cashmere ( pashmina).
Otherwise it would not have cost so darn much~

cigalechanta

from Altlanta, you may have got a good buy, the market got crazy once they became popular. My first one is 39 years old in a paisley, The name got people confused as to what it is. go to google.com, and punch in pashima. Now it doesn;t have to be made in India or Nepal to be ral. They sell the pashima goats hair to Italy, such as the famous Loro Piano cashmere co, and France.

taggie

Some places in Canada (and the US I'm sure) sell "pashminas" that are not made from pashmina (like cigalechant says, a type of cashmere/silk blend), but made from wool, or wool and silk. They have the same twisted fringe, and they look very similar, but they are not the same as a real pashmina. But it does give you the same look for much less money. I have 1 of these woolie ones, plus 3 other real ones in different colours and of better qualities, from $125 up to about $200. Very good ones are still the price that Scarlett paid. The weave is nicer and they won't pill as much as the less expensive ones.
My husband calls them a "pash" - as in "Are you going to wear a pash?" and I always take one or more travelling - they fold up nicely into my tote bag. I take them to the movies too and drape them over my legs, because the air conditioning is sometimes too much (if I'm watching a movie set in winter I get even colder!).

DebM

Hi Scarlett
We were in Istanbul 3 years ago and went to the Grand Bazaar - fabulous place to wander. We saw a lot of pashmindas of varying qualities, we look and then asked for better quality than was shown, we were taken through a few lanes within the Bazaar and he showed us what we wanted, great quality for USD40. 3 years down the track they still look like new. Just ask for the best and then compare with the rest!!

FromAtlanta

taggie,

I am sure your comment was "in general" and not just towards me ... but my wrap has a label on it that says it is 100% authentic(has a picture of a little goat on it too) ... NOT like the pashmina-like scarf I got at JCPenny on sale for $18. (which is also very nice, btw)

I will admit it is on the thin side, but it is very large and beautiful and I love it.

tondalaya

FromAtlanta, thin is not bad. I have a large thin one and it is very expensive and had to wait for the shop's sale before I could afford it.

taggie

Thin can be really good, it just depends on the weave and the thickness of the fibre. If it's thicker fibre woven more loosely then it's a less expensive one. If it's very thin fibres woven tightly but still resulting in a very fine fabric then it's of good quality.
My point was simply that they come in all different kinds of qualities and in different fabrications. I don't care whether or not someone's is "real". The name has become almost generic (like "Kleenex" being used to refer to all tissues).
I just bought another one on eBay - this one has a beautiful design on it with beading. $36US

GOGOK

I have many friends in Europe ans the States.When I want to send a real pashmina to my friends I buy from Turkishcolors in Istanbul.You can find them on the net too.
http://www.turkishcolors.com