A shawl is an extremely simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of cloth, often folded to make a triangle, but can also be triangular in shape to begin with.

The first shawls, or "shals" were part of traditional male costume in Kashmir. They were woven in extremely fine woollen twill, some were even said to be so fine as to fit through a ring. They could be in one colour only, woven in different colours (called tilikar), ornately crocheted or embroidered (called ameli).

Shawls are used in order to keep warm, to complement a costume, and for symbolic reasons. One famous type of shawl is the tallit, worn by Jews during prayers and ceremonies.

Indian shawls were high-fashion garments in Western Europe in the early- to mid-nineteenth century, and imitation Indian shawls woven in Paisley, Renfrewshire are the origin of the name of the traditional paisley pattern.

Today, shawls are worn for added warmth (and fashion) at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is warm enough for men in wool suits but not for women in dresses and where a jacket might be inappropriate.

Some cultures incorporate shawls into their national folk dress, mainly because shawls were much more commonly used in earlier times.

See also

• cape
• cloak
• stole

Image:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 052.jpg|Hesquiat woman wrapped in a shawl. Image:Collettte versavel 1822.jpg|Painting of a woman carrying an Indian shawl, 1822. Image:Orange triangle shawl.jpg|Example of a triangle-shaped woollen shawl.

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