All wrapped up with shawls, sheep and a social vocation: Teixidors

photo le figaro

Eco-pâturage/eco-grazing in Paris

I love wool. I feel I need to say, I still love wool.  Do you? 
It sometimes feels like we're a dying breed, those of us who appreciate wool - and other natural fibers for that matter. People who speak of fleece today are usually talking about polyester! Wool in most inexpensive to mid-level brands is getting rarer and rarer and when present, usually in blends, it is mostly of inferior quality taken from dead sheep, sometimes pulled off with chemicals. 
On the other hand, the pure new (virgin) wool that is produced today has never been better. Just as our hair is healthier and more attractive when we eat the the right things, the quality of wool has improved considerably with dietary changes. The nutritional needs of sheep have been studied to produce softer, finer quality wool entirely different from that of the itchy pants of yesteryear and the pill prone, low-grade blends of today. 

The animals in the picture don't give us their wool, but because I love wool, I tend to like sheep, too, so I thought I would show them anyway !
These sheep are good little alternative lawn mowers, part of the eco-grazing campaign
in Paris started in 2013.

17th century Brussels tapestry
Vertumnus, Roman god of the seasons and change

The first crisp, cool winds of  Autumn always seem to nip harder than what comes later in the season. And though, of course, it gets much colder later on, I always feel those first shivers more intensely. It's a little crazy, but once my head is used to the idea of cold, my body is more easily braced for chills and I don't notice them as much..

There are those who have trouble saying goodbye to golden summer who tend to cling desperately to light summer garb. They put away sandals and  pull on socks again only with the greatest reluctance. Not only their feet risk strangulation but socks can be the bell toll for all
those idealized summer days.
The problem is obviously worse for these people, I am not generally one of them, but I've been a little stubborn about clearing out my  lightweight wear this year feeling that my summer clothes weren't needed much and that we might just get a little more warm weather yet.
(Translate: summer was more crummy than golden.)

But even if you are ready and eager to change wardrobes for the season , there's always a day or two when you are under- or over-dressed dependant on the whims of those trickster weather gods.

My solution is layering and especially, carrying a lightweight wool shawl or scarf to greet these these first chills and temperamental temperatures. I like being able to tuck one into my bag or toss it over my shoulders and take it on and off easily throughout the day. The bother of a heavy-ish jacket is avoided and an extra gleam of color doesn't hurt. Boys and girls of all ages can benefit from this sort of teddy bear carry-along-comfort during the day.

 Ocre throw 50% mohair 50% linen
all photos to the end of post: Teixidors

These mohair and linen scarves above by Teixidors are sumptuous. I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with this Spanish brand from just outside of Barcelona earlier this month. First I was drawn to the products textures and beautiful materials - merinos, cachemire, mohair, yak - 

and then I also learned that  their scarves, throws, blankets were handwoven as part of a project of social insertion for people with learning disabilities that was started thirty years ago. These people learn satisfying skilled work using the best European fibers; the end result is something anyone would be proud of. 

Jazz blanket
100% cashmere

 These cashmere blankets have the colorful woven irregular cordings that have become 

Teixidors' trademark.

Verdon throws
100% ecological French Merinos wool

Apt throw
100% Merinos

Gobi
50% yak 50% Merinos

Teixidors is part of the best wave of Now into the Future that we could all hope to build. 

 Products that are traceable. Real quality. True beauty. Active humanitarian concerns.

Shiver no more!

Hair of the Beast(s): Angora

via skiourophilia

Jean Honoré Fragonard and Marguerite Gérard
Le chat Angora 1783

 The painting was the collaborative effort of two artists.

"Marguerite Gérard and Jean-Honoré Fragonard worked so closely together – sharing a studio in the Louvre – that the paintings of  one are occasionally attributed to the other. For a long time Gérard, who was Fragonard’s sister-in-law and pupil, was thought to be the sole painter of this work, but it is now considered to be a joint production by both artists."

(The Wallraf-Richartz Museum)

Anyone would admit that it is the cat poised to attack his reflection in a gazing globe that steals the scene here. The Angora was the first long haired cat to arrive in Europe. Angora was the ancient name for Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Once in France, these companions were royal favorites from Louis XIII up to Louis XVI. Their elegance represented another facette of luxurious court life.

This charming genre scene shows an admirable rendering of satin folds and a colorful, long  fringed Turkish rug cascading off a table, but why is the painting, The Angora Cat, on St Tyl today? 

a modern day angora cat
source: Wikipedia.fr

With a wave of its paw, the cat in the painting has reminded me of other angora fibers that have nothing to do with cats. Or do they? Do they all come from Turkey? 
Some say that it is the silky fur of this popular puss that gave its name to the rest of the angora animals.

a French albino angora rabbit
source: Wikipedia.fr

Despite the existence of angora cats, sheep, and goats, the wool of the angora rabbit is the only fiber to be labeled as such in the textile industry. Its hollow hair causes its loft --the characteristic fuzzy, floating quality associated with angora fibers. It is much warmer than sheep wool, but since it is extremely fine and fragile and not very elastic, angora wool is rarely used alone. 

Some of the best quality angora fibers are obtained by combing the rabbits over-abundant coat at sheeding periods though shearing and other more violent methods have been decried in recent years.

an angora goat
photo: MH Perraud
Mohair France

 The fleece of the angora goat provides the wool called mohair.

From Turkey via Tibet, the word mohair comes from the Arabic  mukhayar meaning the best or most beautiful one. This lusterous, silky fiber is known for its beautiful color variations and its durable strength. (Strangely, the word mohair will then provide the term moire; my guess is that those shaded colors bore a resemblance to the ondulations of watered silk.)
Mohair doesn't stretch or pill so it is ideal for both high quality clothing and upholstry.