A wide scarf or shawl, typically made of fur, silk, or velvet, worn over the shoulders—a garment whose primary function is not warmth but display, a strip of luxury draped across the body as a gesture of elegance.
The stole originated as a liturgical garment—a narrow band of silk worn around the neck by Christian clergy during services. It was a mark of office, not a fashion accessory. The transition from religious vestment to fashion item occurred gradually, as the stole’s shape and draping were adopted by secular dress.
In the nineteenth century, the stole became a staple of women’s evening wear, worn over ball gowns as a mark of formality. The fur stole, typically made of mink, sable, or fox, was a signifier of extreme wealth, draped across the shoulders with the predatory head and paws still attached—a practice that now seems barbaric but was then the height of refinement.
The stole in its contemporary form is a piece of silk or cashmere, often embroidered or fringed, worn with evening dress. It is less ostentatious than the fur stole, more versatile than a shawl, and serves the same function its predecessors have served for centuries: to add a final layer of ornament to a garment that is already complete, a gesture of excess that elevates the dressed woman into the formally dressed one.
