Dan's Papers - August 31, 2007 - A Blanket Statement

Labor Day is a battlefield. Retail stores and fashion glossies hawk autumn with its new wardrobe of wool skirts and tweed. Devout beachgoers grasp onto the last slipping sands of summer. A few sweatshirts dot the shore. A few cardigans creep onto Main Street while a band of vernal-thinking zealots parade their short shorts and tank tops.

Let us compromise - a nicely weighted, luxurious throw blanket. Perfect for the chill that permeates late summer nights. Far from being lumped with the full-on winter quilts that the cold-aphobics fear. Yes, the proper throw blanket could quite possibly smooth this seasonal rift.

But, which one? What throw blanket could be soft enough to soothe this great unrest between summer and fall? An unusual one with delectable texture, exotic material and opulent design.

And what could be more luxurious than an animal fur throw blanket? And before we go any further, let us note that faux fur is the responsible option here, and a just as epicurean one. Faux fur blankets offer the humanitarian aspect, but they also offer affordability and selection. Maybe grey chinchilla fur would go best with your minimalist, ultra-modern living room. Perhaps clean, neutral shades of white and beige snow leopard would tone down a brightly colored couch. Or go in the opposite direction. Spice up a dull colored couch with ocelot fur, which offers a rich palate of colors including light blonde, deep black and a reddish cinnamon shade, all mingled in a splatter of spots. Or go really wild with color and treat yourself to a guilty pleasure in the form of a throw blanket. Imagine the decadence of a purple mink blanket draped over the foot of your bed or lying across the puffy armchair. A purple cloud of indulgence on the sofa would be so early 60s Hollywood - glamour heightened to delightful absurdity.

If purple mink is too over the top for your more subdued living room, perhaps you can get away with pink mink in the kids room. What could better befit a pretty little princess than a pink mink blankie for snuggling up in when watching princess movies or reading princess books?

But maybe your house does not include a princess' castle. Maybe your home is, instead, a hunting lodge. And perhaps in this hunting lodge, an animal skin throw would be appropriate over the back of the big chair by the fireplace. Perhaps such a throw could carry with it a rustic and rough-edged elegance evocative of a Hemingway mountain cabin. Of course, this all depends on the skins in question. Depending on the animal, the throw could instead evoke Hemingway's wild safaris rather than his secluded forest retreat.

But maybe woods and safaris are a little more adventurous than you prefer in your décor. Likely softer tastes are more your style and softer materials, too. You, then, must leave the forest, leave the Serengeti and head to Tibet. There you will find yourself in Kashmir, the region, which also includes part of northern India, after which cashmere derives its name. Cashmere is made from the hair of goats native to that region. From such a hard animal comes such a soft material. Cashmere is perfect for wrapping yourself in on cool nights. Take your cashmere blanket onto the patio to throw over your shoulders or across your lap during evening outdoor cocktails. Spread it over the sand for the most luxurious beach blanket ever. Is there a more epicurean summer imagined than one of wrapping yourself in a snow white cashmere throw blanket while reclining bonfire-side next to the ocean in late summer?

If your cashmere throw has kindled in you an insatiable appetite for softness, your next metaphorical journey for throw blankets should take you to South America. Parading around the Andes, you will find the animal responsible for another wonderfully indulgent material - the alpaca. Alpacas, which are related to the llama family, certainly do not look like most cuddly creatures, but their fur is a different story. Alpaca hair can be made into silky fabrics and soft wools. Wrapped in an alpaca throw blanket, you can stay in on a Saturday night watching TV with half a bag of pretzels and a full gallon of ice cream and still feel luxurious. It takes quite a throw blanket to be able to do all that.