The new fashion staple in town

But the silky soft wraps have become the surprise fashion hit of the summer, after being championed by some of the world's most beautiful women.

Leading the revival is France’s first lady, former supermodel Carla Bruni, who was photographed earlier this week looking stately in a mauve Christian Dior wrap.

Die-hard pashmina fan, and possible future Queen, Kate Middleton, was also snapped in one of the shawls last month. Hers was an angelic shade of buttermilk and she tossed it over her shoulders as she left London hotspot Whisky Mist.

Elsewhere, Hollywood stars like Cameron Diaz, Lauren Hutton, Liv Tyler and Julia Roberts, have also been cocooning themselves in the luxurious cover-up.

Now the shawls, which were once shunned for their fusty image, are being embraced by even the most fickle of the fashion pack, with many leading designers featuring shawls in their spring/summer and autumn collections.

Mary Flack, press and advertising manager at London department store Fenwick says she has seen sales skyrocket.

“Sales are so high this summer we have had to buy more colours than ever," she admits," Cocowai is our hottest brand and we now stock it in 32 different shades.

"Women have watched the stars re-embrace them but it also remains the most simple and effective way to take the night time chill off your shoulders.”

The perfect pashmina should be feather-light, soft and warm, making it an irresistible staple for the unpredictable British weather.

Victoria Stapleton owner of Brora cashmere agrees.

"We've had a bonanza season on all our cashmere shawls," she said, "Especially with our beautiful stripe style which sold out almost immediately.”

The name pashmina comes from the Persian word pashm, or wool, and refers to the fine undercoat of a special breed of feral Changthang goat found high in the Himalayas. One goat produces less than 8oz of the exclusive fibre a year.

The cover-up can be traced back hundreds of years. Wall paintings from the 11th century, found in the Kashmiri region, clearly show people wearing beautifully embroidered shawls.

Even Emperor Napoleon gave one to his Empress, Josephine, who made them much sought-after in Europe and is said to have amassed more than 1,000. By the mid-19th century, French textile designers were frantically opening shops in the heart of Kashmir to be at the centre of production.

Pashminas as we know them today rose to prominence in the Nineties when designers like Giorgio Armani and Issey Miyake featured them on their catwalks. But their cachet soon plummeted when every bargain basement store and market stall began selling cheap man-made copies for next to nothing.

A spokesperson for one of its most exclusive creators, Hermes, says: “Ours start from £400 and we stock them in virtually every colour and pattern imaginable. It has always been a classic staple but now it is fast becoming a must-have piece for every stylish girl about town.”