The wool is smuggled to and woven in Kashmir, an Indian state that does not abide by the U.N. treaty. Shahtooshes have been the raiment of the elite there for centuries, presented to brides-to-be in wealthy Indian families. And in France, Napoleon is said to have given one to Josephine, who was so enthralled that she bought 400 more. The West didn't fully embrace shahtooshes until the 1980s, when fur went out and designers began dying the shawls in appealing colors. Before long, Park Avenue hostesses were selling them and Donna Karan was confiding to British Vogue that a shahtoosh was her security blanket. (Both she and Brinkley have since renounced shahtooshes.)