This is a good thickness to keep you warm, however the fibers on this shawl are surprisingly long... on average they go out about 1/2 inch beyond the connecting threads... so it made me feel like you have to maintain the look and pile of this by brushing the fabric with some sort of delicate brush or your fingers and also dry-clean only. I'm sure you'd also have to be fairly careful when wearing this so it does not snag or get tangled too much. That being said though, it does look stunning. I gave this as a gift so I'm not sure how the upkeep has been.