Vintage Capes

CS sends me a vintage cape with rabbit trimmed fur on cashmere. She wonders if the tiny moth holes suggest that it is NOT worth the price tag of $120. Does the historical value trump the rarity value? The answer is NO – late 19^th century capes are not rare! 

The cape has been part of history – as protection from the weather, and as marker of status, style, or rank. By virtue of its shape in fabric, a cape can cover anything from Batman’s shoulders to Jackie Kennedy’s inaugural sleeveless silk chiffon gown. Capes also have many names. Here are a few, and what the names mean:

a. The Roman toga: a square piece of fabric fastened at the neck, signifying rank and status, often called a pallium

b. The Greek chlamys, fastened at the shoulder

c. The Aztec tilmatli, worn as a sign of status by emperors, priests, warriors

d. The Medieval chaperon, a shoulder-cape with hood worn for warmth and ease of movement, often concealing a sword

e. The Renaissance Spanish cape, short and adapted by all wellborn Europeans in the 15^th century. Homes were so cold, these capes – often trimmed in fur – were designed to be worn both inside and outside the house

f. The Victorian Opera Cape, worn loosely so as not to crush a gown

g. A fashionable wrap called the Cocoon Coat worn by fashionable women in the 1930s

h. The “M1938” rubberized adoption of the U.S. Marines Cloak 

These are just a few of the terms and usages of the cape or cloak. These names  can signify power, invoke royalty, indicate religious fervor or chaste modesty, or can refer simply to functionality – all in one garment. For example, King Charles of Great Britian wore three different capes or cloaks for his coronation. And so did other members of the Royal Family, including the children.

Fashion magazines such as British Town and Country covered the high fashion capes in the 1920s and 1930s (the cape CS sends me is earlier in fashion history, circa 1890). Great designers such as Jeanne Lanvin designed a cape to go over an evening gown, which she called “Moonlighting”; a marvelous piece with beading upon rich fabric. Slightly later, in the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli was commissioned by Elsie de Wolfe to design a cape made to echo the colors of her garden interpreted in beading. In 1950-60 the beautiful American-born Italian countess, model, and fashion editor,Consuelo Crespi, wore a magnificent cape to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. 

I’ve already mentioned the voluminous, white silk floor length cape Jackie Kennedy wore to her husband’s Presidential inaugural ball. All these capes were Big News in the fashion world.

After the 1930s, pattern maker McCall Bazar made patterns modeled after Lanvin and Schiaparelli that anyone could sew. A cape was, after all, not complex to make, and oh so elegant. French cape styles were accessible to anyone.

Over the years, capes have had different names referring to the different lengths and uses of the garments. A capelet is a short cover, typically covering the shoulders and upper arms. A mantelet is a scarf-like covering popular for years
(~ 1730 – to the 19^th century), a scarf neck covering. The paletot is a sort of topcoat with many collars and is worn to protect against rain. The pelerine is a short, shaped shoulder cape. A palatine is a silk or lacy cape often worn over a negligee to add a layer of warmth, particularly during the late 17th and 18th centuries.  

The cape since the Greek times have largely reflected social standing: think of the Red Cardinals’ capes witnessed in the choice of the Pope, and the evocative procession of the Cardinals through the Sistine Chapel. No one could forget the power of the cape in that setting.

When trimmed in fur, such as sable or mink, the cape was a form of status, and trimmed in rabbit or fox, a lower status. Color matters: scarlet for Popes, black for Judges, white for virgins, blue for modesty. 

The main market driver for vintage and collectible capes is the KIND of fur used to trim. What was once popular – and plentiful – in the late 19th century is abhorrent today: capelets with pelts of Abyssinian or Colobus monkey fur of Central America. Those you will not be able to sell, and in fact they are banned to trade in some cases. However, the 20^th century capes by the great designers are of huge value. I suggest looking for the labels and steering away from fur.

My answer to CS’s question? Is the cashmere cape trimmed with rabbit dating from the 1890s worth $120? Not with moth holes! No.