Inverness Capes, Anyone?

[Marc Chevalier]

Would you wear one of these in public?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FABULOUS-1950...399363808QQcategoryZ91240QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Baron Kurtz]

No, thank you sir!

bk

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I would wear that. And I would make it look good.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

I'd definitely wear it with my kilt. It's a matter of what you wear with it, too. It'd work fine with my Victorian and Edwardian garb.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

"Elementary, my dear Binkmeister."

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

No offence meant or taken

See towards the end of this recent post. (Though talk is about a plain black waterproof cloth, not like the one pictured on eBay.) It's very practical, and I had it made with a larger (detachable) hood to cover a cap or smaller hat.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

None taken. I have a black wool felt inverness cape myself. Years ago, a local vintage clothing store picked up dozens of them, deadstock, from Japan. (That's right: two Americans imported vintage FROM Japan. Can it be true? ) Those capes date back to the 1920s.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Great! Do you wear it? I know it evokes unwanted attention, but I think capes in general and inverness capes in particular are simply practical, very comfortable and good-looking.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I've worn it with my tuxedo and evening tails. I've worn it to the opera. I've even worn it on Halloween, as Coppola's Dracula.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

So what do you do about the nasty blood stains? Dry cleaners?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I drain without leakage.

 

[BellyTank]

Dear Stalker,

you need a hat with flaps of ear, to match a Cloak of Tweed my dear.

Your Chum,

Bellius Tank.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Would you wear one of these in public?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FABULOUS-1950...399363808QQcategoryZ91240QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You'll want one of these canes to go with that.

http://uniquecanes.com/new/item_canes_barnabas.html

 

[binkmeisterRick]

"Elementary, my dear Binkmeister."

Nah, I finally made it to grade school.

 

[Haversack]

I've been wearing a dark green loden hunter's cape from Austria for most of the past two weeks of rain as part of my daily commute. The water pretty much just beads up and rolls off it. Such a cape I have found keeps me drier and less humid than does a traditional English trench coat. Also, it dries much quicker. The trench coat will still be sodden after hanging up in my office for nine hours. (Not pleasent to put back on.) The cape will be dry. I walk about three miles each day and the recovery-time of the outer garment is important. The occassional odd looks are more than counter-balanced by the compliments.

BTW, the raincoats that cadets at West Point wear are cut on a pattern very similar to the Inverness cape, albeit out of waterproof nylon.

I have often speculated that the reason why overcoats supplanted capes and cloaks for inclement weather outerwear is because of how people travelled. If one is walking or riding astride, a cape is, I think, a superior outer garment as it will keep one dry without over-heating. They are awkward however if one has to sit on a seat as in a coach or railway car. An overcoat is on the other hand much more managable for sitting. The dates for both changes, (cape to coat, and walking/riding to sitting) occurred roughly around the same time. (1800 plus or minus 20 years) A similar change also occurs around then in mens trousers with kneepants being supplanted by long pants. This change however, is I think due to the increasing importance of urban life over rural.

Haversack