#operacape

I Do Love an Evening Cape: 1905 The Columbia Book of the Use of Yarns

I love a cape for evening for the same reason I think they are silly for day wear: that they are a bit impractical. The long ones usually must be clutched to be kept shut which means they are no good for day wear when you need to full use of your hands to open a door or carry a laptop. But in the evening, when you are relaxing, you can be a bit impractical and enjoy it.

In the evening, you can also indulge in the frivolous if you are in the mood. This opera cap from 1905 falls into that category. The whole thing is crocheted, first in a yarn they call Floss, in order to create the body of the cape. Then, to create the ruffles, you go back over the body in order to add 8 rows of ruffles, also in Floss and then add to the edges of those rows, picot trimming in Shetland Wool. a I inch ribbon is drawn through the upper edge to keep its shape. Then, a 3 inch wide ribbon, not a rarity back then when large ribbons were used on large hats, is added to create a tie to keep the cape around your neck.

The whole thing looks like a forthy confection and seems worth the effort. I can imagine it as particularly effective in pastels which always look like they floaty. They wore it with the long gowns of the day, with puffy bodices, tiny waists, and long trumpet-flared skirts, but I don’t see why we couldn’t throw it over a modern look to soften it and draw attention to the face. Of course, one would have to work out a modern gauge and size, but doing the math would not be very hard.