Black lace capes and mantles from 1904

 

Black lace capes and mantles seem to have been fashionable at the beginning of the twentieth century. These images appear in a catalogue from the Nottingham company of Samuel Peach which was famous for its lace curtains, household linen and lace clothing. These black lace capes appear to be fashionable day wear rather than evening or mourning clothes. I say that, because the women modelling them are also wearing extravagant hats, which look more suitable for the day rather than the evening and none of the capes appear plain or subdued, which I would expect from mourning wear.

This page in the catalogue is headed capes and mantles and I was interested to discover the difference between the two. My dictionary says a cape is a short sleeveless cloak while a mantle is a loose sleeveless cloak, so not a great deal of difference. However, from looking at other fashion plates, a mantle seems to be much less structured than a cape and in many cases looks like a wide shawl worn round the shoulders and knotted at the front over the bust. Therefore these images all seem to be capes rather than mantles, although the captions in the catalogue use the terms interchangeably. The image above is described as a silk lace cape with the pattern richly embroidered with silk braids and cords and lined with silk. This suggests that it consists of machine-made silk lace on a base of silk material, with the lace pattern highlighted with cords round the main motifs. The collar is made entirely of lace and forms a pretty neckline rather like a ruff.

This cape is described as light and dainty and is made up of lace fabric and silk. The yoke is trimmed with lace and embellished with sequins and it is tied in a bow at the neck with a large satin bow. This model can be supplied in two different lengths; either 19 or 27 inches deep. The shorter version cost 18/- and the longer one is 24/6.

This piece is described as both a cape and a mantle. It is made from machine-made lace fabric which has been embroidered to add silk cords and braids to the main parts of the design. It is also trimmed with lace all around its edge forming lovely ruffles at the hem and neckline. Like the other styles it is finished with a wide satin ribbon tied in a bow at the neck. It, and the cape with the ruff-like neckline, both cost 13/9 so they are cheaper than the cape with sequins. They all seem very glamorous and are obviously fashion items, perhaps designed for an afternoon tea appointment, rather than being outer wear to keep you warm on a walk.