The Crossroads of the Aether
Alternatives to Wool for Cloaks?
Hello! Come January I am commissioning a lovely seamstress friend of mine to make me a Mid Victorian hip cloak. Now, wool is warm and lovely but I break out in a rash whenever I wear it. She suggested polar fleece, but to me it looks like a modern fabric and doesn't really seem to fit in the Victorian period.
I need something warm, but does anyone have suggestions on fabrics?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dr. Nathaniel Braun on -
A good sturdy cotton twill lined in cotton flannel makes an excellent warm cloak for those of us unfortunate enough to have that particular allergy. Both are period and available in an agreeable number of colors.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on -
Oh and then you could do contrasting colors, or something interesting. Good suggestion, thank you!
-
Permalink Reply by James Fellrath on -
This would certainly look nice, but I'm not sure how practical it would be, depending on it's purpose. If it's simply for cosplay, and function is less an issue, then I heartily agree.
But if it's meant to be functional, cotton might be less attractive. When cotton gets wet, it loses it's ability to warm you properly. You'd want to make sure that the cloak was waterproofed in some way to avid a potentially dangerous cold-weather situation if you got wet AND cold.
-
Permalink Reply by Katie Gurecki on -
Doing historical camping for years, in every horrible weather condition out there, aside from modern materials, wool is incredibly fantastic and I'd have to disagree. Was your cloak made of more than one layer? And no it's not perfect, but we're spoiled by modern conveniences.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on
-
Acrylic tends to look wrong too. While I may not insist on 100% historical accuracy, I do like to keep the look of the period in the fabric choices. I don't always succeed, but I try.
Camel hair, now you're just teasing me Wally.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on
-
You know I may have to go to the alpaca store down in Bolder City and roll around in their displays for awhile and see if I can stand alpaca.
The Worsterlon is a good suggestion too. Thank you!
-
Permalink Reply by Professor G. L. MacGregor on -
Velvet is another attractive, although expensive, option.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on
-
So pretty, but I hear it's a pain to sew?
-
Permalink Reply by Baldur Makepeace Bear on
-
I would suggest a soft corduroy lined with a velvet or velveteen, It could even be contrived to be reversible.
-
-
Mr Bear's next Santa suit will be corduroy. Having seen a vintage suit made of that I was quite taken by it.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on
-
I love corduroy! What a great idea.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy Magpie on
-
What a great find! Thank you Wally!
© 2013 Created by Hephzibah Marsh.
