Here's another elaborately embroidered item, a maroon velvet cape. We think it might be Turkish. It's from the same Oxford shop, Unicorn, as the jackets I've shown, and I suppose we'll never know how it got to the UK. I've got some capes that are primarily for weather protection, such as a WWII waxed probably worn by air-raid staff, a felted Selfridges Schoolwear whose length suggests it was bought for a teenager, and a heavy Russian fur that you could imagine being worn on a тройка speeding through the snowy wastes. But the one shown here is definitely for decoration only, being a lightweight fabric. It's gathered at the shoulders, giving it a very nice flared outline.
