Gorgeous Black Maribou Capelet - But how old?

northstarvintage

northstarvintage

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I adore this thing - maybe because it reminds me of my beautiful new black coon cat - it is SO soft.

But I'm having a hard time determining the age. There are no labels. It is lined with black polished cotton. The stitching seems hand done.

It is made of maribou feathers - they are sewn on in strips. I can feel the ribbing of the strips under the feathers, but it's too dense to get a photo of the way they're attached.

My sense is that this is from the 30's - it has that super-glam look that I associate with the era. I could totally see it over a bias cut satin gown. But I wonder, with the polished cotton backing, if it could be earlier.

Thank you for your help!

Susan

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I do think it is 1930's. Marabou capelets were very popular in the early 30's and this looks pretty typical. Marabou was used as a trim in the Victorian and Edwardian period but I haven't come across an Edwardian marabou capelet. Some Edwardian shoulder capes have marabou trim. I can see the comparison to the Toulouse Lautrec reference in shape.

I'd like to see a bit more of the lining. Are the the ties made from the glazed cotton? They look like silk to me.
 
Sorry to let this slip but it's just taken me forever to take photos and photoshop them (school vacation week mayhem).

I hope these help date this. I'd like to get it listed or on my website one of these days! I need to get those dangly bits out of here before my cats discover them! :cats:

Thanks again!

Susan

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I've had a lot of the 30s marabou capelets and boleros over the years, BUT I think they've all had a distinct shoulder built in...and fell straight down the arm to midpoint above the elbow...if that makes any sense...
 
Well, I still think it is 30's. This is a capelet and not an Edwardian shoulder cape. I think what might be throwing out some questions is the way the capelet is lying on the manni - straight out and not gently just over the shoulder and that may be to do with the feathers or spines or the cotton lining. That's also where the Lautrec reference seems plausible.

Maryalice, you say your capelets/boleros had distinct shoulders built in and fell straight down the arm etc? That would be quite a different pattern to this one. I've seen capelet applied to a whole range of 'cape shapes.' The definition of capelet is 'a short cape usually just covering the shoulders.'
 
YES, I'm thinking of a totally different pattern...even when a capelet (i.e., no sleeves) cut to fit the shoulder. Could be that when I've had different shapes I mis-dated them!
 
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