A pelerine is a small

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

that covers the shoulders. Historically, the pelerine possibly originated in a type of 15th century armor padding that protected the neck and shoulders by itself, if the padded fabric was reinforced internally with metal, and/or acted as padding between armor and the skin in the neck-to-shoulder region. The pelerine often had fasteners so that

pauldron A pauldron (sometimes spelled pouldron or powldron) is a component of plate armor that evolved from spaulders in the 15th century. As with spaulders, pauldrons cover the shoulder area. Pauldrons tend to be larger than spaulders, covering the a ...

s could be attached. In the world of fashion, it was most popular during the mid- to late nineteenth century in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. The word comes from the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

"pèlerine" (pilgrim) and is perhaps a reference to the small capes worn by many of the women in Jean-Antoine Watteau's 1717 painting '' Pilgrimage to Cythera''. Pelerines could be made of various materials, including

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

and

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

. They could be adorned with embroidery, beadwork, ruffles, or even

featherwork Featherwork is the working of feathers into a work of art or cultural artifact. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania and the Americas, such as the Incas and Aztecs. Feathered cloaks and headdresses include the '' ʻahuʻula' ...

Crocheted Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', meaning 'hook'. Hooks can be made from a variety of m ...

pelerines were also common. Layered muslin pelerines were popular in the

1830s The 1830s (pronounced "eighteen-thirties") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1830, and ended on December 31, 1839. In this decade, the world saw a rapid rise of imperialism and colonialism, particularly in Asia an ...

as an option to drape over the top of the large sleeves fashionable at that period. Along with

tippet A tippet is a piece of clothing worn over the shoulders in the shape of a scarf or cape. Tippets evolved in the fourteenth century from long sleeves and typically had one end hanging down to the knees. A tippet (or tappit) could also be the long, ...

s, they helped emphasise the fashionable width of the sleeves and the shoulderline of the decade. By the late nineteenth century, pelerines tended to be seen as less formal garments and were often worn at home.

Gallery

File:A silk pelerine, 1815.jpg, 1815. Cream silk pelerine File:A silk pelerine, ca. 1825-1830.jpg, 1825-30. Cream silk pelerine File:A silk pelerine, ca. 1830.jpg, c.1830. Embroidered purple silk pelerine File:Pelerine, ca. 1830, cotton.jpg, 1830. Embroidered muslin pelerine, shown unfastened and unsupported File:Girl's Dress with Pelerine LACMA AC1997.191.4.1-.5 (1 of 2).jpg, 1869. Young girl's silk dress with matching pelerine and removable sleeves File:Girl's Dress with Pelerine LACMA AC1997.191.3.1-.5 (1 of 2).jpg, 1869 The same dress without pelerine and sleeves File:A silk pelerine, 1872.jpg, 1872 Cream silk pelerine

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

Pellegrina The pellegrina is a cape-like item of clerical dress worn by some Catholic ecclesiastics. Description Similar to the mozzetta but open in front, the pellegrina is a short shoulder cape reaching to the elbow. It is made of black or white ma ...

Shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...

Tippet A tippet is a piece of clothing worn over the shoulders in the shape of a scarf or cape. Tippets evolved in the fourteenth century from long sleeves and typically had one end hanging down to the knees. A tippet (or tappit) could also be the long, ...

References

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Fashion terminology Robes and cloaks 1830s fashion 19th-century fashion

Gallery

Related

References