A Cloak Quandary

After my most recent SCA event, I have discovered that I want a cloak. Evenings can get cool. Especially when wearing boat-necked cotehardies with all your hair up and nothing on your shoulders.

However, upon mentioning this to a fellow garb enthusiast who's been in SCA longer than I, she went on a bit of a rant about how the cloaks people wear are not historically accurate. And she's right, for the most part. Most people who I've noticed in the SCA wear full circle, ankle length, deeply hooded cloaks. And these are certainly not from the period SCA covers. They were used in more recent times. Probably from 1700s to as recently as late Victorian and Edwardian times. These cloaks give a very romantic silhouette. They're very fun, but not period. Here's an example of one from an Etsy vendor advertised as "perfect for SCA".



So, I have begun researching period cloaks. My persona seems to be developing in the direction of the 14th century, so I was mostly researching cloaks from that period and before. From what little research I've done so far, there seem to be two styles: the Brat, and the half-circle cloak. There's also a shoulder-fastening cloak that might be 3/4 circle, but that seems to be worn only by men, so I won't be discussing it here.

Brats are very simple in design; a large rectangle, of varying lengths, perhaps lined and decorated or trimmed, is pinned either at the throat, or over the right shoulder. They're simple and versatile, and double as a blanket. They're mentioned as being worn by Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and Gaelic cultures. I have no doubt that they would continue to be worn for several centuries after that, perhaps by lower classes. It seems to be such a basic and practical garment that it would have held on for a while.

Next comes the half-circle cloak. In the little bit of research I've done so far, I've noticed these depicted in a number of paintings and statuary from the 12th century to the early 16th. For example:





However, I've heard that half-circle cloaks are a bear to wear. Especially if you try to fasten them with a cord across your neck. I've hear reported that they inevitably fall back and the cord chokes you. I've heard other people say that these cloaks were probably more for decoration than keeping you warm; a garment accessory rather than a necessity for cold weather. This makes sense as well. Most of the cloaks pictured in paintings were a bright color, and lined with a contrasting color. The cloaks drape gracefully behind the wearer; they're not huddled into them. Some paintings even depict heraldic cloaks.

So perhaps these half-circle cloaks were primarily decorative. Maybe they even continued to wear brats for cold weather, and they were simply not depicted in paintings. People huddled up running through the rain was perhaps not a favorite subject of period painters.

I did find one page on cloak construction that might make half-circle cloak a bit easier to wear. They suggest sewing two darts in the neck of the cloak to create a "shoulder" in the cloak, hopefully helping the cloak stay on the wearer's shoulders (http://www.feoragdubh.eastkingdom.org/Nutshell_2004-01/nab_cloaks.htm). I've also heard people suggest that you fasten the cloak further down than people normally think, across the chest rather than just under the neck. This supposedly prevents choking.

Another option I'm going to look into is making a hood, rather than a cloak, to keep warm on chilly evenings. Hoods are well documented in this period for both men and women.


I'm seriously digging the liripipes.

A closed hood, on the woman bent over, harvesting grain.

King Solomon, with the two ladies to the left wearing open hoods.

Putting buttons down the front also gives the option of wearing hoods open, allowing you to better control your temperature without taking the hood on and off. Some of these hoods are short, others fall over the shoulders. Also, liripipes are quite stylish.

I'm not sure where this leaves me. I bought several yards of dark grey/black wool last weekend with the intention of making a cloak. I will definitely not be making a full circle, deeply hooded cloak (though they do look nifty...). I will probably attempt to make a half-circle cloak with shoulder darts. I will probably also make a hood with buttons down the front. After looking at so many pictures, I wish I had bought wool in a color other than almost black, as most of these illustration depict brighter colors. I'll post some pictures of my finished items as soon as I decide what I want to do and make them.