THE MET
Cream Silk Victorian Cape with Loop Fringe
Victorian Late / Bustle · 1870s-1880s · American
Production
handmade
Material
silk with loop fringe trim
Culture
American
Influences
Victorian mourning cape styling · Turkish loop pile textile techniques
A Victorian cape constructed from cream-colored silk with an elaborate dimensional loop fringe covering the entire surface. The garment features a high standing collar and appears to fasten at the neck with ribbon ties. The loop fringe creates a textured, almost fur-like appearance through densely packed silk loops of varying lengths. The cape's silhouette is characteristic of the bustle era, designed to drape over the fashionable silhouette of the period. The construction shows sophisticated textile manipulation typical of late Victorian luxury garments, with the loops likely created through specialized weaving or applied trim techniques.
capeloose fithip length
Connected To
Worn with·glovesTechnique·applique
SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category
These two pieces reveal the Victorian obsession with texture as ornament, both employing silk worked into dimensional loops that catch light and shadow like tiny architectural details. The bonnet's tightly coiled rosettes echo the cape's cascading loop fringe—different scales of the same sculptural impulse that turned fabric into something between jewelry and topography.
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