Swiss Mail Order Catalogs with Boys Clothings: Jelmoli Cape (1938)


Figure 1.--wiss boys wore a variety of capes and coats. We note Jelmoli offering both a cape and an overcoat type rain coat on the page with suits. I think the cape was generally seen as a school style. This appears to have been primarily a French style. I am not sure how popular these capes were. I think they may have been more popular in the French catons, but Jelmoli was a store based in the German-speaking area of Switzerland.

Swiss boys wore a variety of capes and coats. We note Jelmoli offering both a cape and an overcoat type rain coat on the page with suits in its Spring-Summer 1938 catalog. I think the cape was generally seen as a school style. This appears to have been primarily a French style. I am not sure how popular these capes were. I think they may have been more popular in the French catons, but Jelmoli was a store based in the German-speaking area of Switzerland.

Jelmoli

We note a catalog form the Grand magasins Jelmoli. Grand magasins Jelmoli has for many years been the flagship department store chain of Switzerland. Johann Peter Jelmoli-Ciolina founded founded the store in 1938 by . Ciolina must have been the maiden name of his wife. He was from the Swiss-italian section of Switerland. The company has always been headquartered in Zurich where the flag-ship department store was opened. It opened branches throughout Switrzerland, but a few years back it sold or closed all its branches and only kept the large store in Zurich. I would say it was always an "up-scale" department store. The catalog-department was a very small part of their operations and the catalogs carried a very small amount of merchandise, compared to what was available in their stores. The catalog-department was added in 1899.

Jelmoli Cape: Pelerinen

Swiss boys wore a variety of capes and coats. We note Jelmoli offering both a cape on the page with suits (page 84) of teir Spring-Summer 1938 catalog. We had always thought this was primrily a boy's garment, but Jelmoli indicates that tha the cape here was suitable for boys and girls. The Jelmoli ad copy read, "Pelerinen, impraegnierter Strichloden, dunkelblau, mit Kapuze und Armdurchgriff, fuer Knaben u. Maedchen." That would translate as, "Pelerinen, impregnated Strichloden, dark-blue, with kapuze and arm slots for reaching through, for boys and girls." They were done in boys' anf girls' sizes 60-100cm. There were also larger sizes for men and women.

Capes

Capes were worn by adults as well as children in the 19th century. It is a garment on which we have not yet collected much information. HBC has not yet been able to address this topic. They seem less common, but were still worn in the 20th century. It is known that capes were also worn by French school children as late as the 1950s.

Conventions

I think the cape was generally seen as a school style. This is not something I know a great deal about. Hopefully our Swiss readers will provide us some insights. Note the illustration here. Thre is no indication of a school style. Actually the illustation us a little confusing. Notice the gloves. This suggests a rather formal outfit, but the lous patterened kneesocks give a more informal look.

Popularity

This appears to have been primarily a French style. I am not sure how popular these capes were. I think they may have been more popular in the French catons, but Jelmoli was a store based in the German-speaking area of Switzerland. Yhe inclusion of the cape here may be an attem to appeal to French-speaking Swiss even though the cataslog is in German.









HBC







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Created: 10:31 PM 8/11/2006
Last updated: 10:31 PM 8/11/2006