Weight On My Shoulders

A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to purchase an exquisite example of Victorian attire. When I saw this black beaded capelet come up on ebay, I knew I had to have it, and I feel lucky to have got it for under £100. The work that has gone into it is incredible, furthermore, its condition is remarkable. When I received the capelet, there were only a few areas where beads were missing, and I have spent the past couple of days fixing these, mainly along the collar. There's no doubt it's the most extravagant piece of clothing I own. The sheer amount of beadwork on the body in addition to the long beaded fringing, means it weighs a lot.  

Rogue pink bead (below), no idea why it's there...some mad Victorian did it?

Yesterday was a lazy, not-leaving-the-house kind of day, hence the messed up hair and leggings/vest combo. But I took the opportunity to take some photos in the sunshine. I can't think when I'll get the chance to wear this, but hopefully my future holds some sort of fancy event. Part of me wants to keep it on display, but I think I'm correct in saying that hanging it would cause undue stress to it? For now, it is tucked away in its tissue lined box. My favourite aspect of the capelet is the zig-zag hem of the fringing- just makes it that little bit more special.

Of course, exaggerated shoulders and fringing are bang-on trend at the moment. Whilst this is a Victorian piece, I don't think it would look out of place in a modern context. Many Victorian pieces are quite stuffy ...strict ...fuddy duddy ...just generally old fashioned (duh), but this example of Victorian eveningwear is rather desirable even today. I could see someone like Eva Green wearing it on the red-carpet (love her). There are a lot of fancy, beaded/fringed/lace capelets/evening jackets about at the moment, with a distinctive Victorian feel to them. The following 4 are all by Topshop. A large part of me wants to buy the fringed jacket at the bottom, but I feel like its one of those pieces that everyone will have. Plus, I don't fancy giving Topshop £120 for a jacket, especially when I'm paying an inflated price for its affiliation with Kate Moss (who, I couldn't care less about). 

Topshop Premium lace beaded jacket - £85

Kate Moss for Topshop ss08 - £80

Kate Moss for Topshop Christmas 07 - £?

Kate Moss for Topshop ss09 - £120

images from topshop.com