All posts tagged: terminology

Terminology: What is a balmacaan?

We’ve looked at items of womenswear like swiss waists, and fabric for womenswear like aerophane. I think it’s high time for a menswear terminology post. How about a balmacaan? A balmacaan is a single-breasted, unstructured calf-length overcoat with raglan sleeves and a Prussian collar, usually made of tweed or gabardine. Balmacaans started as menswear in the mid-19th century, and were adopted for womenswear at the end of the century (sorry, can’t help it. Pretty much every article of menswear has been incorporated into womenswear at some point). They were particularly popular as motoring coats for women in the first few decades of the 20th century. The name balmacaan comes from the Balmacaan estate which is near Inverness in Scotland. Intriguingly, the term balmacaan for a coat does not seem to have been used in New Zealand, though one of the few New Zealand-born hereditary lords, the 11th Earl of Seaford, inherited the estate as part of his baronetcy. Balmacaans are definitely meant as outerwear. Their loose shape makes them eminently suitable for pulling over layers …

Terminology: What is Aerophane

Published by The Dreamstress

Aerophane has been on my to-do list for a terminology post for ages, and then, when this Rate the Dress turned out to be Aerophane I thought “ah-hah! I simply must do it now!” So what is aerophane? Well, there is a bit of confusion about it. At its most basic, it is a fine, slightly crisp, silk gauze, sometimes with a slightly crinkled, crepe appearance. In The Book of Silk Phillipa Scott describes it as: Fine thin silk crÃªpe, popular in the early nineteenth century for decorative appliques, as raised motifs, or applied and re-embroidered, and for pleated and gathered dress trimmings. ‘Aerophane’ is also used to describe a type of ribbon embroidery, where wider, crisper silk strips are used to create three dimensional ornamentation (usually roses). Aerophane embroidery is probably so called because the silk that was originally used for it was aerophane silk, but it is used somewhat indiscriminately these days, making it impossible to tell if someone means that the aerophane roses on a dress are roses made of aerophane silk, …

Terminology: What is Roshanara?

Published by The Dreamstress

Roshanara is the trade name for a silk or silk-worsted wool blend fabric with a rough crepe texture. Roshanara was popular in the 20s and 30s, but was notorious for shrinking when wet. It is nearly impossible to find Roshanara, or a Roshanara equivalent, today. Roshanara was first introduced into New Zealand in 1920, but appears in ads in the US from 1918. The name probably comes from the famous Roshanara Club in Delhi, which was in turn named after the Mughal princess Roshanara Begum. While Roshanara was primarily made of silk (possibly with a small amount of wool), it was meant to replace wool fabrics, which were in short supply due to the use of wool in soldiers uniforms during WWI. This ad from an April 1918 El Paso Herald extolls the economic virtues of silk, and encourages women to buy it instead of wool. Note the inclusion of the very patriotic and military inspired ‘Khaki Kool’ fabric. The exotic rough texture of Roshanara, and how closely its introduction co-oincided with the discovery of …