#rain cape

[vintagehomecollection]

Interior designer and artist Doris Luening prizes a farmer's raincape, or mino, made of paper-thin wood shavings purchased at a folk art store in Tokyo's Ginza section. This unusual craft originates in different regions of the country and can be found in various designs and materials: rice or barley straw, reeds, shredded bark, dried seaweed and palm fiber.

At Home With Japanese Design: Accents, Structure and Spirit, 1990

[ziseviolet]

Hi love ya blog! I’ve been wondering how effective were the coir rain jackets?

Hi! Thanks for loving my blog, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (image via)

Chinese rain capes/raincoats are called 蓑衣/suoyi, and they are mainly made from local materials - in southern China, straw and coir grass are mostly used, as well as brown hair and brown leaves; in the north, thatch and cattail grass are mostly used. It takes about two to three days to make a suoyi by hand. They are typically worn with bamboo hats called 斗笠/douli.

Below - Ming dynasty illustration of a suoyi and douli (x):

Suoyi has a long history, originating before the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). Although I haven't worn one myself, sources state that they were very effective. Compared with umbrellas, suoyi was not only better at keeping out the rain, but also freed up the two hands to work. Farmers liked to wear it on rainy days, and fishermen often wore it when fishing during rainy and snowy days. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people travelling during the rainy season usually brought along suoyi (source).

Below - 19th-century late Qing dynasty suoyi made of palm and straw fiber, plus bamboo douli and basket (1, 2):

The tradition of working in the wind and rain wearing suoyi and douli continued until the late 1960s in China, after which they were gradually replaced with modern rain gear. Today, suoyi has become more of a tourist souvenir and decorative object than a practical item. Nevertheless, it can still be seen being worn by some elderly farmers and fisherman.

Below - a cormorant fisherman wearing suoyi and douli in Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi (x):

I highly recommend reading the following article for more information on suoyi's history, craftsmanship, and current status: Suoyi: RuCai Lyu’s rain cape and its ongoing tradition of protection.

For additional references, please see my suoyi tag.

If anyone has more info, please share! ^^

Hope this helps!

[aezytimes]

Since some of you enjoyed my previous post here’s another. Rain capes are fucking awesome.

[postorbital]

She wore a foaming wave as a rain cape, a swirl of absorbing water. When the storm was done, she deposited the water in a safe place - an unblocked drain, a field, an existing waterway. Sometimes she threw it at a rude motorist who didn’t respect pedestrians.

[tommeraasx]

[zofen-dasein]

rainmacT-blue-yellow-cape3-638806792 von rainand69 Über Flickr: From the web.

[gerardcapemaster-blog]

[urbanadventureleague]

Rain Cape Season

It’s January, and it’s the rainy season. The last week has been pretty wet, though there have been some fairly dry days thrown in. Of course, the days I ended up riding were the wet ones, not the dry ones!

My typical way of dealing with rain is layers of wool. A good thick wool sweater or jacket will do well against drizzle and light rain. Wool pants stay warm while wet, and synthetic pants…

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