The Government School Cape

A Uniform for All Seasons #

Vekllei students are internationally renowned for their elegant and, in places, decadent uniforms. This reputation is built on an open-ended, modular uniform system that can be distilled into a simple assemblage of white, navy, gold and red. The spoken guidelines and unspoken curation of the Vekllei uniform system contributes to the variety and personality of Vekllei studentry, and is iconic of the country overseas.

Most distinctive is the silhouette of the school cape, an accessory that remains in fashion in 21st-Century Vekllei. Vekllei experiences dramatic seasons, and the modularity and comfort of a wool-rayon cape suits the temperamental climate well. It can be unfastened in warmer weather, or pulled tight as a greatcoat. A rayon hood can be snapped and tied over its over-slip to make it waterproof, and the cape is easily folded and stored in classrooms.

Vekllei uniforms are designed to be lived in, and so items like shirts and shoes come off the rack of a department store. Capes are also seen outside of school, and are worn broadly throughout Vekllei society. This quirk of culture and climate contributes significantly to Vekllei’s obscurity abroad and further demonstrates the inscrutability of Vekllei society. Sun-facing but cautious of the future, Vekllei is a place of anachronisms and emerging ways of living. The wealth of their schools is the wealth of their future, and so dignity and equity are deeply valued in Vekllei education.

A Cape for All Hours #

Tzipora fell asleep in her cape after school sometimes. She did not sleep much in the night so she found times throughout the day, where the fatigue took her. She was not fussy about the proper way of doing things, and was openly contemptuous of (some) traditions and (some) social graces. Cobian was her opposite. She had a structured, stable lifestyle that had flossing and bedtimes. Tzipora didn’t usually change for dinner, and if her paperback was good, sometimes she just crawled under the duvet and went to sleep in her school clothes, her cape on the floor. Cobian hated that way of living but liked that she was like that.