Pelerine, 19th century - Public domain dedication museum photo

Historically, the pelerine possibly originated in a type of 15th century armor padding that protected the neck and shoulders by itself, if the padded fabric was reinforced internally with metal, and/or acted as padding between armor and the skin in the neck-to-shoulder region. The pelerine often had fasteners so that pauldrons could be attached. In women's fashion, the pelerine was most popular during the mid- to late-nineteenth century in Europe and the Americas.