Madrid: shopping at Capas Seseña

A visit to one of Madrid's most historic and fashionable shops sets Annie Bennett on a stylish tour of the Spanish capital.

Madrid: the classic cape that cuts a dash
Capas Seseña has played host to many famous names since it was founded in 1901

Capes are having a fashion moment. Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Balmain have all featured them in their collections. Even Victoria Beckham has designed one. While I make no claim to be a fashion expert, I have to say that Posh and her chums have got it all wrong on this one. What's with all those zips, pockets, fancy collars, arm slits and heaven knows what else? The aficionado knows that the essence of a cape lies in its simplicity.

Forget all those designer labels: if you want a cape, there is really only one place to go. Capas Seseña in Madrid is the only shop in the world that sells capes and only capes, and makes them on the premises. It was founded in 1901 by Santos Seseña, and is now run by his great-grandson, Marcos Seseña. Sooner or later, anyone who is anyone ends up at Capas Capas Seseña: Piers Brosnan recently dropped in; King Juan Carlos, Plåcido Domingo and Nicolas Cage are all customers; and Picasso left instructions that he wanted to be buried in his Capas Seseña cape.

Intrigued, I paid Capas Seseña a visit. Lola Llanas, its expert stylist, slipped a long black cloak – the classic capa española – off a wooden hanger and draped it over my shoulders. Made from a special lightweight wool from the village of Béjar in Salamanca, it fell into elegant folds. As I twirled around the shop, I remembered the Spanish saying: "You put on a coat, but you wear a cape".

My phone rang. It was my old friend José Luis Gallardo, a diehard follower of fashion. "I'm on my way to the Mercado de San Miguel," he said. "Fancy joining me for a vermouth?" The perfect outing for my cape, I thought.

Built in 1916, the Mercado de San Miguel, an elegant ironwork food market, was revamped earlier this year as a gourmet temple and has been packed ever since. Drinking draught vermouth is a tradition in Madrid, usually before lunch at weekends, but those of us without proper jobs do our best to maintain this custom on a more regular basis. Like the wearing of capes, it is something that has always been part of the city's character, but has suddenly become trendy.

As I walked with Lola through the Plaza Mayor, the great square built in the 17th century, my cloak billowed in the wind. Tourists sitting in the pavement cafés looked up from their guidebooks, and a few even took a photo. The locals didn't bat an eyelid.

Arriving in the market, we located José Luis and he ordered our vermouth. Ah, now what? My hands were hidden under folds of material. This is where it helps to have an expert with you. Lola deftly showed me how to clutch a bit of the red velvet lining and flick it around my wrist, thereby freeing my hand to pick up my glass and eat a few olives.

I pulled up a bar stool, but before I could sit down, Lola was issuing more instructions. "Draw the cape around you to the front, otherwise you'll be sitting on yards of material," she said. "There's a slit at the back, called the excusón, which used to have a rather more practical purpose. Until the reign of Charles III in the 18th century, there were no drains or sewers, and people used to relieve themselves in the street. The excusón made it easier."

Charles III instigated some drastic urban reforms, but the Madrilenians were not altogether happy at having his French and Italian tastes forced on them. In 1766, this resentment boiled over when the Marquis of Squillace, the king's Italian minister, banned the wearing of long cloaks and wide-brimmed hats, which he believed thieves were using as a disguise and to conceal weapons.

The Conde de Aranda, another minister, then had the shrewd idea of making the long cloaks and wide-brimmed hats the standard clothing for executioners, which rather dissuaded ordinary citizens from wearing them.

Back at the shop, I met Carmen Fábrega, one of three women who make all the capes at Seseña. I watched as she spread the material, folded in half, on a large table. Using only a tape measure and a piece of chalk, she drew a semicircle. "It is a very simple design, with few pieces," she explained. "There are two models for men, and 10 for women. I've designed shorter ones, which are very easy to wear, but the classic cape has hardly changed for centuries."

I tried on a chic little red number, which felt more like a poncho or a short jacket. "Traditionally, the longer your cape, the lower your place in society," said Carmen, as she picked up a huge pair of scissors and started cutting the fabric. "In medieval times, farm workers wore full-length capes, while the king's was waist-length."

"Seseña capes never really wear out, and are passed down from generation to generation," Carmen said. "Each one is given a number and a certificate with the details of the measurements."

José Luis and I walked to the trendy ME hotel in the Plaza de Santa Ana, where I was staying, and as I swished into the bar, I actually drew curious glances from the icily cool clientele. It was time for lunch, and we collapsed into a booth. Although it was obviously time to take off my cape, I was reluctant to do so. I was reminded of something the satirist Mariano José de Larra once said: "I pulled my cape up to my eyes, turned the brim of my hat right down, and was all set to take in whatever nonsense emerged from the chattering crowd."

Getting there

Kirker Holidays (020 7593 2283; www.kirkerholidays.com) offers three nights at the ME Madrid from £659 per person, based on two sharing. This includes return flight from Heathrow, hotel transfers, breakfast and a 48-hour Madrid Card Cultura, which gives free entrance to more than 40 museums and sights, plus discounts at selected shops and restaurants.

Further information

Capas Seseña, Calle de la Cruz 23 (0034 91 531 6840; www.sesena.com). Prices range from £300-£700. Mail order is available.

Visit

with