Dolmen -- August 23, 2020

 

Great word - had heard of "Quoit", but not of "Dolmen"  Thanks.

So - two shallow rabbit holes:

The slightly different word "dolman" is used to describe a sleeve that is contiguous with the body of the garment.  There's no seam circling from the top of the shoulder under the armpit and back.

how to make a dolman sleeve - Yahoo Image Search Results

how to make a dolman sleeve - Yahoo Image Search Results

Here's a fairly modern example - but  think of the Joan Crawford era of a big shoulder /tiny waist  - that featured a lot of dolman sleeves in jackets, dresses and blouses.  For menswear, the only examples I can think of are some baseball jerseys and lettermen's jackets.

The OED says the origin of the word "dolman" comes from the Turkish "dolama" and dates back to the 1600's.  Obviously, the seamless shoulder resembles a Turkish caftan.  Another word for that type of sleeve is "raglan".  If you are a 4-H kid who needs to enter a sewing project, dolman sleeves are your friend.  It's a much easier task to craft a garment that way than it is to set in a traditional American sleeve.  (;>)

If you needed lots of room to swing your arms (perhaps to swing a thurible?), a dolman sleeve is wonderful.

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Rabbit hole # 2

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