The origins of the Tabarro lie in ancient Rome. Although the Tabarro has been made in many different styles, colours and fabrics over the centuries, its distinguishing features – the raw-cut fabric, the single seam and the collar – have remained unaltered. In the fourteenth century, in Venice as in Tuscany, the Tabarro was a long over-garment, with wide, cropped sleeves, that was worn by physicians, magistrates, merchants and the clergy. Usually simple in shape and without refinements, it was a long, rectangular garment made of silk, black fabric or lined with fur, sometimes with a hood.
During the dominion of the Venetian Republic, and before buttons came into use and sewing machines were invented, the Tabarro was worn by both men and women, by physicians and magistrates, merchants and the clergy, as well as by nuns and courtiers. Over the course of the sixteenth century the term was used to refer to both an elegant short jacket with sleeves that was open at the front, as well as the uniform worn by galley slaves.
At the end of the century it had become the cloak worn by citizens, merchants and travellers and it was only in the seventeenth century that it began to grace the shoulders of nobles, officials and magistrates in place of the veste patrizia – ornate robes denoting rank and governmental roles. In the eighteenth century, the Tabarro began to be made in more colours and models – in half or full circle cuts, short or ankle-length, in fabric or velvet, often with a turned-up collar or a pelerine, a hooded short-cape collar. The aristocracy favoured Tabarros in red, whereas merchants and tradesmen preferred dark colours. Lighter colours were worn in the summer months when they could be found in white or blue silk. It was in this century that the Tabarro became the symbol of mystery: worn with masks – the bauta, the larva and the tricorn hat – men and women could indulge in bawdy escapades while keeping their identities secret. At the end of the century, the Tabarro seemed destined to fade into oblivion, but the atmosphere of Romanticism restored its status as the garment par excellence worn by tormented heroes.
After the French Revolution, only dark colours were used, aristocratic brocades and lace were abandoned and the Tabarro took on a severity and simplicity that were to characterise the garment from then onwards. In the twentieth century, it became a symbol of elegance and refinement, and also began to be used in peasant communities – in the “tabarrino” version, which was shorter for practical reasons – as well as by troops on the front line. After World War II, the Tabarro fell into disuse and was replaced by the coat. It was in the Sixties that the textile entrepreneur Sandro Zara began the slow process of restoring the garment to its rightful glory, reawakening the tradition after carrying out research in museums and archives.
