Why don't we wear capes/cloaks anymore?
Why don't we wear capes/cloaks anymore?
I understand that modern outer layers are more functional. A leather jacket, for example, can be dressed up or down so as to be worn in a variety of situations. It is also better at keeping you warm.
However, I think capes/cloaks are more aesthetically pleasing garments. It also feels good to have the fabric flowing around you as you walk. But what do you think?
The actual reason that we don't is pretty much because of the invention of sewing machines. Once sewing machines were widespread, making coats became sooo much cheaper than they had been. Coats need a lot of tightly made seams which took time and so made coats very expensive. With sewing machines, making these seams was vastly quicker and more reliable.
Coats win over cloaks in so many ways because you can do things with your arms without exposing them or your torso to the rain and cold: impossible with a cloak.
Capes were the short versions - and intended to cover the shoulder and back without seams that might let the rain in, but with the new machine made seams, they were not needed either.
The really big change was when it became affordable to outfit armies with coats instead of cloaks or capes. At that point all the caché and prestige that was associated with military rank disappeared from cloaks and capes and they were suddenly neither useful not fashionable.
Nowadays, of course, they are no longer what your unfashionable dad would have worn: they are quite old enough to have regained a certain style.
It's because of cars and trains
Horses and to a lesser extent bikes let you just throw the cape out behind you as you ride, but if you're riding in a chair, you have to bunch it up as you're getting in so you don't accidentally auto-asphyxiate yourself with the titanic cheeks you inherited from yo mama
nothing’s stopping you from wearing one.
Someone has to start wearing them to bring the trend back. Go for it OP!
As an avid cloak lover, I can attest that the reasons others state about practicality are pretty much spot on. That said, my 3/4 round wool cloak with a cotton liner is the warmest and coziest winter garment I have ever owned. I have three of them, and a lighter blue velvet one for dressy occasions in spring/fall.
Getting into a car with a big cloak though is tougher than with a normal coat. Once you get the hang of it, it's not a problem, but it does take some practice! I do love my cloaks and I would love to see them make a comeback though!
Wear whatever you want.
People mostly used to wear cloaks to keep the elements off of them.
Lots of mud and dirt from horseback riding back then--also rain.
We're indoors a lot more now. Most of us don't work outside and our transportation, mainly automobiles, are protected from the elements.
As the function became irrelevant, so did the clothing choice.
I use enough of my income on functional clothing that the idea of spending anything on something which does wat a coat does but worse and without pockets makes me physically ill. I'm just not the right type of autistic to want to walk around dressed like a highwayman and I don't own a brace of flintlock pistols.
While they were already in decline, the trend of Capes an Cloaks really dropped sharply in the 1950's. With improving technology in the transportation sector and the rising prevalence of jet engines, the risk of getting sucked into an air intake or caught in some piece of machinery was just too great. Punctuated by a series of gruesome incidents , the new rule in fashion was set. No Capes.
I had a fairly nice cape for halloween this year (I was the devil from The Undead) and by the end of the evening I was convinced I was a cape guy now. They hold in so much heat but that's easily controlled by flapping the front a bit (by just swinging your arms more or less as you walk). With the right fabric, water just sheets off and generally misses your shoes in the process. And a broad collar makes for a great windbreak when turned up. It was great!
I haven't worn it since.
Not very practical anymore. Would get caught in all sorts of things in cars/trains/bikes/planes or whatever mode of transportation you use. The common person in general tends to mean towards practicality > aesthetics in the long term.
Function > form
I think there are more things now for them to get caught on or in. :( Probably more hassle than they are worth.
We actually had a champion for a while. So far he hasn't really achieved the original goal, but that doesn't mean that the dream is dead.
Heck, if he doesn't do it, I will! We need capes back in fashion. Either subtle renaissance style fashionable shoulder capes or full blown cloaks that can double as blankets in a pinch.
"It is also better at keeping you warm"
Not even remotely accurate. I actually used to have a full size woollen cloak, and it is unbelievable how good they are at keeping out the elements. I have literally slept in the middle of a forest, in only jeans, a t-shirt, and that cloak, and I was toasty warm. I've sheltered through torrential downpours and snow storms in it. There is basically nothing as warm as a proper wool cloak.
Shawls are pretty popular in South Asia during winter and can vary wildly in size allowing a wide variety of fashion options, including Wizarding World cosplays. 🤷
We invented sleeves.
Seinfeld has this covered:
I really enjoy capes or cloaks as an aesthetic element. Whilst I wish they were more commonplace, I also enjoy being able to have aspects of my fashion that are just a bit "weird"
Invention of more complex and effective materials I would presume. Getting a light and thin jacket which will protect you against harshest of winters is easy these days and more to the point it's far more practical as you can do things in it.
I have a nice collection of them ranging from cheap Amazon capes to a custom Cloak and Dagger wool and velvet cloak that has lasted me almost a decade. I mostly use them for performing but have worn smaller cloaks and ruanas out before. They're particularly wonderful on those crisp, slightly chilly autumn nights in October.
Haven’t you ever seen the Incredibles? NO CAPES!
If you want to make money in the Star Wars universe, go into the cloak trade.
You will never be poor.
When I read this, I can't help but think of the "no capes" scene from The Incredibles.
In all seriousness, they were a uniquely Roman-area thing (moreso before its fall and people like the Gauls wanted less association with their Roman roots). You just don't associate them with the Chinese, Indians, Incans, etc. I'd wear a cape if they weren't more associated with men, would be cooler than sitting here in a quarter zip sweater over a blue plaid shirt and jeans, some normie I am.
LOL! I'm actually in the market for a cloak. Been prowling the 2nd hand stores
I think once my kids learned how to make blanket caps a lot of things ended up broken in a very short timeframe and I banned capes.
I would love to but sadly people will think i am weird.
because we have become indescriptibly cringe
If you have the confidence, wear whatever you wish.
My trench coat is kind of like a cape. It's really impractical on my motorcycle.
Do you remember Thunderhead?
Who is we?
First we'd need to ask what could a cloak or cape provide for the modern man that jackets and coats don't already do while giving the wearer free movement of their arms?
The cape's association with wealth and nobility is also hurt by the fact that the upperclasses these days are more interested in appropriating the style of lower class people (I.e. pre-distressed jeans) to try and appear as more down to earth.
It's just not in nowadays. But I'm sure the day will come when it's back in style, just like any other fashion choice.
Full length coats are to cloaks as snuggies are to blankets. They cover the same area, but can sit tighter with easier use of arms.
As others said, it's not as practical as modern clothing and so regular people don't really think about it. They just buy what is available. With cloaks, you probably have to sew it yourself, or order it custom.
That said, I do agrer it would be cool if they made a comeback. Cloaks are cool - but not easy to pull off. You can't just put on jeans and t-shirt and have a cloak over it and look good.
But I say be the change you want in the world and inspire others! I myself probably couldn't pull cloaks off, but would love to at least see more around!
University students in Portugal do when wearing traditional attire.
Here are the reasons why we don't wear capes anymore: https://youtu.be/1z_GF0KAAkg?si=pTHo6_ssordr_onn
Go for it
As a dude with limited fashion sense suits look funny to me, like pajamas with a night cap or short pants with stockings or powdered wigs just feels very archaic and out dated. I could see cloaks coming back at some point just as knee length hooded sweaters or hooded overcoats without fasteners. Capes look too much like wearing a blanket around depending on the material I think to catch on anytime soon.
Isnt Antonio Banderas trying to bring capes/cloaks back after he went to fashion school?
Not all perverts wear capes.
Dresses of the coat world
Pretty cool topic! Superman, Batman, and Robin wore capes themselves too!
What would they say about capes?
That would be an interesting combination with my southern California uniform of flip flops board shorts and a tee
Capes are still part of women’s fashion. Though they are usually shorter and don’t go below the knee.
https://lacorine.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Classic-Wool-Cape_Chili-Red_05_2017.jpghttps://www.optimized-rlmedia.io/is/image/PoloGSI/s7-1485138_alternate1
I think the modern equivalent for a cloak is a long trenchcoat/raincoat. if you wear it open it sort of looks like a cloak. Also you could wear a poncho which can sorta look like a cape but isn’t too out of the ordinary for men to wear. https://weatherwool.com/cdn/shop/products/ponchoBlack_MG_0177-webcopy_720x.jpg?v=1620656484
Because I am not count Dracula
Short answer: because why would you?
There's one other thing that ended its use: it was used to concejal weapons. Some countries banned them just like wide brim hats (to see the face)
I'd love to wear more capes and cloaks but unfortunately I, like the vast majority of people, am not Alan Cumming and will never be as cool as him.
Some of us do.
Mostly because my cape is improvised and I need something to hold it in place, which usually means my pauldron, but I only wear that on special occasions. It also sheds a lot of lint.
Most people can probably afford pants, shirts, underwear, socks, and shoes then that's it.
I scrolled through every comment and not one has questioned the sanity of the OP and other commenters.
I don't wear a cloak/cape because it's 2024 and I value my job and the relationships I have.
I also don't because the utility just isn't there. A coat with sleeves that stops mid thigh is good for 90% of situations, and a longer version for rain or heavy snow. I cannot imagine a situation where a cloak would somehow trump a jacket, and I mean both in form and function. And form does have some import, not saying you need to go out and wear the latest styles, I'm pretty standard as they come, T-shirt and jeans, but at first glance, if I see someone in a cloak, it's just an odd first impression.
To answer the question, it'll come back in fashion when some rich/famous people decide it's back in fashion, I guess.
