The Cape.

[robin]

Looks nice. Who makes it?

 

[Ich_Dien]

It's a repro from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It's actually very well executed in a nice windowpane tweed! Unfortunately, my girlfriend doesn't really know how to use my camera.

 

[LabelKing]

Are they selling such wonders?

 

[ysc]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Are they selling such wonders?

You can have such a thing made by the Inverness Cape Company, I think I may have posted the link at the beginning of this thread but here it is again:
http://www.invernesscapes.co.uk/index.html

I have no idea if the stuff they make is good quality but you do still see people in Capes sometimes up here so they must get them somewhere.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Originally Posted by youngscientist

You can have such a thing made by the Inverness Cape Company, I think I may have posted the link at the beginning of this thread but here it is again:
http://www.invernesscapes.co.uk/index.html

I have no idea if the stuff they make is good quality but you do still see people in Capes sometimes up here so they must get them somewhere.

The one I tried in the V&A was actually an Inverness, so I imagine that's the company you'd need.

 

[LabelKing]

 

[Whitepigeon]

I have the same question. Why did the cape disappear out of men´s fashion......?

Several ansers given in this thread, migth contain aspects of the truth. Two reasons I cannot give credit for the disappearance of the cape here in Europe

1. Renaissance Fairs. We do not know them here in Europe. We do know historical events where people wear historical costumes including capes but these are merely admired for it.
2. The poor dictate the fashion of the rich. It migth be in former days after the industrial revolution that there was a big difference in wealth and way of living between labourers and nobilty or elites or capitalists. But we have left these days behind us and I do not think for average people that capes are exclusively associated with extreme wealth and richness.

More plausible seems to me

a- That we live nowadays in an equality culture. The last capes men did wear disappeared in the sixties of last century. So in Holland postmen, clergy and military officers and cadets lost their capes. What remained of the cape before it disappeared in that period was that it represented a kind of authority connected with certain professions. In the sixties the younger generation wanted to get rid of any kind of authority. That authority of the older generation was blamed for the disaster of the second world war. The young generation did not want to believe any longer that authority nor wanted to show respect for the way it manifested themselves. Capes are beautiful but were also used to express a certain authority connected to certain professions. For instance the ones I mentioned. Even the last ¨pope changed his red cape for a white overcoat when visiting countries all over the world especially poor countries. I gues he did that because he felt that the cape created a bigger distance between him and the people. This was contradictory with his mission of being servant of all servants.

b. The sexual revolution of the sixties of last century. Do not forget the effect of the sexual revolution. Capes were not sexy at all that time since they hide the body in stead of revealing it.

These two developments did the cape disappear out of men´s fashion. It survived however partly in women´s fashion.

c. For this reason the cape became ( when seen ) a woman´s fashion item. And men do not want to be seen in a female garment.

d. The superheroculture. The capes for men survived in the superheromovies and comics. Superheroes are appreciated because they posses special qualities and special costumes. but in every day life, equality is very dominant as a value. Men wearing capes migth come into conflict with this value since they are referring to something special ( or being special ) Apart from that creates an equalityculture fear for being different from the average people. Since you are an exception as a man wearing a cape, you migth draw attention on the street and most men do not like that.

e.Practical reasons. Capes are beautiful but not practical in every day life. Since the horses and coaches are replaced by cars it is not very practical wearing a cape when you have to sit in a car.
In the supermarket a billowing cape migth cause that articles fall and break. It is not practical in a full train or metro etc.

I think the last two reasons are the most important ones. It stroke me that the new capes offered are not full circle and most of the time not full length. Designers develop knee length or shorter capes. A wide cape is nice but not all new capes have a big seam length. For daily use these type of capes ( short or till knee length ) are the most practical. For the full circle full length capes remains a visit to the opera or the theatre. If you still want a shorter cape having a full circle so go for an italian tabarro or a capa espagnola. I think these are still the most beautiful ones by the way.

I hope the cape comes back in men´s fashion. It will, I am sure of that. But I think it will not be adopted by a great public. That does not matter. It gives certain men the occasion to develop their own style. I am one of them, introducing capes back again in daily life. The challenge is how to make other men envious because of wearing a cape. This is not only because most woman do appreciate it, but also I hope to make other men envious because of the combinations I use. The other big thing about capes is that you must learn how you move in a cape and how you combine it with other clothes to a wonderful and nice compositon. But I have to admit that to get over the fear that people will laugth at you because of wearing a cape, you need to be persistent in doing that and have the courage of a superman. But still there are men who posses these qualities. And let there be no doubt. For me there is no excuse for not wearing a cape if you really like wearing them. Never mind what people think. They think anyway. Be yourself and follow your own style. Try out, dare, investigate, ask feedback. And you will find your way in wearing your capes today.

 

[Persephone]

Firstly, I know this is an old thread; regarding the Internet's youth it is practically ancient. Nonetheless, I am reviving this relic, because I saw something absolutely delightful and unique yesterday night, or to be precise, early this morning. My husband and I attended a Viennese ball in Washington, DC last night. We have been regulars attendees for a few years now, as we love to dance and enjoy meeting like-minded people. Male attire in the past had ranged from what one could charitably describe as fancy dress to mostly poorly fitting dinner jackets, a few tailcoats with overly long waistcoats, and even more casual choices.

Yesterday, was unique, because not only did I see several proper dinner jackets, but -- and this is the connection to the topic -- I saw three gentlemen wearing opera cloaks. Yes, you read correctly: three opera cloaks! One was ankle-length, one calf-length whilst the third one was slightly below knee-length. All were made of black wool and lined with satin or charmeuse, and every single wearer was relatively young, i.e., in his 20s or 30s. Outside of Vienna, where some gentlemen still sport top hats and cloaks to the city's various balls, I have never seen more than one or two older men (70+) wearing a cloak. They looked positively regal, and it finally convinced my husband to give the cloak a try at the next possible opportunity. Perhaps there is hope for a revival of formal dress after all. It certainly inspired my husband, and convinced him that the cloak is not just for an older man.