Fashion always enjoys plunging into the past — sometimes through the decades, sometimes back in centuries. It seems that this season for many fashion designers, capes have once again become the rage emphasizing the drama and romanticism of the times past and present.
Initially, capes were solely round pieces of fabric attached to the collar, but with time, they progressed into more advanced styles of intricate tailoring. Capes, or cloaks, go back to 300 BC and we can observe various images throughout Middle Ages. Mostly they were made in bright colors from fabrics brought from Asia; some were hooded and others trimmed with fur. Later wool, linen, velvet, and silk were introduced.
Credits: Ravenfoxcapes.com
During the Victorian era, capes were worn by both women and men and were “mandatory” outfits for opera and theater outings representing a high standing in society.
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1800s Fashion – Credits: Wp-Content
1800s Fashion – Credits: Katetattersall
1800s Fashion – Credits: pinimg
1800s Fashion – Credits: Katetattersall
Capes were also worn in the military. In the U.S., capes are still approved as an alternate outfit to trench coats for army officers and gendarmes in Italy can be seen in capes nowadays.
In the 1920s, cocoon-shaped capes of different lengths were the prevailing styles of the epoch.
Since then, capes remained under the radar and designers keep reimagining the cape’s functionality by varying its length and materials making it a seasonable outwear or redcarpet look. Throughout history, capes have been seen as a fashion statement and they provide versatile means for expressing one’s style, with smooth lines, a range of fabrics, and an array of shapes and lengths.
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1. Rodarte FW 2023
2. Rodarte FW 2023
3. Comme des Garcons FW 2023
4. Comme des Garcons FW 2023
5. Balenciaga FW 2023
6. Balenciaga FW 2023
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1. Moschino FW 2023
2. Rick Owens FW 2023
3. Rick Owens FW 2023
4. QIQI YUAN; BUERLANGMA
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1. Valentino couture SS23
2. Valentino couture SS23
3. Valentino couture SS23
4. Valentino couture SS23
Capes can be paired with pants (and this season notes leather pants), skirts, and dresses both long and short and add a mystical touch to the look. We saw capes in Alaïa, Comme des Garcons, and Issey Miyake collections that were quite dramatic while the cape in Prada’s presentation was a fall-favorite comfortable wool cape with pockets
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1. Chanel
2. Roberto Cavali
3. Issey Miyaki
4. Issey Miyaki
Many International Fashion Houses in their FW 2023 runway shows have offered capes with head coverings and in prints, and quite a few designers presented capes elegant enough to fit the evening.
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1. Paul Smith FW 2023
2. Christopher Kane FW 2023
3. Matty Bowan FW 2023
4. Balmain FW 2023
Capes, so historic but so wonderfully dramatic, where time seems to have no meaning, have always had their powerful and mysterious presence.
