Why don't we wear capes/cloaks anymore?

balderdash@lemmy.zip to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 438 points –

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?

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Cars (and seatbelts) are the biggest reason I see. Cloaks:

  • get caught in the door,
  • take up a lot of space,
  • get tangled in seatbelts,
  • limit seatbelt effectiveness by padding the wearer with the excess cloth

They’re great for pedestrians but not so much for motorists, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

I wear a poncho occasionally and it's a pain for exactly these reasons.

Yeah, as one of the apparent neckbeards/weebs mentioned elsewhere in this thread I’m 100% speaking from experience there.

I’m thinking I may acquire a nice ruana for when I’m driving…