• Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
    28·
    7 months ago

    I could have used this pic a couple of months ago when I was arguing against a Lemmy who insisted that capes were a Greek/Roman invention and wearing them disappeared after the fall of the Roman Empire.

    I tried to argue that capes were standard issue in the Civil War but couldn’t get through.

  • Margot Robbie@lemmy.world
    172·
    7 months ago

    Cloaks are not practical compared to a heavy coat: it doesn’t keep you as warm because there are no zippers or buttons to fasten it all the way, and you can’t use your arms or hand at all with a heavy cloak on because it doesn’t have sleeves, and it doesn’t have any pockets.

    If you want to wear it for the sake of fashion, go for it, but prepared to be frustrated.

    • interrobang@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      12·
      7 months ago

      My cape-type-thing is thigh length & has little elbow height slits with flaps on them so i can reach out, up to my elbows. Also pockets.

      It’s awkward when i forgot I’m wearing it and try to sling something over my shoulder, but other than that rare occurrence it is excellent, daily fall wear for me.

      9.8/10 seriously, my cape is great.

    • Sotuanduso@lemm.eeEnglish
      81·
      7 months ago

      I wear a cape sometimes. I had to trim it because it would drag on the ground and pick up leaves, and it sheds on my other clothes because of the fabric I made it from (so I only wear it with a specific outfit,) but other than that it poses no significant inconvenience. I’m not expecting a coat, I’m expecting an accessory.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
      3·
      7 months ago

      I just think about all the automatic doors, escalators, and other mechanical things that are ubiquitous with the modern world and worry a cloak would get snagged all the time. I mean FFS, I get my pants pockets caught on doorknobs all the time, and those aren’t even flapping behind me.

    • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
      3·
      7 months ago

      Yeah while the idea of a wool cloak is still cool, whenever I start breaking down the possible use-cases, I realize it tends to just be a functionally inferior and much less convenient version of modern options by nearly every metric.

      For example, for staying dry, even a basic plastic poncho is superior but a wool cloak will never beat the standard outershell gear lined with stuff like goretex. Likewise, its thermal utility is mostly determined by its ability to trap layers of air, and a wool cloak can’t match the functionality and versatility of modern insulation methods. Even in the area of durability, while heavy weaves can be incredibly rugged, it tends to be at the expense of weight, and after owning a few featherlight jackets and tents made with self-healing textiles, I can’t imagine a wool cloak would ultimately be able to compete in the long term.

      I’d still embrace the fashion if it made a comeback, but with full acceptance of the fact that it represents form over function.

    • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
      1·
      7 months ago

      Arm slits make a considerable difference to comfort and utility. Coats are superior, you are absolutely right there, but if you gotta cloak…

      • Brickhead92@lemmy.world
        2·
        7 months ago

        But did you forgo material possessions while wearing it? The. You wouldn’t need it for practical reasons.

        • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
          2·
          7 months ago

          Practical reasons include fighting with a lightsaber dude. I swear jedi chose this outfit solely because they could use the force to stop it from bunching in multiple locations, slipping or knocking shit over. It also must become made of science fiction materials that have you not pass out from heatstroke or freezing to death by degrees.

          Like it’s not the least practical convention wear I’ve ever had since “being able to easily fit through a single door” has tripped me up before… But that doesn’t mean it’s good everyday wear.

  • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
    152·
    7 months ago

    Sewing machines killed capes. Sewing jackets/coats requires a lot of very difficult stitch work. This made jackets extremely expensive, while making capes was simpler and more affordable. With the advent of the sewing machine, that stitch work became easier and cheaper to do, so capes went out of fashion and more jackets became affordable to everyone.

    • Hawke@lemmy.world
      141·
      7 months ago

      Cars killed the cloak. Cloaks remained popular for a long time after the invention of the sewing machine in the early 1800s, but fell out of fashion with the popularization of the automobile in the early-mid 1900s.

        • Hawke@lemmy.world
          62·
          7 months ago

          Sure. Cloaks are not fun to use in a car. Basically they’re just too much cloth in too little space. They get stuck in the door when you close it, tangled in the seatbelt when you exit, and they sit either under you in a big lump or wrapped around onto your lap in a big pile. And without a lot of effort to arrange them properly they go under the seatbelt and loosen the fit a lot which is fairly unsafe.

  • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
    9·
    7 months ago

    It’s a cloak, Julia. Yes I’m going to wear it to your parents for dinner. It’s the style these days.

  • radiant_bloom@lemm.ee
    124·
    7 months ago

    No joke, the fact cis men dress in such boring ways is at least 50% of why I don’t date them much. Which also means it’s the easiest improvement to make !

    • Seraph@kbin.social
      16·
      7 months ago

      As a man you learn quickly if you’re the nail that sticks up you’re the one to get hammered. We’re forced to blend in.

      Really this applies to everyone too.

      • radiant_bloom@lemm.ee
        3·
        7 months ago

        This is not meant as personal attack on anyone, but if I can go out every day while visibly trans, ya’ll can wear something other than blue jeans and a band tee-shirt. At least for dates 😅

        • Jilanico@lemmy.worldOPMEnglish
          1·
          7 months ago

          As an adult, I couldn’t care less what people think, but growing up it mattered a lot more. We learn some bitter lessons as children.

          • radiant_bloom@lemm.ee
            2·
            7 months ago

            I guess it did, although especially in middle school I took the disapproval of the some people as a sign I was probably doing something right. I was definitely not dressed like any of my peers even long before I knew I was trans.

            But I was also taller than everyone until high-school (reached 5’7” some time in 6th grade) and it might have helped more than I realized back then ? It’s not easy bullying someone who’s 2 feet taller than you 😄

    • azertyfun@sh.itjust.works
      41·
      7 months ago

      Lol you get downvoted but it’s soooo fucking true.

      As a resident bisexual man, my guys you need to put in some effort in because, to put it bluntly, half of all y’all seem like you’re trying to run for “least fuckable creature of the week”.

      Google some shit. Figure it out. There’s nowhere near as much choice for us as there is for women, but there is enough that you don’t have to wear ill-fitting jeans and a loose printed t-shirt every day.