Mine is something like 60/40, front vs back. that’s not “vast”
Not on your shoulders, over your chest. You seem to be thinking of a Superman-style cape here, I’m talking about this kind of thing:
I’m speaking from actual experience here. It does not slip.
The tailoring around the shoulder points makes it cup them, and that also helps.
Once again - only if it’s poorly-fitted. Mine do not do this. the- ties are somewhere between collarbone and nipple-height on my cloaks and my (sadly lost) cape. If that clasp was at my neck level, something’s gone badly wrong. Maybe if someone pulled on the back. But not from just moving around.
Once again, I have to ask, who here actually wears capes and cloaks as a regular item of clothing?
Because I do, and I’ve never experience any of the discomfort or drawbacks people are talking about. My woolen cloak is my preferred inclement Cape of Storms winter weather/AkrikaBurn desert sandstorm attire for a reason. And my cape got worn for entire weekends of reenactment activity for decades without throttling me once.
Dr. Strange and The Vision. Sometimes Thor does and sometimes he doesn’t. Moonknight. But you are correct that capes are not as “fashionable” among Marvel heros.
It’s likely we regard parkas as more “practical” because that’s what we’re used to. Also, for riding in things like cars and SUV’s yes, tailored coats are easier to manage IMHO and based on my own experience. But prior to cars and in cultures where capes/cloaks were the norm people probably regarded them as more “practical”. There is definitely a cultural/custom aspect to all this.
In at least one version of the Superman story, when Ma Kent was making his costume, she added the cape explicitly because it would look dramatic fluttering in the wind. And she also deliberately made it skintight to show off his build.
This was presumably a continuity where it wasn’t a Kryptonian fashion statement, because I don’t think Ma Kent knew anything about Kryptonian culture.
I have an authentic Kinsale cloak with hood from Ireland. It was custom made and fits as you describe. It doesn’t slip off my shoulders unless I actively flip it back.
It is beautiful, warm and comfortable to wear. I love it.
I wish I had more opportunities to wear it now without looking like a weirdo. No question, it is a dramatic article of clothing. People notice it and apparently feel it Makes a Statement, even though I’m not sure what the statement is. I usually reserve its use for a night at the opera or other special evening out. Where I live now, I rarely need a coat and the cloak is too warm most of the time.
Mine is so long, it is not a practical choice for working outdoors. Easy to step on and get in the way, if working around machinery. It could easily get tangled. Though it performs its intended function of keeping me warm well, it’s much more of a fashion statement.
I think the main reason to wear a cape or cloak these days is the hope that someone will notice you’re wearing one and ask you about it. Basically the desire to be known as the cape guy or lady.
Capes were much more versatile and practical than coats. Faster on and off or partially worn, of importance if coming in and out of the cold and not wanting to hang it up somewhere. (Closets were not plentiful in the past.) Able to used indoors if near a draft without having to get and put on a full coat or even taking a sweater on and off. As mentioned could be used as a blanket when traveling. Could be and were used to signal status by color and design. And remember that it was only recently that buttons were on anything other than the clothing of the elite. I also would guess that sealed up comparably they work better for warmth than coats, like mittens are warmer than gloves.
I always used a rain poncho while camping. You can sit outside and you have your own miniature tent. So you can keep your legs dry while sitting. Also, a baseball type hat with a brim is essential. Put up the hood with the cap under it, and your good to go in the rain.
And always remember folks - “Don’t tug on Superman’s cape”
Are you sure you’re fashionable enough to know what is in style? I am not, but a quick search on “vogue.com” revealed that, at least on the opera-cloak side of things, the 2021 Dolce and Gabanna Alta Moda show in Venice featured some “incredibly overstated cloaks”,
Not really, but I’ve owned quite a few full length wool coats, and I live in a country where it rains and the wind blows. I’m happy my coats had buttons when I wanted them to stay closed.
Occasional high fashion statement’s notwithstanding, yes: coats pretty much replaced capes and cloaks by the early 1900s.
Wearing a cape or cloak now is a “look at me! I am a cape person!!” unusual item. Not something the lines of me could wear no matter how practical I might conclude it is.
As for applications where a coat would NOT be more practical than a cloak–find me a coat that will work with Tudor or Elizabethan women’s clothing. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I have an ankle length 3/4 circle heavy woolen lined cloak with a hood, made it myself. Pull the hood up, lie down and pull your feet up a tad and instant sleeping bag. Try THAT with a parka. My son had a huge fake fur half circle cloak and we used to wake up in the morning to find him asleep under our sunshade on the big wool rug, sleeping in the middle of a pile of young ladies who did not dress for the weather, all covered over with his cloak. No room in a coat for friends.
Why yes, we DID do SCA for many years, how did you guess?
in the world…