# Do capes have any practical use as clothing or just decorative? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847 "2018-05-26T05:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/61 "2018-05-29T13:46:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Nor I. I thought surely there would be one at one of the “Big Three” conferences, but he is always in a chair. Perhaps he didn’t want to appear “weak” in a picture with Stalin and Churchill. How many FDR-in-a-wheelchair photos are there _at all?_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/62 "2018-05-29T14:33:14Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Poncho doesn’t imply “flimsy plastic”, it’s a type of cape; the original ones were from the Andes and made of alpaca wool. The Western rain ones are usually rubberised canvas or oilcloth, not heavy wool. A lot of those being military surplus, I think. “Flimsy plastic” would be your gloss on it, the GIS I linked to shows all kinds. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/63 "2018-05-29T14:59:57Z")
… You do realize you just referred to the Andes as not being “western”? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/64 "2018-05-29T15:09:42Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > … You do realize you just referred to the Andes as not being “western”? “Western” as in stereotypical Old West cowboy gear is what I think was meant. Like in “Country and Western” music. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/65 "2018-05-29T15:30:32Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > …The group is called a _tuna_; each musician is a _tuno_ or _tuna_. I guess you can tune a piano, and even tune a _tuna_, but you still can’t tune a fish. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/66 "2018-05-29T16:35:48Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > … You do realize you just referred to the Andes as not being “western”? I would not consider the pre-Columbian Andes to be Western, no. You did say “original”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/67 "2018-05-29T16:43:17Z")
ETA - although even if you’re talking modern Andean, that wouldn’t be Western in the way it’s usually used - Latin America is generally excluded from the “[Western World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world)”. Crazy, I know… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/68 "2018-05-29T16:51:10Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Of what use are they to superheroes? I think the trend started with Superman, but why? > > For someone like Batman, who engages quite a lot in acrobatics and hand to hand fighting, it seems like it would be an encumbrance. I think the cape is practical for Batman because he often swoops in on criminals to take them by surprise. The swirling cape makes him look bigger than he is, and criminals often shoot or swing at the swirling cape rather than a part of his outfit with him underneath it. If it didn’t swirl, neither of those effects would happen. 🙂 I imagine he trained to fight with the cape so he’d be used to it and anticipate which way it would go when he moved a certain way. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/69 "2018-05-29T17:17:02Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I was re-watching the movie “Star Wars: Rogue One” and for some reason kept noticing bad guy [Orson Krennic](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/antagonists/images/7/77/Orson_Krennic.png/revision/latest?cb=20161208135455) had a cape that I could discern no reason for him to have. Of course [Darth Vader](https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/spoilers-in-tv-and-movie-criticism-and-reviews.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1) also had a cape as did lots of others in Star Wars (e.g. the [Imperial Guard](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/databank_emperorsroyalguard_01_169_4a88ce6c.jpeg?region=60%2C70%2C1435%2C808&width=768)). No reason I can see for those either other than it made them more cool. COOL? “Cool” makes people think _“Man, I wish I could hang out with them! Wish my friends were here; they’d be SO jealous!”_ I think the word you’re looking for is “intimidating.” As in: _“Uh-oh, I’m in for it now! Wish my friends were here, to get me out of this!”_ ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/70 "2018-05-29T17:29:47Z")
[NO Capes!](https://media.giphy.com/media/etEYfWC6ko8j6/giphy.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/71 "2018-05-29T17:53:22Z")
I wore a hooded cape instead of a veil for my January wedding. It was part to keep warm during outdoor pictures. It was part to fit with the snowflake theme of the wedding. It was part to cover my shoulders in church. It was part because I didn’t want a veil. So it had a purpose for me. Not something I’ve worn since, but for one day of my life, a cape was practical. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/72 "2018-05-29T17:56:12Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I spent some time playing with rapiers to pass the free time during a long slow deployment to Bosnia. It started with someone who specialized in the rapier in the SCA wanting to stay sharp. It was most distinctly not fencing. We used authentic period rapier designs, just unsharpened. We also did things illegal in fencing like circling and blocking with our off hand by slapping the side of the weapon. We did some work with bucklers, daggers, and briefly a second sword towards the end. (In my case the second sword was best for parrying myself. :smack:) The instructor had a cape made in a local sewing shop. It was incredibly effective the one day he brought it. In the defense, it could swirl in and knock an attack off the mark. Even more annoying for me, it hid the start of his attacks. Reduced reaction time to parry was a big disadvantage. > > By the time he brought the cape, I could beat him a reasonable minority of the time. He was clearly better but I mixed being good enough to not lose immediately with being bad enough to be completely unpredictable. The day he brought the cape out it was like playing one on one basketball against Lebron James. A standard way of defending against knife attacks (if you have the time beforehand) is to take off your coat/jacket/cloak and drape it around your left arm, and then pull off your belt and double it up and hold it in your right hand. Then you try to trap the knife in the dangling folds of the garment and whip the belt buckle across his face. I was told by the guy who taught me that it derived from Spanish knife fighting - I have no idea if that is true or not. It is surprisingly difficult to cut or stab thru loose heavy fabric. Another advantage of a cloak is that it is a hell of a lot cheaper than armor, so some peasant soldier stood a good chance of having a cloak that was halfway useful in a fight instead of armor that was way out of his price range. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/73 "2018-05-29T17:57:54Z")
I see nobody has remembered what it’s like to sew items by hand. Making a cape would be far, far easier than sewing a jacket or coat. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/74 "2018-05-29T18:08:00Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > I think the cape is practical for Batman because he often swoops in on criminals to take them by surprise. The swirling cape makes him look bigger than he is, and criminals often shoot or swing at the swirling cape rather than a part of his outfit with him underneath it. If it didn’t swirl, neither of those effects would happen. 🙂 I imagine he trained to fight with the cape so he’d be used to it and anticipate which way it would go when he moved a certain way. A black cape also breaks up a human silhouette as he skulks around in the dark. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/75 "2018-05-29T18:26:01Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > [NO Capes!](https://media.giphy.com/media/etEYfWC6ko8j6/giphy.gif) See post 32. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/76 "2018-05-29T18:36:22Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > I see nobody has remembered what it’s like to sew items by hand. Making a cape would be far, far easier than sewing a jacket or coat. Except this person. > [@Horatius](#): > > I suspect that capes and cloaks are also cheaper and easier to make than a relatively complicated coat or jacket. And, since they’re much more “one size fits all”, you don’t need to stock as large a variety of sizes, and if what you have _is_ too big for comfort, it can be re-sized much easier as well. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/77 "2018-05-30T14:21:10Z")
Additionally, capes on superheroes, particularly flying superheroes, suggest wings. Obviously, as in the case of Batman, it’s not just flying superheroes who have capes, but in his case wings go with his “bat” theme. Plus, his early outfit was [more clearly designed as wings](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_27) than his current one. One of the most famous capes hasn’t been mentioned yet: Dracula’s. Obviously, he’s got the “bat” thing going on too, but the cape became the standard depiction for Dracula because of the stage play version (the stage play had an impressive life apart from the book and movie versions). The Dracula of the play was dressed in a cape or “opera cloak” with a high, stiff collar, for a scene where Dracula disappeared. To accomplish this effect, the actor would turn his back to the audience, which would hide his head behind the collar. He would then slip out of the cloak and duck into a trap door, allowing the empty cloak to collapse to the floor. The cloak with the high collar became forevermore associated with the Dracula character. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/78 "2018-06-02T03:21:06Z")
:)Nor has ZORRO been mentioned. Z [https://www.google.com/search?q=zorro+and+cape&rlz=1CAACAV\_enUS774US774&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3jqfMgLTbAhWQHjQIHYN7BxYQsAQIMA](https://www.google.com/search?q=zorro+and+cape&rlz=1CAACAV_enUS774US774&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3jqfMgLTbAhWQHjQIHYN7BxYQsAQIMA) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/79 "2018-07-06T19:03:41Z")
Just came across this pic of Goering in a cape with a Luftwaffe eagle on at least one side: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Bundesarchiv\_Bild\_183-E03059%2C\_Berlin%2C\_Pergamon\_Museum%2C\_Ausstellungsbesuch\_Hitler.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-E03059%2C_Berlin%2C_Pergamon_Museum%2C_Ausstellungsbesuch_Hitler.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847/80 "2018-07-06T19:14:19Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > ETA - although even if you’re talking modern Andean, that wouldn’t be Western in the way it’s usually used - Latin America is generally excluded from the “[Western World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world)”. Crazy, I know… By the same people who also do such things as exclude Europe, or any non-English-speaking country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capes-have-any-practical-use-as-clothing-or-just-decorative/814847.md?page=5)