Mods: I think there is a factual answer to this question…
Cloaks were a popular outerwear, at least among the well-to-do, during much of the 19th century. This is an example of what I am talking about. You see cloaks as ‘formal wear’ in photos from the early 20th century, but by the 1950’s they have become rare, and now you hardly ever see them at all.
Coats were around during the 19th century, yet cloaks still remained popular. Did cloaks go out of style for simply fashion reasons, or did something happen to suddenly make cloaks unnecessary?
I am not sure how you can look at that picture and single out the cloak as something that fell out of style. That nancy boy is pimping it from head to toe. You won’t see any of it these days, not even on a street corner at 2 am. I don’t think ones like in the photo were ever that common. It is a little like asking where all the blue velvet tuxedos went.
That was an example from the Wikipedia article on cloaks. I’m pretty sure that cloaks were popular, at least among those who could afford fine outerwear, during the 19th century in Europe, England, and the US. They may have been only worn for formal events, but I don’t think they were rare for men or women during that time. Coats were also worn during that same time period, yet cloaks continued to be popular. Then they suddenly went out of fashion.
Top hats and tails are still around today as they were 100 years ago, although I agree you rarely see them now. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone wear a cloak…
Not necessarily just riding horses, but just being out at all. People walked a lot more in those days, so the likelihood of protracted exposure to the cold was much greater. Since people still do walk a lot in some cities, I’m not sure why the cloak went out of fashion. In many ways a cloak is better than an overcoat, not least of all in that it would allow easy access to the pockets of your regular clothes, or purse as the case may be. I’ve seen a military-issue trench coat that had slits allowing access to one’s trouser or jacket pockets, but otherwise I’ve never seen it in any kind of outer coat.
I have a heavy wool cloak that I bought at Medieval festival in the UK (herstmonceux). It feels great to wear and is warm and waterproof and practical (easy access to pockets as people say), I’d wear it more if I could get away with it… but in Australia it’s rarely cold enough to wear it…
bring back the cloak I say… and the man-skirt or utilikilt or whatever you want to call it.
I have a wool cloak that I use for SCA events. It is warm, but it’s hard to do any sort of activity in them, since you’re effectively wrapping yourself in a blanket. I love wearing it, but sometimes store security follows me around since they can’t see my arms. I’d say they fell out of favor due to warmer, more agile garments.
Inexpensive mass-produced coats probably helped kill the cloak, too. A child could wear a cloak for a few years, an adult could wear one until it wore out as long as he or she didn’t gain or lose a large amount of weight - middle-aged spread or a pregnancy wouldn’t be an issue. And as long as clothing was expensive, and outerwear probably the most expensive single garment a person owned, it made sense to have something that flexible. But as people spent less of their income on clothing, they could afford to change outerwear more often, and fitted coats became a realistic choice. And coats do have some practical advantages over the cape.
While cloaks look cool and would keep you warm, they do restrict your freedom of movement, which begs the question why they were as popular as coats in the 19th century, but early coats didn’t look much like the warm fitted coats we have today…
These days, few people wear cloaks and capes, but they’re still around in women’s fashion, popping up often enough that you can occasionally find them.
example 1 example 2 example 3– Personally, if I lived in someplace that stayed cold for enough time to justify it, I would own something like this.
Cloaks still exist, but they’re shorter “capelet” style cloaks, many of which trend toward the mid-1960s styles that were popular. It’s not as popular for a large number of reasons, including that we no longer regularly dress in a manner that would go well with the capelet style cloak. The average person these days prefers a fitted coat of varying lengths and styles, and shorter cloaks look less attractive with pants than they do with skirts-- now that pants on women are ubiquitous in most parts of the U.S., do women in northern climates spend a lot of time in skirts during the cold months? I certainly didn’t when I was in areas where it was snowing at the time.
What happen to the cloak? It simply evolved, as has come back with a vengance.
In previous years, covering one’s backside was important, so that one could move around by flexing and moving the torso. Now, the modern noble spends time with their backside stationary.
Alternately, the need for reaching into pockets to pull out a scone, some tuppins, or a saber was important. Today, the need to reach for items are not concealed, so sleeves are more useful than an open area.
Yet despite these changes, the elite in the fashion industry still need a warm covering… so I humbly present to you, the Modern Cloak
That aside, I think the increase in material technologies has reduced the need for thick and durable outerwear. I agree with flodnak, that when one can easily but another outfit without blinking, the protecting cocoons are a bit less required.
