For the last 30-plus years, I’ve lived close to the Halloween Capital of the Midwest, better known as Irvington, Indiana. Historic, haunted, hip, and hella cool, Irvington is great year-round, but truly shines in October. And its residents seem to have a bottomless reserve of costumes, decor, accessories, props, and black cats. Talk about skeletons in the closet!
A number of years ago, I needed a cape and gloves for an event for one night. I sent out a request on social media and was asked lots of odd questions. “Opera length or elbow? Lined, and what color? Hood, no hood?” Business partner Paula had an entire box full of capes so I could take my pick. I was surprised how many of my Irv-adjacent friends had capes of all lengths and colors. Since then, I’ve bought more than one cape — one edged with fake fur and one “plain.” I’ve also been surprised by how many men in Irvington own a top hat, but that is a topic that is perhaps left for another day.
Superheroes wear capes (Thor, Vision, Batman, Superman), and medieval and fantasy cosplayers wear cloaks (Game of Thrones, Vikings). A cloak fastens at the neck or at the shoulder with a clasp of some sort, and sometimes has buttons or clasps in the front. Those that have closures in the front generally have slits so you can put your arms through. Capes on the other hand usually tie at the neck and drape over the shoulders. Edna Mode of The Incredibles refused to design caped superhero costumes due to the danger of the material getting caught and strangling someone. “No capes, dawling.”
Cape/coat combinations have also had their day in the sun. One, called the Ulster coat, was popular in Victorian England. The Ulster coat’s cape went to the elbows and it was usually worn in daytime. Its Scottish fashion cousin, the Inverness cape, was hip-length and is sometimes worn with Highland dress (kilt, sporran). The Third Doctor of Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) wore an Inverness cape along with this fancy suits, as did Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows. The early depictions of Sherlock Holmes show him in an Inverness cape coat, but later in the Ulster. The modern Cumberbatch Holmes wears neither.
Cloaks and capes fell out of fashion in the modern era, but have staged comebacks from time to time. In the 1970s, my mother had a bright yellow plaid winter cape, hip length that had an insulating material lining. The 70s were a weird time for fashion in general, and Yves St. Laurent had reintroduced the cape/cloak in their line for a time, which means that knock-off versions could be found in the bargain basement stores we could afford. That cape was heavy and thoroughly unsuited for blustery Michigan winters, but Mom loved the dramatic swing it made as she flung it about her shoulders and sashayed down the grocery aisle. The bonus was that she was easy to spot in a crowd — that yellow could be seen from space.
In his Fall 2020 collection, Michael Kors featured capes, and so did a number of other designers in 2018 and 2019. Is the cape and cloak making a fashion comeback? Perhaps in 2021 or 2022 — after we’ve all been vaccinated and rendered immune — we’ll make some wild and dramatic choices after we peel off our sweats and yoga pants. I can just see those bright pink and yellow cloaks, emblazoned with clever graphics, swinging through the pharmacy, like a tribe of superheroes who’ve survived the evil Coronavirus.
And as always, Irvingtonians will dig out their floor-length black satins, glitter them up a bit, and proudly sashay down Audubon.