Is a vintage cape hideous?

[capewrat]

I'm really tempted to get a vintage cape. I think they are great! But will I look like an eccentric bag lady? I'm 55, 5'8 and a size 14. This is the sort of thing...

Photo attached to above but presumably awaiting approval.

(Can’t see photo yet as noted)

I fancied a Harris tweed cape but couldn’t work out if I’d look great and cool, or like I was on my way to shoot pheasants on my country estate. Sigh.

Waiting for the photo OP to see what you mean.

However I will say that I was given a very stylish and understated poncho a few years ago and so much prefer wearing that to a coat.

I quite like the idea of more ponchos/capes. It depends on the length though, I suppose. A floor-length one would make me feel like I’d escaped from Hogwarts 😂

I'm now doubting whether the photo will appear at all! Here's a link. It wouldn't be this exact one as I think it's too small, but it will give an idea. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267432667108

It's lovely, but i am very partial to a vintage pure wool Jimmy Hourihan walking cape, not to mention Barbour waxed capes and various other capeage. And i am a 5ft2 teeny weeny! Go for it!!!

Who cares what anyone else thinks, OP? If you like it, go for it!

I've been watching a lot of historical documentaries of late (plus a more modern TV series), and I always think that the capes look fabulously elegant! My only concern would be trying to wear it on a windy day, in case it took off with me, as I am fun-sized 😁

Ahhh thanks @Frumpitydoo and @TheeNotoriousPIG

I confess I do already own a vintage cape - it's long and has definite Sherlock Holmes vibes but I love it! It's plain brown though so not quite as bonkers as the Welsh ones I'm eyeing.

I had a black M&S one years ago thinking I'd swish about like a Scottish Widows advert (even though there wasn't a hood on it) there was fur round the neck and arms , large flappy arms .
I took it to the local dry cleaner/repairs but having the fur cut off and hemmed would've been the same price again, so I recycled it .

Love the idea of them, that one in the link is really nice .

It’s got a ‘call the Midwife vibe’, but I am guessing you are stylish and will rock it. Wear it with a knee length skirt and some fab knee highs and you will turn heads!

I think capes are brilliant! I don't like the fabric of the one you linked to, but the style is good. Whatever you wear, walk as if you know how magnificent you are and no one will question the cape.

Thanks @C152 . I've got a whole watchlist of capes with nicer fabric but didn't link to them as I don't want anyone else buying them while I'm dithering 😀

I think you need to own it, style it out and dont hide under it

I really like it.

That said, I’ve got a vintage Aquascutum tweed cape and it’s great fun to wear occasionally when I’m in the mood, but I certainly don’t reach for it every day or even every week and I wouldn’t want it to be my only or main coat. So I’d only endorse one if you can afford to buy and have the space to store a coat that might not be used a lot.

I really like it but you would need to find the right bottoms to wear to avoid looking like you were auditioning for early call the midwife.

I think you should wear whatever makes you happy, OP! \it would look fab with knee high boots. Personally, I think it could look very Vivienne Westwood with the right accessories.

I treated myself to a pair of vintage dress clips a couple of years ago. I wear them with everything now, even jeans and t-shirts when I want them a bit dressier and I wonder why the hell they ever went out of fashion!

I have a Red Cross nurses 40s cape
Like this one
Im not a midwife 😁

Ooh I like it Is swish about pretending to be the head mistress at ST Trinian's 😊

My experience with a short cape like that is that they're freezing. The cold comes upwards under it. And even worse if it's windy.

I like capes and find that they suit my lipodoema shape better than conventional coats. I can remember when they were hugely fashionable in the early seventies. I was a little girl at the time and had a bright red cape. I loved it. I think capes are due a true revival.

Aah I’ve seen the cape now on your link OP.

I don’t like the fabric or pattern, but I very much like the shape and style.

The poncho I wear is more of a thick woolly wrap and I love having something swishy. It’s not as warm as a coat but I much prefer it. I am planning on buying some capes.

I wouldn’t think twice about someone wearing a cape like that. I love the very individual look that a cape/wrap gives.

@capewrat i know you said the link was just to give an idea - sorry but the one you linked to just screamed Dolores Umbridge to me 🫣

Had a cape a hundred years ago, in the Twiggy era, pesky draughty thing it was too. Give me a nice classic Jaeger or MaxMara coat any day!

pesky draughty thing it was too.

Exactly! Short capes are hopeless for keeping warm.

I love a cape! Those colors are easy to wear, too... not overly shooting-estate, but not IN YOUR FACE either.

I am unfashionable, post-early-menapause and not stylish.

Love love love a cape, you go for it!

I like them. I used to have one in navy wool, and a friend in work always called me The District Nurse when I wore it. I chose to take it as a compliment.