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Gloria Tso

For such a simple garment, the cape – worn over many centuries by Roman emperors, medieval knights and present-day royalty – carries a lot of weight.
“Humans through time have understood that it makes a wonderful frame for the body,” says Nancy Deihl, a fashion historian and chair of the department of art and art professions at New York University. “Since a cape is basically an untailored or unsewn piece of cloth, it has infinite possibilities.”

With a little help from horror, fantasy and folklore, capes continue to make a larger-than-life impression on pop culture, donned by fictional characters as diverse as Dracula, Superman, Harry Potter and Little Red Riding Hood. Red hooded cloaks – the cape’s not-so-distant cousin – have even become a protest symbol for women’s rights against the backdrop of the Trump administration in the US, inspired by the hit TV series The Handmaid’s Tale.

But beyond the supernatural and superheroes, the cape’s modern lines run from costume to couture, embraced by designers like Robert Wun and Glenn Martens, who – in his debut collection for Maison Margiela – crafted an ethereal grey cape later worn by Kim Kardashian during this year’s Venice Film Festival. Several capes made an appearance in Nicolas Ghesquière’s Gothic-inspired cruise collection for Louis Vuitton this past season, while Louise Trotter included a show-stopping floor-length leather cape – which reportedly took 4,000 hours to make – in her first show for Bottega Veneta.

Our enduring fascination with capes makes them attention-grabbing but not necessarily attention-seeking, the perfect canvas for magic and mystery. “When a cape is at rest, it can serve as a background,” Deihl explains. “When it’s tightly wound around the body, it provides concealment, modesty. And when it’s in motion, it adds drama and can make a person look more impressive – someone we need to pay attention to.”
Capes have thus come to symbolise self-expression, status and even spirituality in certain contexts. Early couture designers like Jeanne Lanvin and Cristóbal Balenciaga found virtue in a cape’s elegant simplicity, using it to experiment with form, volume and texture, while celebrities like Liberace and Elvis opted for opulent versions to bolster their ostentatious personas.

Deihl also points out that capes are favoured by religious leaders as well as royal ones, as seen in the 2024 film Conclave, and shows like The Crown and The Gilded Age. “Since many royals through history claimed a divine origin for their power, it makes sense that adopting the costume of the clergy would convey that association.”
Many variations of the garment now exist, from Schiaparelli’s famously exquisite embroidered Apollo of Versailles cape from 1938 – referenced in the maison’s latest couture collection – to the impeccably tailored quiet luxury capes by brands like Tove and Toteme. There are long, flowing capes such as those worn by Old Hollywood stars, as well as today’s princesses and first ladies, and miniature mod-style capes first popularised by Mary Quant in the 1960s.

Wesley Choy, senior strategist of fashion buying at trend forecaster WGSN, cites Toteme and Proenza Schouler among brands that showed capes, cape sleeves or cape-inspired blouses on spring/summer 2025 catwalks, leading to an 11 per cent year-on-year rise in searches for the garment on TikTok. “Occasionwear is a stand-out category for [capes] as it evolves into casualwear,” she adds, “fuelled by the search for more modular and purposeful designs aimed at longevity.”
In a sign of the times, capes have ironically become a quiet luxury hero item. The “demure” trend, says Choy, continues to drive demand for “items that can transition from day to night”, like cape dresses and other clothes with cape-like details, which have proven to be adaptable, versatile and timeless.

“Capes will come in different forms across the seasons,” she further predicts, as consumers seek out more transitional items – a popular phenomenon “as consumers seek more value for money, influenced by the global economic instability we’re experiencing”. Choy specifically thanks Chanel and its ambassador Jennie of Blackpink for helping capes go mainstream “in both relaxed and occasion looks”, the garment appearing in recent ready-to-wear and couture collections.
Capes can be maximalist and minimalist, practical and impractical all at once. They can be over-the-top and old-fashioned, but also modest and modern, and remain a frequent fixture on red carpets.

Stars like Rihanna have graced the Met Gala in the garment, and Paris Hilton wore capes to the Grammys twice. This year, Kaia Gerber and Cynthia Erivo both stunned in Valentino capes, the former wearing a vintage creation from the brand’s spring 1997 couture collection to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party; the latter in a black-and-gold sequinned cape gown by creative director Alessandro Michele, which she wore to the Tony Awards.
Casual or not, capes are ultimately utilitarian. Cape coats are stylish protection against the elements – see Burberry’s trenches – while a knitted or cashmere cape will keep you warm and cosy, and sheer or satin capelets add an elegant yet functional note to eveningwear.

“A cape is an integral part of a modern woman’s wardrobe – essentially a uniform,” says New York-based designer Marina Moscone, whose Twist capelet has become one of her eponymous label’s signatures. “You can wear it casually over a pair of jeans and [a] T-shirt, with a suit, or with formal evening wear.”
Women even want to wear capes on their wedding day, like Moscone herself, who got married in 2023 wearing first a tailored jacket with cape sleeves for the civil ceremony, then an ivory cape dress for the reception. She says she’s designed “many iterations” of her capelets for brides, who “often want to change their looks throughout the day, without having a massive transformation”.

“She might wear it for dinner, and remove it for dancing,” Moscone continues. “It maintains the messaging of her look and style, with a very discreet and subtle change.”
Women are buying capes for a simple reason. Moscone, who loves “the tactility of hand draping” in capes and says she does “what feels right and instinctual without overthinking” when making them, sums it up best. “Discretion,” she concludes, “is the ultimate form of luxury.”


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Fashion

Why capes are coming back as such a distinctive accessory, worn by Blackpink’s Jennie and Kim Kardashian

Capes featured in the Louis Vuitton cruise 2026 collection in May. Photo: AFP

Demonstrators dressed as handmaidens from The Handmaid’s Tale take part in a protest against President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk at the Washington Monument in April. Photo: Reuters.

Chanel has included capes in several of its most recent shows including the haute couture autumn/winter 2024-25 show. Photo: Reuters

Robert Wun brought the drama with his autumn/winter 2025 haute couture collection. Photo: Handout

Colman Domingo went for a regal Valentino look at the 2025 Met Gala. Photo: EPA-EFE

Toteme cape-detail silk bouclé maxi dress at Mytheresa. Photo: Handout

A glistening cape from the Chanel cruise 2025-26 collection. Photo: Handout

Dior women’s ready-to-wear spring/summer 2026 at Paris Fashion Week in October. Photo: AFP

Jennie of Blackpink has recently helped popularise capes. Photo: @jennierubyjane/Instagram

Marina Moscone’s spring/summer 2026 Twist Capelet. Photo: Handout

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Hailey Bieber at Anthony Vaccarello’s show for Saint Laurent. Photo: Reuters

Charlie XCX at Saint Laurent’s Paris presentation. Photo: Reuters

Christopher Briney put a modern spin on a classic suit for Saint Laurent’s Paris show. Photo: Getty Images

Renée Zellweger’s all-black outfit at Saint Laurent. Photo: Reuters

Blackpink’s Rosé wore a lingerie-inspired look to Saint Laurent. Photo: Getty Images

Emma Stone chose a simple yet elegant dress and cardigan for Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2026 presentation. Photo: AP

Sophie Turner turned heads with a sculptural cape at the Louis Vuitton show. Photo: AFP

Jaden Smith opted for all-denim at Louis Vuitton. Photo: AFP

Urassaya Sperbund wore a hybrid outfit from Louis Vuitton for the maison’s Paris show. Photo: AFP

Zendaya’s dramatic look for Louis Vuitton. Photo: AFP

Blackpink’s Lisa’s colourful, print-heavy look for Louis Vuitton’s Paris presentation. Photo: Getty Images

Anya Taylor-Joy paired a dramatic cape with skyscraper heels to attend the Dior show in Paris. Photo: AP

Jennifer Lawrence kept it simple at Dior. Photo: Handout

Jenna Ortega took inspiration from the military for her outfit at the Dior show. Photo: AFP

BTS’ Jimin went shirtless under a black blazer for Dior’s Paris show. Photo: AP

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Kim Kardashian (centre) debuted a new pixie cut at the Maison Margiela spring/summer 2026 show in Paris alongside her sister Kylie Jenner (right). Photo: Getty Images

V of BTS attended the Celine summer 2026 show in a brown suit. Photo: @thv/Instagram

The Devil Wears Prada 2 co-stars Anne Hathaway and Simone Ashley sat front row at the Balenciaga spring/summer 2026 show. Photo: Handout

Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2026 presentation at Paris Fashion Week wearing an all-white outfit. Photo: Handout

Lana Del Rey wears a vintage-inspired dress at the Valentino spring/summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty Images

Emma Watson at the Miu Miu spring/summer 2026 show in Paris. Photo: Handout

Ayo Edebiri, a newly appointed Chanel ambassador, poses during the Chanel spring/summer 2026 show. Photo: Reuters

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Pedro Pascal poses before the Chanel spring/summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Reuters

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Earrings inspired by fireflies – the theme of the Valentino show. Photo: AP

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The Celine looks were accessorised with metallic belts, among other pieces. Photo: Handout

This little black dress opened the Celine summer 2026 show. Photo: Handout

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The Chloé show opened with a series of dresses in floral prints. Photo: AP

The Chloé summer-ready line-up featured lots of colour. Photo: AP

Pleating, folding, wrapping and draping in Chloé’s collection. Photo: AP

Moulded bras and lots of exposed skin at Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring/summer 2026 show. Photo: Handout

Jean Paul Gaultier’s famous sailors are back. Photo: Handout

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Corset details at McQueen spring/summer 2026. Photo: Handout

Floral appliqués at McQueen spring/summer 2026. Photo: Handout

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Olivia Dean at Wimbledon in July. Photo: Getty Images 

Olivia Dean performing at BST Hyde Park in July. Photo: Getty Images

Olivia Dean performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in July. Photo: Getty Images

Olivia Dean performing during Forwards Festival in Bristol, in August. Photo: Getty Images

Olivia Dean at the Burberry summer 2026 show during London Fashion Week in September. Photo: Getty Images

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The Louis Vuitton show was held inside the former apartment of Anne of Austria, Queen of France, inside the Louvre Museum in Paris. Photo: Reuters

Knitwear paired with a turban at Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2026 show. Photo: Reuters

Lingerie-inspired outfits reflected the “stay at home” theme of the collection. Photo: Reuters

This fringed look paired with a knit bag was a show-stopper. Photo: AFP

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Stella McCartney always delivers great tailoring. Photo: AFP

A draped top paired with a mini skirt at Courrèges. Photo: AP

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Lately worn by Kim Kardashian and Jennie of Blackpink, the cape can carry royal and religious associations, or recall superheroes and characters from fantasy and folklore


Lately worn by Kim Kardashian and Jennie of Blackpink, the cape can carry royal and religious associations, or recall superheroes and characters from fantasy and folklore.
