The Caped Index



"''Carmen's bullfighter lover made the cape popular. Wrong.

''Sherlock Holmes? Guess again.

''Caesar? Nope.

''Little Red Riding Hood? Sorry.

Sir Walter Raleigh? You're way off base."

"The cape was born of necessity to protect man and his mate from the cold and rain and to use as a cover when sleeping..."

"They came in all materials, lengths and styles; unadorned, furred and bejeweled. They hid secret documents, lovers' trysting notes, stolen chickens. In a more romantic vein they were indispensable groundcovers for picnics and flashy backdrops for Errol Flynn's swordplay."

- "Oh, Those Huggable, Cape-able Shoulders"

Whether capes, cloaks, or mantles, these are favored garments of superheroes, royalty, vampires, and fantasy adventurers.

Visually, they are a great way to draw attention to characters, due to their size and potential for movement, especially with Dramatic Wind. There's a reason the tropes The Cape and Ermine Cape Effect have this word in their names.

Related:

 * Coats and Jackets
 * Dresses, Gowns, and Skirts
 * Glove Tropes
 * Standard Superhero Suits
 * This Index Blows
 * Who Was That Masked Index?
 * Winged Tropes

Tropes

 * All-Encompassing Mantle
 * Badass Cape
 * Black Cloak (although this trope can also involve a robe or long coat)
 * Caped Mecha
 * Cape Snag
 * Cape Swish
 * Cape Wings
 * Coat Cape
 * Ominous Opera Cape
 * Pimped-Out Cape
 * Requisite Royal Regalia
 * Superheroes Wear Capes
 * Teleport Cloak