Cloaks & Capes

    Welcome back, everyone! It's good to see you again!

    So, on my "Meet The Author" page I promised a blog post about the cloak shown in the first picture of me. I am here to tell you that today, that promise is going to be fulfilled, because we're thoroughly in winter and it's cold outside, and so I get to wear cloaks almost every day, if I want to!

    As a disclaimer, I'm not discussing every kind of cloak, cape, or medieval garment there is. That's not where my interest lies, and I'm a big fan of taking historical clothing and adapting it to suit my fantasy needs, not trying to document all the historical styles in all the time periods. If you want a more in-depth analysis of a bunch of different kinds of cloaks, visit this video. Further links will be provided as I mention different types of clothing and how they can be used in fantasy.

    All right!

    My favorite kind of cloak is the ruana cloak, otherwise known as the Irish wrap. It is... essentially a large blanket with a slit cut into it, lengthwise, to about the center. If you lay it out flat on the ground, it looks like a big, boxy pair of pants, like this:

 I know, that description makes it sound really, really dumb. But it's not! As you can see if you visit the "Meet The Author" page, this cloak actually drapes on the body beautifully, and it can be used in a multitude of different styles, which is a big part of the reason I love it as much as I do.

    The most basic style you can use with a ruana cloak, which is the best one to use when wearing the cloak in warmer weather, is to just take the back end of the slit and lay it against the back of your neck so the two pant-leg tails hang across the front of your body. I call this style the Cardigan style, because it looks... pretty much exactly like a big, heavy cardigan.

Cardigan Style Photo 1

Cardigan Style Photo 2

    The next most basic style is what I call the Standard Adventurer style (okay, I'll be honest, I'm making these names up as I go). To do this, you put it on Cardigan style, then throw one tail over your shoulder and pin it in place. I use a nail, the sort you'd use to hang a picture on a wall, but if you have a penannular brooch hefty enough to secure the fabric you're using, by all means, use that! A variation on the Standard Adventurer style is to take a belt and secure the hanging tail at your waist--which is to say, you put the belt on at your belly button, not your hips, so that it holds that second tail against your torso.

Standard Adventurer Style Photo 1

Standard Adventurer Style Photo 2

    The third style is to throw both tails over your shoulders. You'll only need to secure the second tail with your nail/cloak pin, because it will hold the first tail in place for you. I'm going to call this style the Modified Adventurer style, because it still provides near-full coverage for your chest, but it looks a bit cooler. (Actually, wearing the cloak this way kinda reminds me of the bounty hunter/special forces character in Brandon Sanderson's White Sand books. They're graphic novels, so the styles are pretty obvious.)

Modified Adventurer Style Photo 1

Modified Adventurer Style Photo 2

    Style number four is what I'll call the Game of Thrones style, and it's pretty simple. Start in Cardigan, then bring both tails across your body and secure them via belt at the small of your back. This will make an X across your torso, and it looks pretty sweet.

Game of Thrones Style Photo 1

Game of Thrones Style Photo 2

    Style number five is to bring both tails directly back and secure them via belt at the small of your back. Basically, each tail is going to go under the corresponding arm: left under left, right under right. I don't have a cool name for this one, sorry. Plain Cape style, maybe.

Plain Cape Style Photo 1

Plain Cape Style Photo 2

    Style number six is the Tunic & Cape style. In this one, just take the tails and lay them out over the front of your torso like a Japanese kimono/karate gi. Then secure them with a belt. This makes it look like you're wearing a tunic under your cloak, even though it's part of the same garment. 

Tunic & Cape Style Photo 1

Tunic & Cape Style Photo 2

    Style number seven is whatever your imagination and creativity come up with. Play around with those two tails as much as you want! Put them wherever you like, and I guarantee there'll still be a simple way to make it look good. The ruana cloak just drapes that well.

Spoof-Off: Hoodie Style Attempt 1

Spoof-Off: Hoodie Style Done Right

Spoof-Off: Standard Adventurer x Game of Thrones Style

Spoof-Off: Game of Thrones x Plain Cape Style

Dang. I was trying to be silly, but these turned out way better than I was expecting.

Also, apologies for the blurry/fuzzy pictures. My phone camera is both not very good and inexpertly wielded.

    When it comes to fabric for your ruana cloak, I stand with Living Anachronism: linen or wool, as close to 100% as you can find. No synthetics, no cotton. It's just not going to drape right, or feel right, if you're using the wrong kind of fabric. If you're in a warm climate, use linen; if you have chilly winters, use wool. When I was making mine, I wanted fabric where I wouldn't have to worry about fraying or hemming, because I hate sewing with a passion. Ultimately, this website is where I found mine. It's not an affiliate link, so I'm not getting money when you visit, I just really like the product. It's definitely pricey, since the one that won't fray is the boiled wool, and there aren't a lot of colors, but I thought it was worth the cost, since my cloak is super warm and cozy, if a bit itchy and scratchy when your neck isn't used to the texture.

    I needed 2 yards of fabric for my cloak, and ended up cutting off about 10 inches of the width to make it fit me (and that 10-inch strip of fabric makes a lovely scarf), but you'll want to do measurements of your own. My favorite cloak fit requires the measurement from one elbow to the other, across the tops of the shoulders; and the measurement from the nape of the neck to an inch or two above the knee (multiplied by two so you'll actually have hanging tails). This comes out to about 4.5'x6' of fabric, for a person my size.

    My second favorite cloak, out of the three that I own, is my long princess cloak. Rather than including pictures, because this post already has too many of them, I'll just direct you to this video my dad and I made, where you can see it showcased and moving in all its glory. 

    The princess cloak is a standard, hooded mantle cloak, and its only downsides are that it's super long (even with the snaps I added to the bottom to clip it up with) and it doesn't close all the way around me unless I hike it up over my shoulders, at which point it doesn't look as impressive. It's definitely an indoor cloak unless I'm willing to let the hem get a little dirty. 

    The pattern my grandma and I used to sew the princess cloak came off a Halloween costume pattern she had on hand. I don't remember which pattern, and I honestly wouldn't know how direct you to it besides, 'Go look at your local fabric store, such as Joann's,' but the pattern included a dress, so there. Super vague directions, I know. Sorry. 

    The princess cloak is made of two layers of 100% cotton flannel, and it's quite warm and cozy, as well as being semi water-resistant. Not as much as my ruana, because wool beats cotton in that regard, but it's pretty good.

    My third cloak, which is really more of a hooded cape, is essentially a blanket with a hood and some ribbons sewed to it. We did lengthen it a bit by adding 6-8 inches of fabric to one side of it, because the blanket was rather small, but it barely goes to the backs of my knees and my shoulders are just wide enough that it won't slip off them. It's cute, especially since the blanket is light blue and covered in hand-drawn white kittens, but I'm not showing it off here. It has no place in my Renaissance Faire garb kit, and will probably only live on to be passed down to my kids.

    But hey, the blanket is cotton flannel-y stuff, so it's not totally terrible at shedding water in a pinch, and it's the sort of thing I don't mind going out with the chickens in when it's wet and muddy during the winter.

    ...Yeah, it's... mostly a way for me to keep my favorite blanket going.

    Another type of cloak I'd like to get one day is a half-circle mantle cloak. If you've ever seen The Court Jester (and if you haven't it's one of my favorite movies), this is the type of cloak Hawkins wears for his show at the very beginning. They look nice, and there's a ton of material there, so they'll definitely wrap all the way around you. Plus they've got some great swoosh (Uh-huh. Technical term, right there.). 

    So what's the difference between a cape and a cloak, anyway?

    Depends on your criteria.

    Some people say that a cloak goes all the way down to your calves or ankles, while a cape is knee-length or shorter.

    Some people say that a cloak closes all the way around you to keep the rain off you, and a cape doesn't. 

    Some people ignore both those criteria and say that a cloak is functional, while a cape is for decoration only.

    I say it's a little of all three.

    The difference between my blanket-cape and the princess cloak is solely one of length. The blanket-cape goes down to my knees, the princess cloak goes to the soles of my feet. One is a cape, the other is a cloak. But by this definition, the ruana cloak is a cape, not a cloak, because it also only goes down to my knees (you could make yours longer, if you wanted to, but then you'd look like Gandalf--because you'd be wearing your own version of Gandalf's robes).

    The difference between my blanket-cape and the ruana cloak is that the ruana cloak covers my chest, while the blanket-cape can only just barely cover my arms if I wrap them in it right. One is a cape, the other is a cloak. But by this definition, the princess cloak is a cape, not a cloak, because it also only just barely covers my arms, though with a bigger just-barely than the blanket-cape.

    The difference between my princess cloak and my ruana cloak is that one is designed purely for aesthetics, while the other is meant to be functional. And yet, both are cloaks, despite the princess cloak's posh, decorative roots!

    So, ultimately, what makes something a cloak versus a cape is really up to you. How do you define it? I have two cloaks and a cape, but both cloaks fail one criterion or another of cloakhood, so how are they still both cloaks?

    Well, because I say they are. It's as simple as that. I decided I wanted cloaks, so I made some and defined my criteria around them. 

    If you would enjoy wearing a cloak this winter, I have one more thing to say. People notice you when you're wearing one. I've worn my ruana shopping, to school, to church, to work, and people notice. At my high school, the comments have come from the school librarians, my teacher, and a couple students in the sewing and textiles class across the hall from my classes.  At the grocery store, I've recieved a variety of different comments, all of them positive. So it's not a bad thing to be noticed. Just be prepared for some fun conversations in odd places. :)