Would You Wear… A Cape Coat?
Alexa Chung, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman
With the return of winter comes the return of that ongoing search for the perfect winter coat–you know, the one that’s warm, functional, reasonably priced, cute AND different from the sea of North Faces and standard black peacoats. Difficult, right?
Cape coats are among those risky styles that have actually been around for a while but haven’t had a chance to take off. A handful of fashion-forward celebrities have donned their versions of the sweet, feminine coat with promising results, but cape coats haven’t been able to make a strong transition to mainstream retail, mostly because they’re so different from the traditional winter jacket.
Often times, a coat is an investment piece for shoppers, one they want to last for several seasons. But really, if you plan on wearing a coat for that long, why not purchase one that makes a statement and looks great on you? Cape coats run the spectrum from lightweight for fall, like Natalie Portman’s, or warm and snuggly for really wintery weather, like Alexa Chung’s or Blake Lively’s.
Here are some current retail examples of cape coats available now:
So what do you guys think? Is this a trend you’d like to try–and why or why not? Which style of cape coat do you like best? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
Posted on on December 14, 2009 / Filed Under: Would You Wear? / Tags: Alexa Chung, Blake Lively, Celebs, Coats, Jackets, Natalie Portman, Winter, Would You Wear?
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Marisa
Love the one Blake is wearing! I think it’s really classy. If I would find one like that in a traditional colour I would definetely consider buying one.
ChiCityFashion
Never really thought about these types of coats but they really do look great on. My favorite is the plaid one by Theory. It’s amazing.
Alana @ The Good girl gone blog
Most definitely. I think they’re very glamorous!
Miranda
Hot. I think they are classy and elegant, and glamorous.
Julie
My sister has many of these, I’ve tried them but I just don’t like how they look on me. However, on her, they look gorgeous.
Isabelle
I adore the fitted ones, not that ones that drown you. They’re very classy and elegant, things which I always adore!
hannah
i like the two under “save” but in general not a big fan..id say stick to fitted jackets/coats and if you wanna wear something big and flowy wear it in a top
Jordan
I love these kinds of coats! I was browsing ModCloth.com and noticed some. I do have a question, though. Do these coats overwhelm a small frame? I’m somewhat tall, 5’7”, very thin, average chest. I notice that Blake Lively can pull off her huge coat because she too is huge! She’s incredibly tall, with long, gorgeous legs. I think these coats haven’t made it into the mainstream because not everyone can be lucky enough to be able to pull them off. Please say I’m wrong, I really do like these coats! The ones you included were a little more understated than Blake, Alexa, and Natalie’s, which I liked.
Leia
I love them – especially Blake Lively’s one!
Linda
I’ve had 3 or 4 (Really big sale, they were heavily discounted =) ) sitting in my closet for the longest time, It’s finally cold enough for me to wear them. I love them, they’re very cute & classy IMO.
Fen
These are really lovely! I haven’t seen many people donning this style (likely because its already too cold to wear anything other than a parka), but I think these would be nice for a night out to wear into a show or a party. Also, I really liked your description of this trend.
andrea
i have loved these types of coats since the Beauxbatons girls wore them as their uniform in Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire. i have actually made myself several sweaters and coats like this.
SupaWaifu
I love them, but they’re often impractical on my tiny frame. Maybe I’ll hit the sales racks and find something decent for cheap
Grace
Sure. :)
Joleen
I love them! They’re adorable, but like others have said, I like the fitted coats more than the ones that are looser.
Rainie
I was ecstatic when I saw this post today. I love cape coats and I love how they’re making a punch in the fashion world (regardless of how small)! They’re cozy and classy with that slight whimisical touch that I absolutely adore! They are very different from the traditional parka or pea coat, but I believe that they have the potential to make it into mainstream fashion. Just give it some time. After all, a lot of people I know HATED skinny jeans when they first came out, but everybody’s wearing them now. ;)
BTW, for all those that are concerned about being swallowed by the enormity of the coats, once more, the importance of PROPORTIONS must be emphasized. For those who are blessed with a long lean body, you can pull off about anything, but for those who have a smaller frame (like moi), have you ever considered capelets? They look absolutely fab when draped on a fitted coat. Just some food for thought. :)
nikki
I would love to wear them but I feel my arms are to short
Vanessa @ Chic and Charming
Very chic and Charles Dickens. I wish I could wear Blake Lively’s coat or something similar, but at 5’3 and 111 pounds, I’m afraid that it will drown me…
Breanna
First time I’ve seen one of those coats was on a very pretty asian girl. She looked absolutely gorgeous and I fell in love with cape coats since then – but I haven’t found anything similar to the one she had been waring. I really like the Blake Lively’s though.
Vicky
Well, the splurge items are very cool because they have like a samurai thing going on, don’t they? Still, I wouldn’t buy cape coats. They are nice and all but I prefer fitted coats.
Oh, and I really like how this girl writes!
Emily
The light gray coat has such short sleeves — how would you wear something like that??
Rebecca
Cute but impractical here in Canada. Think -20′C with the wind blowing up your sleeves.
Jennifer
I like them, but I have a hard enough time keeping warm with a full, plastic-y coat filled with down. I would be worried about keeping the wind out with this one.
Madeleine Fahlbusch
I’m kind of on the fence about this one…I think it really depends on the coat itself because I’ve seen some cape coats that were completely adorable and some that were…not. Like most trends out there, I’m not going to go looking for it but if I find something cute that looks good on me and isn’t too expensive then I’ll buy it. I think I like the more fall version just because it’s not too overpowering but it’s still interesting.
Erika
I love them! They are so ladylike :) Does anyone know the designer of Blake’s coat? It’s wonderful.
charl
i want one!! like blakes and the one that leighton wore in the third season of GG!! i don’t remeember the episode…
Maxine
No thanks! I would never anything that makes me look bigger than I am