When I was in high school, I bought a pink vintage cape coat for something like seven dollars at my local Goodwill. (I shopped there so frequently that my mom and sister used to give me gift certificates for Christmas, just in case anyone wanted to know what to get me this year.) It was, hands down, the most awesome thing I owned at the time. (Still own? Reminder to self: check closet at mother’s house.) Whenever I wore it wore it, my outfit was instantly transformed into one that said, “I’m going somewhere important and I should have remembered my driving gloves.” If that’s not elevating your style, I don’t know what is.
So I was obviously thrilled when capes started popping up more frequently in weddings this year. They’re certainly not new around here. But I’ll take a whole lot more of a good thing. The best part about wearing a cape as a wedding cover up is that when the wedding is over, you get to wear it as a non-wedding cover up. And as I mentioned above, capes on the daily = instant Audrey Hepburn, so you win. But am I really going to wear a cape after my wedding? you ask. Which is a fair, if shortsighted, question. The answer is that capes pair much better with jeans than you’d imagine (also, as some of you pointed out in the comments of our trend roundup the other week, capes make for excellent maternity wear). But don’t just take my word for it. Instead, feast your eyes on nine of my favorite capes of the moment, each paired with an example of how you might wear it when the wedding is over.
A note about your purchasing options: there are a lot of cape coats available at major retailers right now, but if you have the patience to search and have at least an idea of what kind of cape you might be into, vintage capes are where it’s at. I didn’t include any vintage items in the slideshow below, because the one-of-a-kind nature of vintage seems unfair to include in a roundup. But if you poke around on Etsy, there are some truly remarkable pieces to be found, often for a lot less than off-the-rack capes. The same goes for local vintage shops, thrift stores, and your garden variety Goodwill. I mean, who doesn’t want a velvet cape, or a (faux?) fur-trimmed white cape, or a glittery capelet, or this cape that I shouldn’t show you because it’s too expensive, but I’m sorry I can’t help it?
All that said, if you are thinking of wearing a cape for your wedding, the one search you should avoid is “wedding cape.” Unless your wedding involves cosplaying as Little Red Riding Hood or the queen from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. In which case, proceed.
