It has been a couture week of cascading capes
The recently concluded Paris Couture Week Spring 21 edition saw floor-length capes making their presence felt with designers toying with the floorlength, cascading capes accenting their dramatic creations.
While Viktor & Rolf who called their collection, ‘couture rave’ peppered their cape version with bows, Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior layered a shimmery, diaphanous ensemble with a matching cape. Moreover, designer Pierpaolo Piccioli opened his show with a perforated cape layered over a chunky knit. In India, labels like Anamika Khanna, Falguni Shane Peacock and Jade have experimented with it in their own handwriting. One’s keen to ask what makes cape such a recurring presence in couture space season after season.
Designer Monica Shah observes, “Perhaps because it’s such an effortless way to feel empowered. In 2021, I would love to see capes make their way into traditional ensembles too. You can easily refashion a dupatta as a cape, and it adds such a unique look!”
Designer Ohaila Khan notes that the cape silhouette dates back to the Roman and Victorian eras by royals to denote stature. “It is a garment which gives the wearer the aura of a princess as well as a superhero. This amazing balance of power, fluidity and grace that the garment gives makes it desirable,” says Khan.
Fashion Influencer Sonam Babani shares that capes were first seen in the early 1000s/ 1300s but gained popularity during the Victorian era. She adds, “Capes have a certain grandeur to them which is why they make their space in couture often.”