This past winter my high school friend who is now a painter showed up to the winter gallery opening for his work wearing this really beautiful deep charcoal woolen cloak. No one batted an eye. In fact three different people asked where he got it. I have watched many different men try to wear cloaks in the past and for the most part they look like they just stepped off of a film set and have been left to fend for themselves in the cold.
Confidence, however, is not enough. The vast majority of men get this sort of thing very wrong. But it is very simple to understand. The majority of men’s experience of a cloak is as something which is worn on special occasions, for drama and for costumes. As a cloak is something that is most often seen in historical events, in fantasy and in drama, the majority of men would never dream of wearing a cloak on an everyday occasion as it would attract too much attention to them and would look odd. But a cloak is just another item of outerwear.
It’s outerwear, not a personality announcement
Most men wear a cloak as if it is another item of outerwear and often a very large one. They treat it as a coat, albeit an unusual one and one that perhaps they have owned for years. The key to pulling off a cloak is to stop trying to announce who you are to the world and to stop trying to make a fashion statement. Treat a cloak with the respect that it demands and it will become your outerwear of choice for cold weather.
I try to approach a cloak in the same way that I would an old, heavy overcoat. I try to treat it with the same respect that I would give to a piece of outerwear that I have owned for years. I think of a cloak as something that covers the shoulders and keeps you warm. Yes, it is a rather dramatic item of clothing with a rather dramatic silhouette, but these are the characteristics of a cloak and so I do not see them as something to be performed. And when I stop performing in a cloak, other people stop watching me perform in it. It is as simple as that.
The fabric is doing more work than you’d think.
Cheap capes are often made from synthetic fabric with a satin lining. These pieces are recognized immediately as costume and can be worn on top of anything. When making a cloak, you’ll want to choose a much sturdier fabric. Wool, boiled wool, heavy cotton or even canvas that has been treated with wax are all great options. These stiffer fabrics have a lot of substance to them, and their stiffness and weight, will signal to others that your cloak is functional, as opposed to being a costume piece. The way that these stiffer fabrics drape will also contrast greatly with the way that most other pieces of clothing drape, and this will highlight the fact that your cloak is a separate item of clothing.
If the cloak is made of stiff synthetic fabric with a satin lining then it will read as costume. However if you make your cloak from wool, boiled wool, heavy cotton or even waxed canvas then it will read as your outerwear of choice and signal utility over theatricality. These kinds of fabrics have plenty of weight and texture and will drape differently on the body than synthetic fabric with a shiny lining. They will also move with you as you walk rather than billowing behind you like a frustrated thespian.
- Wool and felted wool: the gold standard, especially through autumn and deep winter
- Waxed cotton: gives a rugged, outdoorsy character that pairs brilliantly with boots and dark denim
- Heavy linen blends: for transitional weather, slightly more relaxed in structure and drape
- Steer well clear of anything with a sheen, structured hood details that suggest fantasy armour, or excessive hardware
Underwear is Grounding to Your Outfit
However, as with any type of outerwear, what you wear underneath it is crucial for grounding the look of your overall outfit. As I said, most styling guides will come to a screeching halt here. They’ll gush about the variety of cloaks available to purchase, cover the many fabrics found in them and various colors too. And that’s it. But the bottom line is that when wearing a cloak, there are slim trousers and a plain roll-neck or crew-neck on underneath it. The boots or even simple white trainers on your feet are also important for creating a well-rounded look. In terms of combinations for under your cloak, there are many to choose from. Slim fit or not, these are some of the key items that can help create a good and
What to wear under the cloak, everyone? This is where most styling guides fail to provide enough information, or on the other hand they provide far too much information. For instance, a good cloak (which we’ve already discussed) – good fabrics (which we’ve already gone through) and good colors (which we’ve already gone through too) – but also: good slippers (such as leather boots or even clean white trainers); and good trousers (such as slim fitting); and good tops (a simple plain roll-neck or plain plain crew-neck).
If you wish to test out the length of a cloak before buying it then it’s worth checking out a retailer who sells cloaks for men such as Knight Weave at cloaks for men.
| Occasion | Best cloak style | What to wear underneath |
| Evening event or gallery opening | Tailored wool, mid-length | Dark trousers, roll-neck, leather Chelsea boots |
| Casual weekend in the city | Waxed cotton or heavy linen | Dark jeans, plain tee, clean leather trainers |
| Autumn or winter countryside | Heavy felted wool, longer cut | Moleskin trousers, flannel shirt, sturdy lace-up boots |
| Smart-casual office event | Camel or charcoal wool, structured | Tailored chinos, fine knit sweater, derby shoes |
Colour: the quickest way to anchor the whole thing
Camel, Charcoal, Olive, Tobacco brown and Navy are colours that are in every coat in a man’s wardrobe and thus immediately transpose to a cloak. So long as the rest of the outfit is normal enough the cloak becomes just another very dramatic coat.
Burgundy cloaks are also another color option that will work well for men, but this needs to be paired with very neutral items to stop the overall outfit from looking too outlandish. Black cloaks are trickier to wear, as they have a tendency to make the wearer look like he is dressed up as costume for a play or event. But this can be resolved by wearing a black cloak to a very formal, candle-lit dinner or other midwinter event. Deep forest green is probably the most ‘forgiving’ of the darker colors for men’s cloaks, as this can be paired with a variety of outfits to create a stylish whole. The main thing to avoid with cloaks is to stick to the normal items found in a typical menswear wardrobe, and avoid most of the jewel tones, as these can make the wearer look like he is trying to make a statement in the wrong way.
The Cloak – Length of Wear
Knee-length is outerwear. Ankle-length is costume. Yes, there are occasions where a longer cloak will be perfectly acceptable, but generally speaking, until you have got the hang of wearing a cloak, it is best to stick with knee-length. The main reason for this is that with a cloak of this length you have got more room for error with the rest of your outfit. A long cloak can be a very dominant piece of clothing and if the rest of your outfit is not up to scratch then the whole look can be pulled down. Most men can pull off a knee-length cloak and look great. Ankle-length is more of a specialized look and generally best suited to very formal or very costume-oriented occasions. For new cloak wearers, therefore, it is generally best to start at or just above the knee.
For new wearers of the cloak the best place to start is to make the garment knee length or just above this. This will give the rest of your outfit a number of extra inches of clearance and allow you to get to grips with how your various pieces of clothing will work in conjunction with the various aspects of your new cloak’s style. For most men however the knee length version of the garment will do everything that they require of it.
When to Wear a Cloak
I have read and studied many fashion guides on how to wear a cloak over the years. Virtually all of them say that you can wear ANY item of clothing for ANY occasion if you simply enough believe in it. I find this to be utter rubbish and so very frustrating for people who actually wish to dress well for formal occasions as well as casual occasions and so look good on both. There are many occasions when a cloak is far too formal for everyday wear and draws too much attention to the wearer. Most people are not confident enough to pull off such items on a daily basis and so wear them for formal occasions and special events where they can be worn to great effect and make a fantastic first impression.
It was the same friend I had seen at a gallery opening a few months before. On that occasion he had worn a wonderful dark camel colored cloak made from what felt like a stiff synthetic fabric with a highly shiny satin lining. He had worn it with a plain dark grey pair of slim cut trousers and a plain dark grey crew necked jumper and a pair of very dark brown leather ankle boots. I remember being very impressed by the whole outfit. My friend had got the occasion right and the cloak was perfect for it. It didn’t fight the room in which he was dressed. It worked.
Pick your occasion, pick a good fabric and you’re off to get dressed.
