The Cape Controversy

I couldn't help but notice that Angie's Power Suit ensemble included a cape. While many supers agree that a cape is indispensable for ceremonial purposes, (such as the AGM, as Angie suggested) there has been some controversy as to whether they should be withdrawn because of safety issues. 

As creator of the most innovative super suits of the era and a global authority on skin-tight safety wear, renowned designer Edna Mode puts forward a convincing argument as to why the cape should be removed from the Standardised Superhero Uniform (as agreed at the 2125 Marvel Universe convention).

Remember, all you moonlighting superheroes and crime-fighting vigilantes, luck favours the prepared!

This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

26 Comments

  • skylurker replied 8 years ago

    Ok. Now, you got me wondering why superheroes wear capes. For the nice draping effect when they jump here and there or fly in the wind ?

  • Diana replied 8 years ago

    Ha, I had Edna's voice in my head screeching "NO CAPES!!!!!!!!" all while I was reading Angie's post this morning.

  • Alassë replied 8 years ago

    :)

  • approprio replied 8 years ago

    skylurker: it's a good question! The Man of Steel has noted the drag factor it creates when flying. Batman, on the other hand, swears by his glider-style wings as he swoops down on Gotham City's lowlife. He also thinks health and safety directives are for pantywaists.

  • Bijou replied 8 years ago

    A cape is all about the transformative impact it has - it says superhero. Tights are not that practical either, but they are part of the uniform. Long live the cape!

  • Helena replied 8 years ago

    I'll have to ask my resident superhero experts, DH and DS, about this ... part of our "elevate the dinner table conversation" family resolution ... I can see this being a controversial topic!!

  • Angie replied 8 years ago

    Batsam's cape is magical, and gives him extra strength and power. 

  • replied 8 years ago

    Batman/sam without his cape??  Unthinkable.  What if the AC is too cold?

  • Angie replied 8 years ago

    Great point, Xtabay. Batsam runs cold like his Mama, and loathes arctic a/c. Toppers like capes are magical AND practical. 

  • replied 8 years ago

    Right on, Angie.  We've got to keep our little superheroes warm so they can do their jobs.  And now all of my future outfits will include a cape.

  • rabbit replied 8 years ago

    I love Edna and her dedication to her craft :)

    Also I need to watch that movie again

  • Angie replied 8 years ago

    High five, Xtabay. Mine too. I quite fancy the idea of a short ink blue lace cape. 

  • K. Period. replied 8 years ago

    Ah ha ha! I posted in the main thread. But yes, I am firmly of the Edna Mode school of thought. No capes! Now if only we can get an original Edna design for Batsam. I'm sure she can accommodate his current super powers and any future ones he may develop.... 

  • Anne-Marie replied 8 years ago

    I, for one, am pro-cape. Call me old fashioned, but I'm sick of all of the new modes and lack of rules regarding professional wear. Nurses without caps? These days one can't tell a nurse in scrubs from your average undergraduate. My mechanic in sweats might as well be my husband or mother-in-law getting comfy for a snooze on the couch. What's next? UPS drivers in frayed jeans and belly tees?? I, for one, want to know exactly who's dropping off my package, if you catch my drift. If you're a superhero, I say you dress like one, and that includes cape. Otherwise, you just look like a misplaced, wetsuited surfer on a cold day. 

  • rachylou replied 8 years ago

    Well, but I mean, if you can't wrap yourself in your cape and look mysteriously over your shoulder, how do you make the dramatic Until The Next Time Exit? Naw. Health and safety IS for pantywaists ;)

  • Beth Ann replied 8 years ago

    It's little known that Edna had a sister, Edith, also a great courturier, who favored superheroes of the high C variety.  Within in the family, it was said that Edna's dislike for capes stemmed from jealously of her sister's amazing capes for the virile Don Jose in Carmen (also her lover), and for the diaphanous beauty of her gown for Floria Tosca.

    I would gladly sing Vissi d'Arte every night, if it meant I could wear this number (IRL, from the 1920 production of Tosca).

  • Momo replied 8 years ago

    Capes are awesome, we should all wear them everyday .

  • chirico (Chiara) replied 8 years ago

    Anne -Marie said it: I need to recognize my doctor, my nurse, my mechanic and my superhero. I say NO to the slacking in professional wear!

  • approprio replied 8 years ago

    So YLF supports the cape! Look at my surprised face :D

    Anne Marie you argue a good point there, particularly about the misplaced surfer. That's not a good look, as we know from Spiderman. I know we're supposed to keep poison eye to a minimum, but sans cape he's easily mistaken for a psychedelic cat burglar. 

    And Beth Ann, thanks for clearing that up. It was sibling rivalry all along. I might have known it. 

  • rachylou replied 8 years ago

    ...and we all know Spidey's got *issues.* ;)

  • Angie replied 8 years ago

    YLF supports the cape because Batsam is a KILLER to the Power of KILLER  inspiration. He runs circles around Edna - literally. 

  • Kari replied 8 years ago

    Hah, yes-I posted that in the main blog post! Maybe take the cape off before performing hazardous activity.

  • replied 8 years ago

    I love what Anne-Marie said. As much as it pains me to disagree with Edna, I'm in Camp Cape.

  • goldenpig replied 8 years ago

    Well you know how I feel about capes! 
    http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....super-suit
    Wouldn't be a proper super suit without the cape. A true superhero knows how to avoid danger! I like to live life on the edge.

  • Elizabeth P replied 8 years ago

    Rachy said pretty much what I was thinking...
    Well, but I mean, if you can't wrap yourself in your cape and look
    mysteriously over your shoulder, how do you make the dramatic Until The
    Next Time Exit?


    Perhaps the cape should be kept for formal occasions, and the "working superhero" should go capeless, to avoid possible "airline engine suck" and the like.

  • JAileen replied 8 years ago

    I grew up watching reruns of Superman starring George Reeves. I was a little kid, but still, it should have made me wonder: how did he fit the cape under his suit? As pictured, I guess that's why his jacket was so boxy with such huge shoulders. When he flew the cape was so elegant in the wind. The other question: how could a pair of glasses could make someone completely unrecognizable?

You need to be logged in to comment