"They are greeted by clothes, but escorted by the mind." This well-known phrase expresses the full significance of what a person wears. So it was many centuries ago, it remains so today. And let many say that it doesn’t matter at all how someone looks and what they wear: when you first look at a person at a subconscious level, he is evaluated according to several criteria, including clothing.
There are well-known and understandable elements of the wardrobe for everyone: dresses, trousers, blouses, shirts, coats, fur coats and others. And there are also mysterious things, such as a mantle with a hood. Is it a carnival costume or a fashion trend? To be in a trend, you need to figure it out!
Who, where and when?
The mantle with a hood has a long history. For many centuries, this element of clothing warmed in the winter cold or hid from the prying eyes of its owner. Often in historical films, heroes hide their faces under the cover of a large hood. Who, where and when puts on the mantle today?
Students of European and American universities are exposed in long black capes at the graduation ceremony. Sometimes they do not have hoods, but a square-shaped headdress with a tassel is always added to them. This type of clothing is called "academic." Similar can also be found at ceremonies in the scientific community.
In many countries, it is customary for femida representatives to put on a judicial robe. Such a cape, as a rule, has a trapezoidal silhouette and a stand-up collar, and its upper part is decorated with folds.
Clergymen of many faiths and churches also use cloaks of such a cut as, so to speak, workwear. In this case, there are many of their own characteristics, both in cut and in detail.
When creating carnival or theatrical costumes for both children and adults, the mantle with sleeves and a hood perfectly complement the image of a wizard, mage, member of a secret society or the well-known Little Red Riding Hood. The length and color in this case depend only on the imagination of the creator of the image.
In combination with a wedding or evening dress, a mantle with a hood made of light fabrics will turn the girl into a princess from a fairy tale and warm a little, without depriving the image of lightness and charm.
Recently, domestic and foreign designers and manufacturers have also carefully looked at this unusual element of clothing and issued new stylish “bows” for fashionistas and women of fashion. Here it is worth talking about in more detail!
Keeping up with the times
The mantle with a hood has recently appeared in the collections of street fashion or, as they say more often, street style. This direction assumes, first of all, the comfort of clothes in the conditions of city bustle. A loose wide cut, not restricting movement, copes with this task perfectly.
The length of the mantle is usually mini or middle, but sometimes maxi is also found. There are one-piece models, as well as with hidden or explicit clasps.
The choice of fabrics and their combinations is quite large. For winter, a dense, insulated model with a fur trim on the hood would be a good solution. In spring or autumn, you can dress up in a demi-season coat of such a cut with leather sleeves. In summer, the image will complement the image of a mantle-cardigan made of lightweight fabrics.
Color solutions are very diverse: white, gray, brown, black, blue and bright red. Today, an important point is monotony. The mantle should not be in a flower or strip. At least stylists think so.
Such a cloak looks best on young boys and girls, but a properly chosen thing will help those older ones to "throw off a couple of extra years."
If sport and life are inseparable
A healthy lifestyle and a slim fit figure are very popular today. That is why the designers did not ignore the sporty style. A man’s mantle with a hood or a woman’s is perfect for jogging in the fresh air, trips to nature or evening walks in the park. At its core, this cape resembles a sweatshirt and, as a rule, is one-piece and has no fasteners. Color schemes, as well as in street style, are monophonic. It will look good with sports leggings and sneakers, but in no case with a classic tracksuit.
Where to get?
You can’t buy such a thing on every corner. Academic, carnival, wedding or evening gowns are usually rented or sewn to order. A fashionable wardrobe item can be purchased in stores and boutiques, as well as on the Internet directly from manufacturers, their representatives or intermediaries. It is not scary to make a mistake with the size, as a free cut will hide all miscalculations.
Often manufacturers present the mantle as clothing from the "unisex" category. This means that you can buy one thing for two - both the guy and the girl will look great and fashionable in the same mantle. Growth and size, as mentioned above, do not require exact matching. Thanks to the same qualities, such a wardrobe item can be safely purchased as a gift and not worry about “fit or not.”
If you can’t buy, then there is also a way out - a mantle with a hood with your own hands! Whether it’s a costume for a New Year’s party or an element of a fashionable bow, the pattern is practically the same. Sewing is simple and even a beginner can do it. It is important to choose the right fabric and solve the problem with accessories.
Craftswomen and needlewomen can also crochet or knit the mantle.
What to wear? Female image
A women's mantle with a hood will look great with a skirt, especially a narrow or pleated one, leggings, as well as tight tights. Long sweatshirts, elastic-fitting skirts, knitted dresses and tight-fitting trousers - everything related to the street style will be combined with the mantle.
From shoes, shoes with high thick heels, shoes with tractor soles, voluminous and bulky shoes, as well as sneakers and sneakers are well suited. Also, in the collections of some designers there are combinations with stockings and stilettos, but this already goes beyond the street style and brings the cloak closer to the classics.
What to wear? Male image
The man’s gown with a hood looks great in combination with tight trousers, golfs and sweaters, sweatshirts and jumpsuits adjacent to the body. Shoes, as in the female version, fit rough and voluminous, with thick soles. Classic trousers, shirts and shoes with a mantle will not be combined.