Paris Shopping: Seen on the Streets of Paris

Capes, no longer reserved for superheroes and academics, have been making a comeback. This was the first season that I saw Parisians wearing these little wonders en masse. As a whole, those who walked the boulevards—strolling or dabbling in some idle Paris shopping, perhaps—wore their capes quite conservatively. Only the subtle change in silhouette set them apart from the much-worn black wool trenches and parkas dotting the streets of Paris. But that subtle change made all the difference. The drop of material falling over the shoulders was enough to take my mind somewhere fantastical, and the lack of fitting around the arms evoked the practicality of another time.
Black was the hue of choice, set off by a flash of colored lining every now and again. One girl eating oysters had a wonderful neckline on hers: the short and circular collar made the cape seem very contemporary.
Pairing capes with skinny jeans worked well, but a really fairy-tale take stood out. One woman I met sported a little-blue-riding-hood look, complete with fur trim and knee-high brown boots.
As the trend catches on in Paris I am sure we’ll be seeing even more adventurous takes on the cape going into spring…

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