I’m wearing a Dunce Cap as of today for the rest of the weekend because I’m thinking I’ve made quite the silly fashion boo-boo. Two years ago, I bought an Alexander McQueen satin cape at a sample sale and proceeded to be rather chuffed with my Hitchcock heroine-esque purchase. Except the other day, I dug it out and as opposed to wearing skirts as capes, I thought I’d try out wearing capes as skirts if possible. So when I wrapped it around the waist and attached the fastening, low and behold, a sort of extended pelmet that can be nipped and tucked up if necessary….
Except…hold up…wait a minute… maybe the ‘cape’ I bought at the sale wasn’t a cape at all and was in fact supposed to be worn around the waist all along as a pelmet-skirt-type-thing?
Catwalk images aren’t a help seeing as the cape is from the AW2003 collection but never appeared on in the show lineup. I’m thinking Lee McQueen isn’t really going to be writing me a personal note to clarify what it is I bought exactly? So, it’s the ‘sk-ape’ or ‘ca-irt’, cape/skirt hybrid that now I’ll probably get a lot more wear out of seeing as my sweaty arms won’t be needing capes for a few months yet…
Haha, well I like both styles. Esp liking how you layer the skape/cairt over the long dress.
ooh I love double duty clothing. And the peplum on your new sk-ape is the perfect length!
I actually think it looks more organic as a cape, but that could be because you’re layering it over a dress.
Either way, it’s a gorgeous garment and I adore your dress/shoes too. Which I’m pretty sure are a dress and shoes.
it looks more like a cape to me. It’s kinda awkward as a skirt.
I think it looks fabulous as a cape! It reminds me of Sherlock Holmes. Now if only you had his keen detective skills to figure out what you bought!
Now wouldn’t that be funny if it turned out it was a skirt all along..?
I’m guessing there isn’t sort of any interior architecture that clues into whether it expects shoulders within it? Still I’m more inclined to say it’s supposed to be a cape, simply because there’s that open slit down the middle if it was a skirt…
It really could be either couldn’t it?
Well, that’s versatile!
Well, since when did what a garment is *supposed* to be ever stop you??
I think it looks cool either way! Where did you get that cool dress though??
When I was little my mom used to make all kinds of costumes, and we had two insanely awesome capes: one was dad’s as dracula (black satin with red inside and super-pointy collar) and mine was a witch (navy taffeta lining with black satin, tiny collar points and a pretty frog fastening at the neck). I was always wearing them as skirts for dress-up!
This looks so awesome both ways! Although I think I am partial to a skirty thing.
I think it’s equally great as both! I remember once I had this skirt and about a year later I found out it was actually a tube top.
I do really think it looks more like a cape! anyway, you rock it both ways!
Btw, I’ve made an illustration of one of your latest outfits on my blog! I’d love to know what you think of it! I also used one of your photos alongside, I hope you don’t mind..
it’s a rather shoddy skirt if it has a big gape like the one in the photo! i like it as a cape more.
as one that wore her shorts inside out the entire day on monday (it’s a monday… give me a break..) i don’t think i’m in any position to judge, though. xD’
well, that’s funny…all this versatility for garments can get really tricky. anyway, i think it’s a nice item to have in your wardrobe.
It seems like a cape to me, just by the clasp.
It looks great both ways. Clothing is getting very ambiguous lately…sometimes it’s hard to tell what things are.
It looks good both ways. Perhaps it’s a “double” moment.
It would seem like a cape from the details but it does fit eerily perfectly as a skirt. I’m as baffled as you are.
Style is partly about confidence and I think that both of your use interpretations work brilliantly.
Post-modern fashion is about being aware of boundaries and being willing to walk over them! Well done!
I love double-duty garments, and it looks like you’ve got a fantastic one over there! No matter what it is, it looks great– but surely a skirt would have a fastening up the front/back? Ah, well. It’s yours to do as you wish…no duncecaps required!
Ambiguity bothers me! I’ve done similar things before, with less lovely results I think it looks good either way, haha.
apologies for this unrelated comment – i have something awesome to email you, but it seems your ’email me’ link doesn’t like me. could you perhaps email me, so i could send you the awesome? is that too much to ask?
thanks 🙂
i prefer it as a cape, but i really admire how you are open to trying new things!!! really inspirational!
kx
http://www.fashionistadiary.co.uk
I like the idea that one item can be used in a variety of different ways, it’s like getting to items for the price of one!
you know what! it looks great both ways anyways : )
It looks great both ways!
*bimyou* you wear it well either way – but i am quite taken with the cape drama; as a skirt it looks more ‘ordinary’
Oh…it looks like a cape but definitely works as a skirt. Versatile thing I must say!
Perhaps it’s a real bargain because you can wear it in different ways like in this one as a skirt and as a cape.
brilliant!
I like the skirt way better, cuz I’ve tried something like that myself as well, i.e. a skirt customized made into a cape…lol.
New fashion vocab: sk-ape; pronounced sk-APE; a hybrid of “skirt” and “cape”; meaning a skirt that can be converted into a cape and vice versa.
Hee.
fantastic cape skirt. wouldn’t it be great if there were different sizes for different parts of your body?
i think its a cape but it looks rather good as a skirt too.
I’m thinking it’s most probs a cape but i actually prefer the skirt way of wearing it!
I might have to search around for some more capes that could be transformed into bottoms!
Jess@Fashion156
Looks great.