It was a rainy day, when I saw this CollegeFashionisto walking through and owning the campus. His confidence and, of course, his style was what caught my eye. After eyeing him like a vulture searching for his prey, I noticed how well he was carrying his statement piece of fashion — his black cape. Because of Manila’s bipolar weather, where it’s sunny one minute and rainy the next, I find it very challenging to find an outfit that fits into both a warm and a wet setting. This does not seem to be a problem for this CollegeFashionista. Reminiscent of the 2011 fall/winter runway of fashion houses like Chanel, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, this CollegeFashionisto was able to take the runway floor length, over the top cape trend and made it easy, breezy and very ready-to-wear. With a great ALDO silver and gold statement belt, sunnies, black oxford shoes and black doctors bag, this CollegeFashionisto completed his fashion-forward and practical look fit for any season or weather.
One might say that it is difficult to pull off a look with a cape as the vital element of the whole outfit, but let us learn from our CollegeFashionisto’s bravery and what I call “fashion guts” and take chances with the way we dress and the way we present ourselves. Here are some options for some great RTW black cape pieces: a Mango hooded cape and an ASOS spring cape. For those who are not as comfortable in making fashion risks à la Lady Gaga, tops and dresses that are cape-inspired could be as stylish. This sheer cape shirt in silk chiffon from Staple and this crinkled cape shirt by Minkpink are great pieces that could easily be styled and worn out on a busy day of college life. Some final words, as we learned from this CollegFashionisto, capes are very trendy this fall, but make sure to carry this trend with flair and confidence and not let it carry you.