I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I sure did. And the weather on the East Coast helped immensely. It was a balmy and blissful 60 degrees in Philadelphia for all four days I was there. I loved being able to run around without a jacket or coat. (I mean, what a novelty for late November!) But notice that in my description of preferred outerwear, I didn’t include the word cape.

I know that capes were a big trend for fall this year, and sure, they may warmly remind you of ’60s Mad Men fashion, but they’re just not my thing. I concede the arm openings are practical so you can clutch your daily venti Starbucks vanilla skinny latte or hail a cab—or flip someone off. However, I’ve always thought they look weird. Allow me to show you some examples…

This Kate Spade version:

Kate Spade Plaid Sophie Cape

reminds me of a Burberry umbrella.  Plus, the silhouette is not flattering.

Burberry Walker umbrella

And this J.Crew cape:

J.Crew “The Great Caper”

unfortunately reminds me of a mushroom.

There’s a fungus among us.

Ooh, and about those arm openings…

Cape from Chanel Fall 2011 RTW.

…they make your forearms and hands look strangely disembodied, like robotic hands:

or maybe Thing from The Addams Family:

So that’s my little anti-cape crusade.  If you still want to wear one, by all means, go for it—and be fearless.