A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform.[1] Cloaks have been and are worn in countless societies. Over time cloak designs have been changed to match fashion and available textiles.[2]
Evening cloak or manteau, from Costume Parisien, 1823
Cloaks generally fasten at the neck or over the shoulder, vary in length, from hip all the way down to the ankle, mid-calf being the normal length. They may have an attached hood and may cover and fasten down the front, in which case they have holes or slits for the hands to pass through. However, cloaks are almost always sleeveless.
The word cloak comes from Old North French cloque (Old Frenchcloche, cloke) meaning "travelling cloak", from Medieval Latinclocca "travelers' cape," literally "a bell," so called from the garment's bell-like shape. Thus the word is related to the word clock.[3]
History
Ancient Greeks and Romans were known to wear cloaks. Greek men and women wore the himation, from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods (c. 750-30 BC).[4] Romans would later wear the Greek-styled cloak, the pallium. The pallium was quadrangular, shaped like a square,[5] and sat on the shoulders, not unlike the himation.
Romans of the Republic would wear the toga as a formal display of their citizenship. It was denied to foreigners[6] and was worn by magistrates on all occasions as a badge of office. The toga was claimed to have originated with Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome.[7]
Powerful noblemen and elite warriors of the Aztec Empire would wear a tilmàtli; a Mesoamerican cloak/cape used as a symbol of their upper status. Cloth and clothing was of utmost importance for the Aztecs. The more elaborate and colorful tilmàtlis were strictly reserved for elite high priests, emperors; and the Eagle warriors as well as the Jaguar knights.[8]
In full evening dress in the Western countries, ladies and gentlemen frequently use the cloak as a fashion statement, or to protect the fine fabrics of evening wear from the elements, especially where a coat would crush or hide the garment. Opera cloaks are made of quality materials such as wool or cashmere, velvet and satin.
Ladies may wear a long (over the shoulders or to ankles) cloak usually called a cape, or a full-length cloak. Gentlemen wear an ankle-length or full-length cloak. Formal cloaks often have expensive, colored linings and trimmings such as silk, satin, velvet and fur.
The term was the title of a 1942 operatic comedy.[9]
Couple hiding under the same cloak, fragment of an Ancient Greekred-figure cup, ca. 525 BC–500 BC, found in Athens. Louvre Museum, Paris.
According to the King James Version of the Bible, Matthew recorded Jesus of Galilee saying in Matthew 5:40: "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also." The King James Version of the Bible has the words recorded a little differently in Luke 6:29: "...and him that taketh away thy cloke, forbid not to take thy coat also."
Cloaks are a staple garment in the fantasy genre due to the popularity of medieval settings, although fantasy cloak designs normally have more resemblance to 18th or 19th-century cloaks rather than medieval ones.[citation needed] They are also usually associated with witches, wizards, and vampires; the best-known stage version of Dracula, which first made actor Bela Lugosi prominent, featured him wearing it so that his exit through a trap door concealed on the stage could seem sudden. When Lugosi reprised his role as Dracula for the 1931 Universal Studios motion picture version of the play, he retained the cloak as part of his outfit, which made such a strong impression that cloaks came to be equated with Count Dracula in nearly all non-historical media depictions of him.
Fantasy cloaks are often magical. For example, they may grant the person wearing it invisibility as in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. A similar sort of garment is worn by the members of the Fellowship of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, although instead of granting complete invisibility, the Elf-made cloaks simply appear to shift between any natural color (e.g. green, gray, brown) to help the wearer to blend in with his or her surroundings. In the Marvelcomic book stories and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the sorcerer Doctor Strange is associated with a magical Cloak of Levitation, which not only enables its wearer to levitate, but has other mystical abilities as well. Doctor Strange also uses it as a weapon. Alternatively, cloaks in fantasy may nullify magical projectiles, as the "cloak of magic resistance" in NetHack.
Metaphor
Figuratively, a cloak may be anything that disguises or conceals something. In many science fiction franchises, such as Star Trek, there are cloaking devices, which provide a way to avoid detection by making objects appear invisible. A real device, albeit of limited capability, was demonstrated in 2006.[10]
Because they keep a person hidden and conceal a weapon, the phrase cloak and dagger has come to refer to espionage[11] and secretive crimes: it suggests murder from hidden sources. "Cloak and dagger" stories are thus mystery, detective, and crime stories of this. The vigilante duo of Marvel comics Cloak and Dagger[12] is a reference to this.
^Bernadine Morris (March 31, 1981). "Italian fashion's success: a fresh point of view". The New York Times. a simple wrap .. extra layer of protection from the elements
^Bess Liebenson (February 24, 1991). "Changing Shapes of Clothes: Little for Men, Lots for Women". The New York Times.
^"cloak - Origin and meaning of cloak by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
^"Ancient Aztec clothing". www.aztec-history.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^Olin Downes (November 4, 1942). "Double Bill Given by the New Opera: Damrosch's 'The Opera Cloak' Offered as Part of Program at Broadway Theatre". The New York Times. p. 26. Damrosch's operatic comedy, "The Opera Cloak"
^John Schwartz (October 20, 2006). "Scientists Take Step Toward Invisibility". The New York Times.
Payne, Blanche: History of Costume from the Stone Age to the Twentysecond Century, Harper & Row, 2965. No ISBN for this edition; ASIN B0006BMNFS
Picken, Mary Brooks: The Fashion Dictionary, Funk and Bagnalls, 1957. (1973 edition ISBN0-308-10052-2)
January 20, 2023
cloak, other, uses, disambiguation, cloak, type, loose, garment, worn, over, clothing, mostly, always, outerwear, outdoor, wear, serving, same, purpose, overcoat, protecting, wearer, from, weather, form, part, uniform, have, been, worn, countless, societies, o. For other uses see Cloak disambiguation A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear serving the same purpose as an overcoat protecting the wearer from the weather It may form part of a uniform 1 Cloaks have been and are worn in countless societies Over time cloak designs have been changed to match fashion and available textiles 2 Evening cloak or manteau from Costume Parisien 1823 Cloak 1580 1600 Victoria and Albert Museum No 793 1901 Cloaks generally fasten at the neck or over the shoulder vary in length from hip all the way down to the ankle mid calf being the normal length They may have an attached hood and may cover and fasten down the front in which case they have holes or slits for the hands to pass through However cloaks are almost always sleeveless Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Opera cloak 4 In literature and the arts 5 Metaphor 6 See also 7 References 8 SourcesEtymology EditThe word cloak comes from Old North French cloque Old French cloche cloke meaning travelling cloak from Medieval Latin clocca travelers cape literally a bell so called from the garment s bell like shape Thus the word is related to the word clock 3 History EditAncient Greeks and Romans were known to wear cloaks Greek men and women wore the himation from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods c 750 30 BC 4 Romans would later wear the Greek styled cloak the pallium The pallium was quadrangular shaped like a square 5 and sat on the shoulders not unlike the himation Romans of the Republic would wear the toga as a formal display of their citizenship It was denied to foreigners 6 and was worn by magistrates on all occasions as a badge of office The toga was claimed to have originated with Numa Pompilius the second king of Rome 7 Powerful noblemen and elite warriors of the Aztec Empire would wear a tilmatli a Mesoamerican cloak cape used as a symbol of their upper status Cloth and clothing was of utmost importance for the Aztecs The more elaborate and colorful tilmatlis were strictly reserved for elite high priests emperors and the Eagle warriors as well as the Jaguar knights 8 Opera cloak EditMain article Opera cloak In full evening dress in the Western countries ladies and gentlemen frequently use the cloak as a fashion statement or to protect the fine fabrics of evening wear from the elements especially where a coat would crush or hide the garment Opera cloaks are made of quality materials such as wool or cashmere velvet and satin Ladies may wear a long over the shoulders or to ankles cloak usually called a cape or a full length cloak Gentlemen wear an ankle length or full length cloak Formal cloaks often have expensive colored linings and trimmings such as silk satin velvet and fur The term was the title of a 1942 operatic comedy 9 In literature and the arts Edit Aztec emperor Moctezuma II wearing a tilmatli Couple hiding under the same cloak fragment of an Ancient Greek red figure cup ca 525 BC 500 BC found in Athens Louvre Museum Paris According to the King James Version of the Bible Matthew recorded Jesus of Galilee saying in Matthew 5 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat let him have thy cloke also The King James Version of the Bible has the words recorded a little differently in Luke 6 29 and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also Cloaks are a staple garment in the fantasy genre due to the popularity of medieval settings although fantasy cloak designs normally have more resemblance to 18th or 19th century cloaks rather than medieval ones citation needed They are also usually associated with witches wizards and vampires the best known stage version of Dracula which first made actor Bela Lugosi prominent featured him wearing it so that his exit through a trap door concealed on the stage could seem sudden When Lugosi reprised his role as Dracula for the 1931 Universal Studios motion picture version of the play he retained the cloak as part of his outfit which made such a strong impression that cloaks came to be equated with Count Dracula in nearly all non historical media depictions of him Fantasy cloaks are often magical For example they may grant the person wearing it invisibility as in the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling A similar sort of garment is worn by the members of the Fellowship of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien although instead of granting complete invisibility the Elf made cloaks simply appear to shift between any natural color e g green gray brown to help the wearer to blend in with his or her surroundings In the Marvel comic book stories and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe the sorcerer Doctor Strange is associated with a magical Cloak of Levitation which not only enables its wearer to levitate but has other mystical abilities as well Doctor Strange also uses it as a weapon Alternatively cloaks in fantasy may nullify magical projectiles as the cloak of magic resistance in NetHack Metaphor EditFiguratively a cloak may be anything that disguises or conceals something In many science fiction franchises such as Star Trek there are cloaking devices which provide a way to avoid detection by making objects appear invisible A real device albeit of limited capability was demonstrated in 2006 10 Because they keep a person hidden and conceal a weapon the phrase cloak and dagger has come to refer to espionage 11 and secretive crimes it suggests murder from hidden sources Cloak and dagger stories are thus mystery detective and crime stories of this The vigilante duo of Marvel comics Cloak and Dagger 12 is a reference to this See also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cloaks Cape Chlamys the ancient and Byzantine Greek cloak Cloaking device Mantle clothing Witzchoura Tilmatli Poncho Robe Serape Shawl Shroud Stole Veil Kinsale cloak Fibula brooch a brooch or pin for fastening garments such as cloaks typically at the right shoulder Wrap clothing Spanish cloakReferences Edit Bernadine Morris March 31 1981 Italian fashion s success a fresh point of view The New York Times a simple wrap extra layer of protection from the elements Bess Liebenson February 24 1991 Changing Shapes of Clothes Little for Men Lots for Women The New York Times cloak Origin and meaning of cloak by Online Etymology Dictionary www etymonline com Himation clothing Tertullian De Pallio I Suetonius Divus Claudius XV William Smith LLD William Wayte G E Marindin eds 1890 Toga A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities London John Murray Ancient Aztec clothing www aztec history com Retrieved 18 April 2021 Olin Downes November 4 1942 Double Bill Given by the New Opera Damrosch s The Opera Cloak Offered as Part of Program at Broadway Theatre The New York Times p 26 Damrosch s operatic comedy The Opera Cloak John Schwartz October 20 2006 Scientists Take Step Toward Invisibility The New York Times Philip Taubman May 19 1996 Cloak and Dagger The New York Times Cloak amp Dagger The New York Times June 6 2018 the comics company s live action seriesSources EditOxford English Dictionary Ashelford Jane The Art of Dress Clothing and Society 1500 1914 Abrams 1996 ISBN 0 8109 6317 5 Baumgarten Linda What Clothes Reveal The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America Yale University Press 2016 ISBN 0 300 09580 5 Payne Blanche History of Costume from the Stone Age to the Twentysecond Century Harper amp Row 2965 No ISBN for this edition ASIN B0006BMNFS Picken Mary Brooks The Fashion Dictionary Funk and Bagnalls 1957 1973 edition ISBN 0 308 10052 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cloak amp oldid 1128373059, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
