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[[quoteright:350:[[Music/{{Liberace}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cape2_5669.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:One of Liberace's more modest capes.]]
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Basically this is CostumePorn applied to a cape (or robe worn like a cape), where that piece of clothing is expensively decorated with jewels, embroidery and trim. This was common throughout history, for both men and women, as capes of various kinds were a common clothing item, and clearly visible due to their size. Thus a grand cape would easily be a way to show off one's wealth and social status. In fiction, it's a way to either show the same for a high class character, and/or for the artist/costume designer to show off.

Now how decorated a cape can be will vary. It can be trimming just part of the cape, to lining it, to entirely covering it. What is decorating the cape can also vary. Realistic capes can be decorated with [[PrettyInMink Fur]], embroidery, [[GoldMakesEverythingShiny gold lame]], and even expensive dyes can count. Fantastic capes can decorate them even more, from armor, to fire, to TronLines.

You might think pimping out a cape would be easy, but capes are a lot of material to work with, and even just edging one will take several yards of trimming. And of course historically all the decoration was done by hand. Thus anytime you see a cape where there is some kind of fancy trimming, lining, decoration, or other kind of work done, it counts as this trope.

If this cape is worn for protection, it overlaps with StylishProtectionGear. If [[RoyalBlood royalty]] or [[BlueBlood nobility]] wears one, it usually is part of their RequisiteRoyalRegalia (and why the trope ErmineCapeEffect is named so).

Now let's make it clear that the cape itself has to be decorated. So even though SuperheroesWearCapes, the majority of their capes will ''not'' count as this trope (even for the villains), as those capes are usually simple, no matter how cool or flowing they may be.

Often part of an ensemble with a PimpedOutDress and/or a HatOfAuthority (and they might even all match).

Compare BadassCape, OminousOperaCape, PimpedOutCar.

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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Farnese from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' wore one in her childhood flashback.
* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' has a number that Marie wears, being the queen and all, but the most pimped out is the one she wore in the second volume/episode, that went with her dress, and both were trimmed with bejeweled ermine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange has a particularly magnificent cape, made out of bright red material with fancy golden trim that merges seamlessly with a matching golden mantle, topped with [[ImpracticallyFancyOutfit the kind of gravity-defying]] collar that makes cosplayers weep. Fortunately it's also useful -- it's his Cloak of Levitation and enables him to fly.
* The traditional costume of the ComicBook/GreenLantern Alan Scott includes a ''purple'' and green opera cape with an especially impressive collar. Somehow he pulls the look off.
* [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] has a cape with gold edging. Though unlike other superheroes who can sweep the floor with their capes, Captain Marvel tends to favor a shorter, waist length matador style cape that looks great slung over a shoulder. Though it DependsOnTheArtist, really. Captain Marvel's cape has also been a regular cape and even a bizarre "Hoodie Cape," as seen in modern comics.
* Ordinarily, ComicBook/WonderWoman does not wear a cape. For her, capes are more like what they are for most people -- an unusual sort of formal wear. So when she ''does'' wear a cape, it tends to be a lot more pimped-out than your traditional superhero cape.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanAndTheStarRiders'': Wondy's cape is GemEncrusted and Purrsia's is edged and lined in purple leopard spotted fur.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInAChristmasCarol'', Eden wears a short, hooded cape [[PrettyInMink trimmed with white fur]] over her HappyHolidaysDress.
* Belle's winter cape in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheCareBearsAdventureInWonderland'', both the queen and princess of Wonderland wore ermine-trimmed capes, but the queen wore one that was trimmed with red hearts.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'', Elsa and Anna each get two capes. Elsa has her purple coronation cape and the snowflake themed cape attached to [[AnIceSuit her ice dress]]. Anna has a green cape she wore to go searching for her sister, and later [[StylishProtectionGear a warmer pink cape]].
** ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' give the sisters two more capes. Elsa's adventuring and [[spoiler: "spirit" dress]] come with a two piece capelet that looks like a pair of wings. Anna, meanwhile, gets a purple warmer cape as part of her adventuring outfit and later wears a flowing green [[spoiler:coronation]] cape with purple inner lining as part of her [[spoiler:Queenly raiment]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', with much fanfare, dons a cape for battle with [[SpikesOfVillainy gargantuan spikes]] [[ShouldersOfDoom on wide shoulder pads]] and [[HighCollarOfDoom the high collar to end all high collars]] called "The Black ''Mambaaaaaaaaaaa...''"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Laura}}'' has a pearl decorated cape and a mink cape.
* The FashionShow in ''Film/{{Roberta}}'' had a number of fur capes.
* ''Franchise/StarWars''
** Amidala wore a few fancy capes in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', and a few slightly less pimped out capes in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones''.
%% ** ''Film/{{Solo}}'' shows that Lando Calrissian's wardrobe has a ''lot'' of these.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* The wizards of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'''s [[WizardingSchool Unseen University]] will have grandly decorated robes as a matter of principle.
* ''Literature/{{Ward}}'': As opposed to Earth Bet, where capes are seen as old-fashioned, capes (As in [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals parahumans]]) on Earth Shin not only commonly wear capes, but they tend to be very fancy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'':
** In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E7TheThingLayStill The Thing Lay Still]]", as part of Lestat de Lioncourt's UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette DragQueen act, his costume includes a fur-trimmed cape to reinforce the French queen's royal status.
** [[https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IWTV_200_LH_1306_0220_RT-c.jpg In a Season 2 production still,]] Lestat is arrayed in a red velvet cloak lined with fur. (Because his FirstLove Nicolas will appear in the second season, this cape is the "Wolfkiller" cloak that Nicolas gifted to Lestat after the latter single-handedly killed eight wolves.) When combined with the rest of Lestat's 18th-century finery, it strongly suggests that he's an aristocrat, which is book canon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Florence Welch of Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine, while singing "Shake It Out" on ''Series/TheXFactor'', wore a dress with six white capes held in place. Also, on her Ceremonials Tour, she wore a black cape with an elaborately patterned inside.
* Ace Frehley of {{Music/KISS}} had a pimped-out cape to go with the pimped-out epaulets of his Space Ace costume during the ''Dynasty'' and ''Unmasked'' tours.
* {{Music/Rick Wakeman}} is also known for wearing pimped-out capes in live performances. He first wore it in 1972 during the tour for {{Music/Yes}}' ''Close To The Edge'' tour. He did now wear them every now and since on live performances.
* In the 1939 comedy song "She Had To Go and Lose It at the Astor", what the young lady of the title loses is. . . her sable cape. (It gets better.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/GorgeousGeorge was the first wrestler to use the pimped-out robe variation. Wrestling/RicFlair is a more recent example.
* "Nature Boy" BuddyRogers was known for wearing this to the ring.
* Wrestling/MilMascaras usually wears capes with rhinestones and designs to match his current mask.
* Wrestling/RandySavage used to wear them in the 80's in the WWF.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' -- Cesare's father Rodrigo loves to swish his fur-trimmed, red-lined black cape whenever he can. Why yes, that is [[UsefulNotes/PopeAlexanderVI the same Rodrigo Borgia]] that would become pope the next year.
* The title character of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' wears one, decorated with sequins.
* ''Theatre/SeraMyu'': Mamoru goes from OminousOperaCape / BadassCape to a blingtastic lavender one with his future self, King Endymion.
* The Count and Viscount von Krolock of ''Theatre/TanzDerVampire'' both wear one. Herbert only wears his for his introduction scene and the Midnight Ball, but the Count is never seen without his cape.
* ''Theatre/TsukinoEmpire'''s Prince Shun has a cape of solid white with red and silver decorations, [[spoiler: and Prince Hajime has the same design in black, blue, and gold]].
* StageMagician Zark in Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/{{Zarkana}}'' wears a cape patterned with an image of giant rose petals. His hat is printed over red rose blossoms to match.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Some ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' magic items are capes that require them to be pimped out to work, such as the ermine lined "Cloak of Lordliness", which is sewn together with [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver thread]].
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Many of the Primarchs have fancy capes, much like their father The Emperor of Mankind who has the fanciest one of them all.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* {{Franchise/Barbie}} has some with her fancier dolls, like the [[WinterRoyalLady "Fantasy Goddess of the Arctic"]] doll.
* The Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es have [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disney_princess_capes_1067.jpg a few]] as part of their HappyHolidaysDress sets, including a set where their capes were trimmed with GemEncrusted white fox fur.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* King Ladekahn, Queen Corellia, and Lady Melodia of ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos''.
* The generals in ''[[VideoGame/DragonForceSega Dragon Force]]'' wear capes that are not only fancy, but [[AntiGravityClothing float just above their shoulders]].
* The leaders of the Three Kingdoms in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 7'' all have ridiculously ornate capes, each one etched with a design representing their kingdom in extreme detail; Liu Bei with a dragon, Cao Cao with a phoenix, and Sun Jian with a tiger.
* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' background lore, the Imga, a race of intelligent "ape men" native to Valenwood, wear these in an attempt to ape the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Altmer (High Elves)]], who the Imga idolize. One corner of the capes is perfumed, which they hold over their noses when humans are around. (The Altmer have a strong [[FantasticRacism cultural dislike]] of the races of Men, so the Imga pretend to [[HumansAreSmelly find their smell offensive]].)
* Rosa's outfit in the remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' is actually two capes, a lace one worn over the regular one.
* Tyto the Swift from ''VideoGame/{{Gigantic}}'' wears a cape that's made to look like a bird's wing. It's said to be a gift from hawk-spirits who wove it from their own feathers.
* [[spoiler: Hades]]'s cape in ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'': [[http://www.kidicaruswiki.org/images/2/29/Hades_final.png Just look!]]
* Jessica Alkirk of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar''. [[http://lunar.wikia.com/wiki/File:JessicaPose.jpg See here]].
* Ghetsis' cape in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' is pretty pimped-out.
* Skillcapes in ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' have large, ornate shoulderpads, and lots of trimmings. The Dungeoneering Mastery Cape even includes a magical smoke generator that makes smoke trail behind you when you walk.
** The Max/Completionist capes. They are fully pimped out, trimmed to the max capes with aforementioned smoke generators, and they are even color customizable for max pimping. Of course, the requirements to get one are quite extensive. (The max cape requiring you to reach the max level in all skills, Trimmed Completionist is well, 100% Completion)
* Merlina's embroidered robe in ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'': Utsuho's cape is decorated with an ''[[UnmovingPlaid independently scrolling]] star field''.
** Likewise, in ''Hopeless Masquerade'', Miko dons a cape that changes colors depending on her popularity level and also features an UnmovingPlaid.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': As a Prince of Hell, Stolas appears wearing these in most formal occasions, often combining them with HighCollarOfDoom. His cape in ''OZZIE'S'' is especially pimped-out, with the insides showing a moving star-scape pattern. Very befitting for a demon whose domains are astronomy and divination.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/BoundAdventures'': A fur-trimmed cape is the most common luxury among the BlueBlood and RoyalBlood, even when they are wearing bdsm gear, or little else. Even Livia can't resist taking one for herself when she's helping Irina again escape from the Duchess's castle.
* Pandora frequently wears one with a fur collar in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''.
* In ''Webcomic/KnightsOfBuenaVista'', a CampaignComic covering ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'', it turns out Elsa's coronation cape was supposed to be even more pimped out, but she sold the ermine, meant for lining the cape, for fourteen gold a pelt.
* The Emperor in ''Webcomic/{{Memorabilia}}'' has a long, flowing cloak complete with fluffy fur trim.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* King Bumi in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' wore really gaudy ones... to hide how muscular he was underneath.
** Mai wore one with fur trim while going on a date with Zuko.
* Amidala's cape with her ice suit in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Many coronations have these. The capes are usually decorated with gold, ermine, or both (see the coronation pictures of [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]] and [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russian Tsars]]).
* In the 1930s, to about TheFifties, at least in the US, short shoulder cape of white ermine was a popular garment for [[{{Socialite}} young society women]] 18. Thus movies around the time used it as a way to identify these characters as such.
* Music/{{Liberace}} was famous for his flamboyant capes ([[FlamboyantGay no pun intended]]).
* Polish Husaria wore a leopard skin as a cape. That is automatically awesome, all the moreso when it was worn over the more typically impressive red and gold cloak and steel-and-gold armour.
* Alternative Rock singer Stevie Nicks in her band Fleetwood Mac loves to wear long flowing capes with decorated jewels and pearls and flowing shawls and ponchos with rubies and rhinestones to look more badass. She always does.
[[/folder]]
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