Capes for a stylish flourish might still return to fashion, but not for the prior practical reasons of severe weather protection. Modern weather gear for skiing or other winter activities has probably replaced them for cost, weight, efficiency, etc. Living in Florida, my experience with modern weather gear extends to seeing them worn by the athletes at the Winter Olympics on TV, along with news “reporters” braving their cold or windy outdoors to appear tough. Hats seem to be avoided if at all possible, until it just cannot be justified any further. Often the pullover hood is then used instead.

Between Dracula, the Capeman, and Paul Simon’s unsuccessful musical about the Capeman, capes haven’t been having a good time in recent decades. About Simon’s musical: the book was written by poet and Nobelist Derek Walcott (though he pulled out of the production because of too many re-writes); the characters were Puerto Rican and the actors were all Hispanic, so post-Hamilton a revival might be successful, especially if Simon puts an accent over the “o” in his name.

I have a funky floppy warm hat to cover the tops of my ears, but not the whole ear. Most folk in Slovakia wear knitted ski caps against the cold, but I don’t like how they are tight on my head.

I’m expecting the demonization of Trump to go down, he’s not gonna run again. Instead, the Democrat Demonization Strategy will be trained on Vance & DeSantis, but also diluted by Musk. Just as the DDS against the Jews somewhat diluted it this last year against Trump.

All the Dems who feared that Trump was a threat to democracy are the kind of gullible gossipers who like believing bad things about those they oppose.

Some pundits are noting Democrat pundits mocking Trump because he doesn’t want people to see how small the crowd would be outside.
They never give anything a rest.

If the inauguration were held outside, they would complain that he was keeping people standing around in the freezing cold; and if he were attacked again (God forbid!), that it was his own fault for being out in the open.

There is just no pleasing people who aren’t really interested in facts and solutions, just narratives and agendas.

The NPR one is actually funny.
The Gazette has the most pictures.

https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/05/04/152011840/who-killed-mens-hats-think-of-a-three-letter-word-beginning-with-i

https://americanhatmakers.org/2016/10/05/the-decline-of-the-hat-in-american-culture/

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/men-stop-wearing-hats/

Women share the same reasons for no longer wearing hats most of the time (except the Kennedy thing), but no one seems to be specifically writing about that decline (headline choices were “men stop wearing hats” or “people stop…”), perhaps because more women than men still do wear them.

I would guess the reason for that is that there is more variety in women’s hats, so they can be run through the fashionista mill; they are still expected to wear them at posh parties and events whereas men are not (other than Ascot and Buckingham Palace, perhaps!); and because even if men do wear a nice hat, they have to take it off inside (and women don’t), so why bother?
Miss Manners has the scoop.

https://www.uexpress.com/life/miss-manners/2022/09/13

I will tell you, however, that the hat decline does NOT extend to farmers, ranchers, and cowpokes of both genders, who will wear their stetsons inside, outside, and ever’ which way they darn well please. And they generally have Sunday-go-to-meeting dress versions.

We both rotated through at least 5 cowboy hats apiece during our two summers in Wyoming, because that was our official mission “uniform” out on the trail or around visitors.

AesopSpouse and I both have far too many of each.
We also have capes 😉
Comes from going to Renaissance Faires for 30 years.