Cloak

Joseon scholar's long outer robe

The dopo is the long outer robe worn by Joseon-era Korean scholars and yangban gentlemen over the hanbok when leaving the home. Falling to the ankle with wide sleeves and a rear vent, it was the most emblematic garment of the Korean literati. Its name comes from the Confucian concept of "dao" (the Way), embodying the scholar's lifelong pursuit of virtue. Made from cotton, silk, or ramie depending on season, most commonly white but also jade-green, gray, or blue, it was cinched with a wide sejodae sash. Paired with the gat horsehair hat and taesahye leather shoes, the trio formed the classical Korean scholar ensemble. The wide sleeves held books, brushes, and paper — practical as well as ceremonial. In Korean historical dramas and hanbok-era romance, a man striding with dopo flaring behind him is a classic iconographic image.

Universal draped outer garment of all ages

The cloak is the most fundamental form of outer garment — a single broad piece of cloth draped over the shoulders and fastened at the neck with a brooch, pin, or cord. Used from antiquity through the modern era across all social classes, it served primarily for warmth and weather protection. Hooded variants became iconic for travelers and monks, and later for mysterious figures in fantasy literature. While commoners wore rough waterproofed wool, nobles sported fur-lined cloaks embroidered with gold thread.

Extravagantly sleeved court gown of late medieval Europe

The houppelande was the ultimate expression of late medieval court fashion, prevalent from the late 14th through 15th centuries. Its defining feature was enormously wide "wing sleeves" that could trail to the floor, often finished with scalloped dagging at the edges. A high standing collar, floor-length fullness gathered into dramatic folds at a belted waist, and luxurious materials like silk, velvet, and brocade with fur lining made it staggeringly expensive. The Burgundian court was its fashion epicenter, and sumptuary laws frequently targeted its conspicuous extravagance.

Short decorative mantle of the nobility

The cape is a shorter mantle covering the shoulders down to the waist or hips, distinguished from the full-length cloak by its abbreviated cut that left the arms free. Favored by knights and nobles who needed to display rank while keeping weapons accessible, it was typically crafted from luxurious materials like fur, velvet, and silk. The ermine (white stoat fur) cape became an iconic symbol of royalty, while the Spanish capa circulated as everyday men's fashion during the Renaissance.

Traditional Japanese jacket worn over kimono

The haori is a traditional Japanese hip-to-knee-length jacket worn open over a kimono, fastened loosely with decorative braided cords called haori-himo. Originating from the jinbaori worn by warriors over armor during the Sengoku period, it became established formal outerwear for the samurai class in the Edo period, with family crests (mon) on the back indicating rank and status. The distinctively Japanese "iki" aesthetic was expressed by painting elaborate designs on the inner lining while keeping the exterior subdued.

Armorial surcoat of the medieval knight

The tabard is a knee-length sleeveless over-garment worn by medieval knights above their armor, emblazoned on front and back with the wearer's coat of arms to identify them in battle and tournament. It originated in the 12th century Crusades when white cloth was thrown over metal armor to deflect the desert sun; painting family arms onto the cloth evolved the garment into the surcoat, simplified by the 14th–15th centuries into the open-sided tabard. Heraldry — the rule-bound design of arms — governed the tabard's motifs strictly, with subtle variations marking inheritance lines. In tournaments, where knights were masked by helmets, the tabard was their sole identifier, proclaimed aloud by heralds. British royal ceremony preserves the tradition through the Kings of Arms who still wear tabards of the royal arms today. In fantasy RPGs, the tabard marks the knight, paladin, and kingdom's man-at-arms.

Long flowing garment of scholars and wizards

The robe is an ankle-length outer garment with wide sleeves and a loose silhouette, historically the defining dress of scholars, clergy, judges, and physicians. Medieval academic robes are the direct ancestor of modern graduation gowns, and judicial robes persist in British courts to this day. In fantasy literature and games, the robe has become inseparable from the wizard archetype, often imbued with magical properties. Sleeve width and color carried meaning — black for scholars, red for cardinals, white for the pope.

Ottoman court long open-front kaftan

The entari is the ankle-length open-front robe of Ottoman court and aristocratic dress, a principal form within the kaftan family that defined Ottoman noble wear from the 14th to 19th centuries. Crafted from silk, velvet, and brocade embroidered with Ottoman floral motifs — pomegranate, tulip, rose, carnation — in gold and silver thread, the grandest examples were worn by the Sultan and high officials. Entaris were layered: a cotton gömlek shirt and salvar trousers were covered first by an under-entari, then a more elaborate over-entari (üst entari), then sometimes a fur-lined or brocaded outer kaftan. A jeweled ushak belt or cashmere sash girded the waist; a turban crowned the head. The entari collection of Suleiman the Magnificent, preserved at Topkapı Palace, stands as a pinnacle of world textile art.