Mandalorian Capes

Capes or No Capes?

Capes are an easy add-on to a Mandalorian kit. If done well, they really bring a special look to a Mando. The other benefit of a cape is that if you don’t want to make an armor backplate, a full cape lets you skip that piece.  (It’s assumed the backplate is hidden underneath the cape.)

When looking for cape fabric material try to find a fabric that isn’t too flimsy, but also not too thick or stiff. Wool or flannel fabric are good options. You might even already have an emergency wool blanket at home that you can transform into a Mandolorian cape. If you’re not sure about a fabric, sit the fabric on your shoulder and see how the fabric drapes. Do you like how the folds hang down?

You’ll also want to decide whether you want a one or two shoulder cape, and whether to make it short or long. Boba Fett’s cape hangs down to about his knees. Din Djarin’s cape reaches down longer to about his mid-shins. 

How To Make A Mandalorian Cape

Source: Dented Helmet and tk409.com

Mandalorian capes are usually rectangles about 2’ by 3’ (30inchs by 36inches). The size of your cape will depend on how tall you are. Boba’s cape was attached from the cape corner to his collar armor at the left shoulder.  You can attach it in various ways, velcro or snaps are probably the easiest methods. Below you can see a cape attached to a flak vest with 2 sew-on snaps. This makes it easy to remove if you want to wash the pieces separately.   You can also attach the cape via a loop & hidden button, or by using sew-on velcro as shown below.

Don’t forget about distressing or weathering your cape, it should look like it’s been exposed to some weather or abuse. And keep in mind that your cape weathering should match the weathering of your other soft and hard pieces. (Weathering will be addressed in a separate post.)  

If you want your cape to look like Din Djarin’s where it wraps around the neck, you should do some extra tailoring. One side of his cape is bunched up into pleats and reaches across his neck, slightly under his chest armor, and is then attached to the opposite side. Hidden snaps or velcro could work as the attachment method here also. 

501st crl of Din Djarin cape pleats

Another option for a more tailored finished cape is seen below. This cape attachment is done by gathering the fabric into pleats at one corner, folding some leather to sandwich the cape material, and stitching. Velcro is again used to secure the cape to the vest.

Lastly, don’t disregard the poncho! If Jango and Clint Eastwood can look cool in them, maybe you can to! 

Making a poncho is easy. Just fold the fabric into a square and place the neck opening either at the center or to one side as shown below.

Easy One-Seam Poncho Pattern

Keep reading: Mandalorian Belts >>

3 thoughts on “Mandalorian Capes”

  1. So the width of the cape should be about 3 feet and the length to cover part of the backs of my thighs? Simple rectangle. Then gather the corners at the top to attach to the collar plate or vest. I like the leather idea to attach the cape.

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  2. Great website, well done! My adult daughter has created and wears fantastic custom armor but has struggled with cape design and dimensions. Can’t wait to share this with her! (I portray The Armorer – This is The Way)

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  3. Thanks for the great tips here! I’m close to the point of thinking about capes, and I definitely will save this post/site! 🤗

    Reply

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