>>109403105The term “practical” needs to be retired in costume discourse, because pretty much any fictional character you can think of has a part of their costume that wouldn’t work in real life. Capes are a serious liability in combat (because they drag) but they look cool, so they keep getting used. Same for things like hoods or big shoulder pads; those block peripheral vision. A woman in full plate armor wouldn’t be able to move in it because it’s so heavy. Domino masks wouldn’t hide someone’s identity at all.
Most people know these things are impractical, but they don’t care because it doesn’t matter; it’s fiction.
Good costume design is not about being realistic, it’s about being visually interesting and conveying information about the character.
