For about ten minutes after the sun drops, a festival turns purple. The sky goes the color of a ripe plum, the stage rig wakes up in lavender, and every violet thing in the crowd starts to glow as if it had been waiting for its cue.
Then the air cools, the hoods go up, and the people in purple cloaks look like they planned the whole sunset.
Purple has always had that effect. For centuries it was a color only the powerful could afford, and now it's the color of witches, wizards, sorcerers, and anyone who wants to be found at the stage. Purple runs all over the art we make as Magus and Lylyth Fawn in Los Angeles: a unicorn leaping out of amethyst, a mushroom grove in plum and orchid, an alien oracle drawn in hair-fine lavender lines. Here's what purple has meant, how to wear a hooded purple cloak from Halloween to January, and the six we'd choose.
What does a purple cloak symbolize?
Power, mostly, and then magic. Ancient Tyrian purple came from sea snails and cost so much that Roman law eventually let only the emperor wear it. When a teenage chemist stumbled on a purple dye that factories could mass-produce in 1856, the color of emperors went to everyone. A purple cloak still carries both: royalty and rebellion, ceremony and mischief.
The royal story starts in the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, which gave Tyrian purple its name. The dye came from the mucus of murex snails, and the numbers are astonishing: in a 1908 experiment, twelve thousand snails yielded no more than about 1.4 grams of pure dye, enough to color only the trim of a single garment (Wikipedia). That cost made purple a status symbol, policed by sumptuary laws, and by the fourth century AD only the Roman emperor was permitted to wear it.
Then, in 1856, an 18-year-old chemistry student named William Henry Perkin set out to make quinine and stumbled on mauveine instead, one of the first synthetic dyes (Wikipedia), and within a few years mauve was such a craze that Punch nicknamed it the "mauve measles." The color of emperors was suddenly the color of the high street.
Purple kept its dignity on the way down. In 1908 the Women's Social and Political Union, the British suffragettes, chose purple, white and green as their colors, with purple standing for loyalty and dignity (Wikipedia).
So when you pull up a purple hood, you're wearing several thousand years of people deciding they deserve the good color.
What costume can you make with a purple cloak?
A purple cloak is half a costume already: witch, wizard, sorcerer, fairy queen, oracle or a ren faire noble, depending on what's underneath. Add black and silver for a witch, gold for royalty, a staff or crystal for a wizard. Because Magus Fawn cloaks carry full art, the cloak itself tells the story.
For a witch, go black underneath, silver jewelry, boots, and let the cloak do the color. For a wizard or sorcerer, carry something: a staff, a lantern, a crystal on a cord. For royalty at a ren faire, layer gold jewelry over the deepest purple you can find; the emperors would approve. For an oracle or star-reader, choose a cloak with cosmic art and wear the hood up all day.
Because every Magus Fawn cloak is made to order, one ordered at the end of October arrives as a winter cloak first and a Halloween costume next October. We think that's the right order anyway: a costume you wear once is a costume, and a cloak you wear all winter is a wardrobe.
What do you wear with a purple cloak?
Black is the easy partner: black boots, black leggings or jeans and a black top let a purple cloak's art carry the outfit. Gold and silver jewelry suit purple's royal history. For a bolder festival look, match a purple bodysuit to the cloak, or contrast it with lime, teal or hot pink.
Purple sits between red and blue, so it plays well with both sides of the wheel. Deep purples like violet and grape look richest against black and gold; pale lavenders and periwinkles light up next to silver and white. Metallic boots pair beautifully with purple, as a few of the photos below show.
One more choice: the lining. Every cloak in this guide comes with a faux-fur lining in black or white. Black frames the purple and looks sharp when the cloak swings open; white makes the inside glow and turns the hood into a halo around your face.
Which purple cloak should you choose?
Choose by shade and by story. Magus Fawn makes purple cloaks from deep violet to pale lavender, each carrying a different piece of visionary art: a dream mandala, sacred geometry, an amethyst unicorn, a mushroom forest, a cosmic oracle and liquid spirals. Every one shares the same build, so the art decides.
That shared build: a micro-mink poly outer with a faux-fur lining in black or white (listed fabric weight 200 g/m²), heavy drawstrings on the hood, a double front zipper and four pockets, two deep side pockets and two interior stash pockets, one of them zippered. The fit is unisex from XS to 5XL, and every cloak is made to order. Our men's and women's cloaks share that spec and the same unisex fit.
The purest purple: Dream Weaver. If you want the color and nothing but the color, start with the Dream Weaver Purple men's festival cloak ($250). The swirls are drawn so densely that it takes a second look to find the wolf's face watching from the center front, its eyes a cool blue against the violet. It reads like a dream you only half remember, and it's the cloak we'd hand anyone who searched "purple cloak" and meant it. Our Dream Weaver colorway guide shows it beside its orange, green and blue siblings.
For the sorcerer: Angel Catcher. The Purple Angel Catcher men's festival cloak ($250) builds its back like a stained-glass window: a hexagon of tiny lit dots at the center, scalloped petals around it, a star of two interlocked triangles above and below, and dark knots braided across the lower half. It's the most ceremonial cloak in this guide: purple on black, symmetrical, a little bit wizard's-robe. We think of the Flower of Life as a map of how everything connects, which is a handy thing to carry on your back at a crowded stage. Our Angel Catcher colorway guide has the rest of its rainbow.
For the fairy-tale dreamer: Amethyst Unicorn. The Amethyst Unicorn festival cloak ($250) is pure storybook: a pale unicorn mid-leap, front hooves up, framed by shards of amethyst like the mouth of a cave, with a jagged crystal fringe glowing along the hem. Hold it open and the whole scene spreads like wings. A unicorn is the creature nobody can catch, which makes this the cloak for the friend who's always three stages ahead of the group.
For the forest witch: Mushroom Flower of Life. The Purple Mushroom Flower of Life women's festival cloak ($250) is a mushroom grove after dark, every cap a different shade of plum, with swirling medallions rolling low near the hem. A mushroom is only the part of the fungus you can see; the rest is a web of threads under the soil, and we love the idea of wearing that hidden web on your back. It's the most witchy cloak here, in the best sense. Every color of this design lives in our Mushroom Flower of Life colorway guide.
The lavender cloak: Galactic Alien Oracle. If you're after something paler, the Galactic Alien Oracle women's cloak ($250) is drawn in fine lines of periwinkle, lavender and indigo: a calm alien figure sits at the center of the back, framed by watching faces, floating orbs and open hands. It's the oracle costume in one garment. Wear the hood up and let people wonder what you know.
For the dance floor: Psy Swirl. The Psy Swirl women's festival cloak ($250) is purple in motion: big violet spirals stacked from collar to hem, each glowing magenta and periwinkle at its heart, like a row of galaxies turning in step. It's the brightest purple in this guide and the one that looks most alive when you move. Close it up to the chin and it's a winter coat that happens to be a light show.
For the slow hours: the unicorn in fleece. The Amethyst Unicorn art also comes as the Amethyst Unicorn hooded blanket with ears ($150), the unicorn standing in its crystal arch under a violet starburst. It's 300 g/m² poly fleece, an oversized pullover with a cat-ear hood, a front quarter zip and an oversized front pocket, made in one size (4XL). Wear the cloak to the stage and the blanket at the campfire, and your purple era covers the whole weekend.
How do you size a purple cloak for winter layers?
Size up if you'll wear it over layers. Magus Fawn's FAQ suggests sizing up for outerwear like cloaks, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under," which matters for a winter street or a cold ren faire. Not sure? Email your measurements to art@magusfawn.com and we'll help.
A cloak is warm in a different way from a coat. The faux-fur lining holds heat close, the hood and its heavy drawstrings close around your face, and the double front zipper runs the length of the front, so you can close it right up to the collar. George, who bought a Madriax cloak, wrote in May 2023: "So comfortable you almost forgot how cool it looks!"
Every cloak is made to order: production takes 7–11 business days, then delivery takes 6–14 business days, with free US shipping on orders of $70 and up. Every piece comes with one free size exchange, but size help by email is the way to get it right the first time. When it needs a wash, machine wash cold with like colors, no bleach, tumble dry low or hang dry, and skip the iron. The dye-sublimated art won't fade or crack, so your purple stays purple. Our cloak washing guide has the step-by-step.
The emperor's color, for everyone
Twelve thousand snails for a strip of trim. One teenage chemist and a happy accident. A century of people deciding purple belongs to them. A hooded purple cloak is the latest chapter: the most royal color in history, printed with art, lined in faux fur, and made to be worn somewhere cold and wonderful.
Pick your shade, pick your story, and pull up the hood.
Find your purple: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · all festival cloaks · hooded blankets
More cloak reading: are festival cloaks worth it? and can you wear a cloak every day?
Frequently asked questions
Why was purple the color of royalty?
Because it was rare and expensive. Ancient Tyrian purple was made from the mucus of murex sea snails, and one 1908 experiment found that twelve thousand snails gave only about 1.4 grams of dye. Purple cloth became a status symbol controlled by sumptuary laws, and by the fourth century AD only the Roman emperor could wear it.
What's the difference between a violet, lavender and purple cloak?
In our guide, violet means the deep, blue-leaning purples, like the Purple Angel Catcher cloak; lavender and periwinkle mean the paler, cooler shades, like the Galactic Alien Oracle cloak; and purple covers everything between, like Dream Weaver Purple. All are hooded, faux-fur-lined Magus Fawn cloaks with the same build and unisex XS–5XL fit.
Are Magus Fawn's purple cloaks for men or women?
Both. Magus Fawn's men's and women's cloaks share the same spec and a unisex fit from XS to 5XL, so anyone can wear any of them. Choose by art and shade, then by size. For winter layers, the FAQ suggests sizing up, sometimes even two sizes, and email help is available.
Is a purple cloak warm enough for winter?
Yes, for most winter nights out. Magus Fawn's purple cloaks are hooded and lined in faux fur, and the double front zipper closes them to the collar. Size up to fit a sweater or jacket underneath, and the cloak becomes the warm, colorful top layer of your winter outfit.
Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 (4.8★ from 147 reviews as of October 2026), and every piece is made to order here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.
0 comments