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Just one of the ways her cape is pimped out.
Any part of an outfit that floats independently from the rest of the clothing. Done almost entirely for Rule of Cool, as there is little practical purpose for this.
Sometimes this is justified by magic or Applied Phlebotinum, but even when it's not, this trope usually appears in fantastic or futuristic settings.
In Far East Asian mythology (China, Japan, Korea) one trait the gods have, which is mostly associated with female gods, is the ability to defy gravity. This is reflected in art, where you'll see the gods have flowing hair and stoles that float in the air.
A Holy Halo counts as this, when depicted as a floating circlet.
Compare Impossibly Cool Clothes, Detached Sleeves (which can even overlap with this).
Anime and Manga
- The goddess in Saint Beast: Seijuu Kourin Hen has a gravity defying cloak. (Actually, pretty much a different coloured version of the page pic, random floating balls and everything.)
- Quite a few costumes in .hack.
- Sugino has a floaty stole in Tactics.
- When Rachel first shows her face in public in Glass Fleet, she wears a thick fur wrap that hovers over her shoulders.
Literature
- In Trinity Blood, Seth's metal...circle thing floats around her shoulders.
Tabletop Games
- Dungeons and Dragons has Ioun stones that float around your character's head. Aside from the grey variety, they provide magical bonuses. They're also Color Coded for Your Convenience.
Video Games
- Some of the capes worn by the generals in Dragon Force.
- The overskirt worn by the mages in Phantasy Star Online.
- Celine's shower curtain thingy in Star Ocean the Second Story.
- Magical vests (and chains) worn by Kel'thuzad from Warcraft.
- As well as some of the armor pieces characters can wear in World of Warcraft. One example is the Poison Protocol Pauldrons, which seem to be three straps of leather surrounding an orb of blue fire on either shoulder. When looked at on the character, they don't actually touch the chest at all.
- Salome from Makai Kingdom.
- Pronyma of Tales of Symphonia actually weaponizes this once.
- League of Legends has a few champions with weird floating neckpieces. One of them is a telekinetic so it makes sense. The other not so much.
- Dahlia Hawthorne from Ace Attorney has the floating stole, signifying that there is something otherworldly about her.
- Jin Saotome's scarf in Marvel vs. Capcom.
Western Animation
- The rings on clothing in The Jetsons.
- The Fairly Odd Parents: the Floating Crowns. And part of Timmy's hat.
- The Mayor's hat in The Powerpuff Girls.
Web Original
- Rank tabs in Schlock Mercenary hover above the wearer's shoulders.
- The Floaty Buttcovers in the far future of Unicorn Jelly.