I do larp, so I wear an above average number of capes and cloaks. It's super inconvenient, but at historically capes would end up at the lowest around your calves, because yeah this gets dirty.

And historically, that meant you'd drag it through literal shit that was in every street, not just road-dirt. It would get destroyed pretty quickly too. Also, as a dutch person, capes have the problem of not letting your a bike, which is a terrible thing of course.