Why Don't Non-Mistborn Wear Mistcloaks?

[Trusk'our Arbiter]

Why don’t they? They shouldn’t be particularly difficult to obtain, and you don’t have to do much to make people think you a Mistborn, just wear one. I suppose that someone with no Allomantic powers might have to worry about getting caught, but a Coinshot or Thug, someone with a visible power, might be able to pass as Mistborn in a pinch, I would think, but we don’t see even them wear Mistcloaks.

[Dunkum King's Wit]

Well, I'd imagine that it would make them a target for actual mistborn, at which point they'd be dead. And to be clear, I just mean this in the sense that if some noble Family saw its plans being undone by a guy in a mistcloak smashing in doors with pewter-enhanced strength, then they would assume he s an actual mistborn and deploy whatever anti-mistborn measures they have against him, including their own mistborn, if available, and the poor delusional Thug would not have a chance.

[Quantus Steel Inquisitor]

They were a status symbol for the wealthy elite.  Historically wealthy elite do not take kindly to what they view as "imposters" and take their status symbols very seriously.  In that sort of social structure, they are critical to maintaining the caste structure.  

[Karger Unmade]

They do.  Wax wears one in fact.

[Trusk'our Arbiter]

1 minute ago, Karger said:

They do.  Wax wears one in fact.

He wears a Mistcoat, not a Mistcloak.

[Bzhydack Forger]

On 28.01.2022 at 4:05 AM, Karger said:

They do.  Wax wears one in fact.

Wax is other story because in his time there is no Mistborn to wear this piece of outwear. It becomes somewhat traditional for Allomancers, but lost its rightfull meaning.

[Oltux72 Gerontarch]

On 28.1.2022 at 4:05 AM, Karger said:

They do.  Wax wears one in fact.

And so do Survivorist priests. But that is in Era 2. There are no actual Mistborn (save for Marsh) around. During Era 1 the Mistcloak allowed Mistborn to operate unbothered by third parties. That is an advantage Mistborn want and need, but which depends on them not allowing anybody else to be a free rider. They'd kill kill you because they'd have to.