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Overcoat Standards

Posted on Oct 04, 2010 by Paul Tiernan

 

"What are the classic overcoats that I should have in my collection?" We put most styles into 3 categories: Town, Country, and Country in Town (Rus in Urbe). As a minimum, our advice is to 'stock' 2 coats from the category you most often wear, plus 1 each from the remaining categories. You can then add other interesting pieces along the way!

Town

Crombie - the classic cut. Lean and clean with excellent structure. Favoured in navy blue, charcoal grey, or camel / tan. Worn by statesmen through the ages and unsullied by brief associations with 'Teddy Boy' and 'Skinhead' fashions. Crombie, founded in 1805, originally supplied cloths for tailors to use. From the late 1980s onwards, Crombie started to manufacture garments themselves. The full length double-breasted cut is often referred to as the 'King Coat' after the garment made for George VI.

Chesterfield - single or double-breasted with inset sleeves and drawn at the waist. Often featuring fly-front and, or, contrasting velvet collar. Named after its 19th century creator, the Earl of Chesterfield.

Country

Raglan - one piece shoulder and sleeve. Named after Lord Raglan, a likeable chap who dedicated his life to the military and Great Britain, and involved in the battle described in The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1964). In one of the great ironies of tailoring history, Lord Raglan was the one who gave the Earl of Cardigan the order that was misunderstood and led to the near complete massacre of the Light Brigade. Cardigan, meanwhile, was described as 'an ass' and 'unusually stupid', but he did dress rather well!

Some years before that, Raglan had his right arm amputated following damage it received at the battle of Waterloo. His tailor then designed a special short coat for him with a diagonal sleeve seam running from under the arm to the neckline making it easier for Lord Raglan to dress himself.

Field Coat - ideal for country pursuits including shooting and fishing, and absolutely at home with a pair of corduroy trousers and tattersall-check shirt. Usually in hard wearing tweed. Warm, water resistant and practical, an inspiration for wax jackets such as those made popular by Barbour.

Rus in Urbe

Covert - claimed to be invented by both Cordings and Crombie, this started life as a riding coat. Most popular in stone or olive, also in charcoal grey (most suitable for town). Fly-front, Venetian Twill cloth in wool or wool & cotton mix, 3 or 4 rows of stitching to cuff and hem (originally designed to protect the edges when 'hacking through the thicket'), plus options including velvet collar and ticket pocket. Loved by racehorse trainers and city types, alike.

British Warm - the military influence on coating culminated in the classic 'British Warm', in heavyweight melton cloth with epaulettes and leather buttons. Designed for officers in the Great War and favoured, 30 years later, by Winston Churchill.

Polo - in camelhair, soft fleece or tweed, with raglan or inset sleeves, half or full belt, and large patch hip pockets with flap. Originally invented to keep polo players warm between chukkas and sets of tennis. The American outfitter, Brooks Brothers, is usually credited with introducing it's wear into wider society. 

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Comments

  • Thank you Paul, that is very, very helpful! I will be watching for just the right coat. Many thanks again

    Posted by Craig Sibley
  • Hi Craig! We do the sizing for you. If your chest measures, for example, 42 inches then select a coat that we have described as 42 in the item title. We calculate the size including room for movement and to go over a jacket, so a coat that we describe as 42 will usually measure 46-48 inches depending on the cut and structure of the coat, the thickness of the cloth and the purpose intended (shooting coats, for example, require more room to allow the arms to be raised quickly and easily). Jackets, by the way, will usually measure 2-3 inches larger than the size to fit, so a jacket we describe as 42 will usually measure 44-45 inches. Hope this helps. Warm regards, Paul

    Posted by Savvy Row
  • One thing I would like to know (which is absent from your Overcoat Guide) is what size should one purchase an overcoat? Since it needs to go over a suit or sports jacket… should it be a few sizes larger, or are overcoats sized larger for this purpose? It seems sizing could be a bit “tricky” since the coat goes over your other clothes.

    Many thanks,

    Craig Sibley
    Artist, Entrepreneur, Rabble Rouser.

    Posted by Craig Sibley
  • Ihad been looking for A Polo Coat, similar to the one that Noel Coaward had, camel hair with no buttons and, two large patch pockets with flaps and a tie belt, whilst in Thailand I designed one for the tailor to make up and and was delighted with it, get lots of comments on it

    Regards

    Sheridan

    Posted by Shridan Whiteside
  • Maybe it could be added that in any case a coat (I am talking about a single breast, needless to say?) with fly-front buttons is usually more formal than one which has exposed buttons?
    Same goes for pockets: patch ones are less formal in my opinion.

    Posted by Stefano Galli
  • Please do not forget the “Ulster”, a traditional heavy duty coat from this region. Not seen so much now, probably due to modern transport and central heating!

    Posted by Tony Baker MBE.,
  • Thanks for getting in touch. I will set up a ‘Stock Alert’ for you, so that you’ll automatically receive an email when we list any British Warms around your sizes.

    You’ll receive a confirmation email. You just need to click on the link in the email to activate your details.

    You can set up Stock Alerts yourself, at any time, by filling in this short form: http://www.savvyrow.co.uk/pages/stock-alerts

    Hope this helps. Best regards,

    Paul

    Posted by Paul (Savvy Row)
  • Looking for a Melton wool British Warm overcoat
    size 46 long. Or an overcoat in tweed in country colours. i.e. your venetian twill.

    Posted by Maj. Alex HughesO.M.M.,C.D.

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