Overcoats: A Short History of Long Coats
“There is no garment which consists of so many varieties to choose from as there is in the overcoat, and each style has its own particular features.” Tailor & Cutter, 3rd October 1912.
Overcoats, in one form or another, have always existed. For as long as man has worn clothes, there have been garments designed to wear over everyday clothing to protect the wearer from cold weather. As a 1917 tailoring guide put it: “The shifting and uncertain temperature which characterizes most of the northern hemisphere makes necessary an overgarment which may be put on or removed to suit the differences in climate.”
First there were furs and leather then, with the advent of weaving, there were loose fitting woollen cloaks and ponchos. Sleeves and fastenings arrived later as styles moved forwards and tailoring slowly developed towards the form that we know today. During the 18th Century overcoats began to adopt styles that remain the basis of the modern overcoat. In the following century, around 1820 waist seams were introduced for both frock coats and overcoats, which dominated the styles for many years to come. However, as the 19th Century progressed, the waist seam gradually fell out of fashion and, in the early 20th Century, men’s overcoats took on the forms that survive, almost unchanged, to the modern day.
When we look at the history of men’s overcoats during the 20th Century, and into the 21st, the names given to overcoats can be confusing. In many cases the style of a particular coat has changed significantly since the Victorian era meaning that, for the modern customer, styles can overlap. To the modern eye, a 21st Century ‘Paletot’ coat is all but indistinguishable from a double breasted Chesterfield coat, while the single breasted Chesterfield – often referred to as a ‘Crombie’ (after the legendary fabric often used for the style) – is an almost identical design as the modern Covert Coat. Then, just to make things even more confusing, most 20th Century menswear designers had little interest in the specifics of named styles and instead concentrated on simply making stylish overcoats. As a journalist noted of the Chesterfield overcoat in 1928: “I daresay there are even some who do not know how a Chesterfield overcoat differs from any other kind.” With that in mind, here’s our general guide to overcoat styles
The Ulster Coat
The Ulster Coat: “A long loose, heavy overcoat for rough or cold weather wear, usually double breasted”. (A Dictionary of Men’s Wear by William Henry Baker. Cleveland (USA) 1908)
The Ulster Coat, which appeared in the middle of the 19th Century, is one of the most easily identified styles of overcoat. This heavy, loose fitting overcoat is claimed to have been first designed by John McGee, the proprietor of John McGee & Co, a menswear shop in Belfast which was established in 1842, with their first version appearing in 1866. The coat’s name came from the Irish province of Ulster, in which Belfast is situated. The original version was a floor length garment, with triple stitching, lined in soft wool, leather lined pockets and a velvet collar. Early models also came with a detachable hood and sometimes with a shoulder cape, both of which are seldom seen on the modern Ulster Coat.
The identifying details of the Ulster Coat are perhaps more obvious than for other styles of overcoat. The coat is generally double breasted and loose fitting, with a belt to cinch it in at the waist. Features include turn back cuffs, swollen seams, patch pockets and a deep wrap, all designed to keep the wearer warm in foul weather. Since it was designed for country wear, the Ulster Coat is routinely made from heavy fabrics, with tweed being the favourite. It is a coat suited to bold herringbone weaves and eye catching checks.
The design includes the distinctive ‘Ulster Collar’, a broad notch collar, cut so that the coat can be buttoned to the neck and the collar folded down or folded up to keep the elements at bay.
With its emphasis on extreme weather and its construction from rustic fabrics, the Ulster Coat was never originally intended for formal occasions or business wear, and to this day it retains a casual appearance.
Of course, as the years passed, the strict definitions changed, resulting in some brands making what they called Ulster coats, but which were without belts. One such examples was the ‘Elysian Ulster, marketed in 1911 as combining “the virtues of an excellent travelling Ulster and a town coat … sufficiently light for walking, and warm enough for motoring, it is an ideal coat for town and country wear.”
Other variants of the Ulster Coat had welted pockets or angled jetted pockets, in place of patch pockets, or wrist straps rather than turn back cuffs, but retained all the other traditional features.
The Polo Coat
In the early 20th Century the popularity of the style of the Ulster Coat led to the style being adapted for purposes other than fighting against wind and rain. A light weight version of the Ulster Coat emerged, sometimes made from flannel, rather than heavy tweeds, the style became known as the ‘Tennis Ulster’, which is the likely forerunner of the Polo Coat.
The name appears to have first been used to refer to ladies wear, with the Polo Coat emerging around 1910 from the London based sporting outfitters Kenneth Durward. Described as a ‘warm and light wrap’, Durward’s Polo Coat was made from blanket cloth. The following year Burberrys started advertising a Polo Coat for men made from camel fleece wool, which it described as “An admirable safeguard against chill. Warm, soft and embracing, it supplies the cosiness and comfort of a dressing gown in an almost featherweight form.” The following illustration shows a Polo Coat by Burberrys in 1911:
The light weight nature of the coat made it a favoured garment for polo players, who could throw it on between matches and keep warm without overheating. The choices of cloth were deliberately luxurious and expensive. From its early days in flannels and blanket cloth, Polo Coats became increasingly stylish with camel hair, angora, vicuna and llama being favoured by those who could afford it (and if a man could afford to play polo, he could also afford the best tailoring).
Styled like an Ulster Coat, the Polo Coat shared many details with its predecessor: double breasted front, ‘Ulster collar’, belt and patch pockets. With its comfortable light weight cloth, the style also became popular with sportsmen, such as boxers, who had never been near a polo field. It also became a favourite style in Hollywood, with both actors and actresses, wearing Polo Coats as a stylishly casual coat.
As the style developed, Polo Coats became available without belts, with peak lapels and with welted pockets. Other variants included coats with the buckled belt replaced by a sash belt, or without any buttons, which made for a very casual style.
The Guards Coat
There are many overcoats that have a similar appearance and, with the passing of the years, the original names and details have become confused. One of the lesser known names is the Guards Coat. Essentially, from the front, the Guards Coat appears to be the same as the ‘Paletot’ coat or the double breasted Chesterfield (see below). However, the defining feature of this style is that it combines a double breasted front with welted pockets and a rear belt.
Usually made from smooth wools, rather than the heavy tweeds of the Ulster Coat, the Guards Coat is traditionally a city coat, most often seen in dark colours and worn for more formal occasions.
The name is believed to have originated, like so many fashions, in London. The new style came from an innovation, from around 1907, in which young men, in particular off duty officers of the Brigade of Guards, started wearing a knee length overcoat, with a full back, which was held closed by a short buttoned band that was slightly shorter than the back of the coat. It is possible that they chose the distinctive belt back style for their civilian overcoats as it mirrored the belt worn on their regulation greatcoats, thus being a way of indicating that they were Guards officers.
By 1909 the style was described in the tailoring journal, Tailor & Cutter as “becoming more popular every day”, with some versions have a belt that could be completely removed. Describing it as “one of the handsomest coats of the British Army” one tailoring journal noted of the official Guards greatcoat pattern “In design and colour it is dashing and attractive, and to see a tall Guardsman striding across Green Park thus clad is to see a very picturesque figure. It is unlikely, whatever may happen elsewhere, that the guards coat will be superseded.” The following illustration shows a coat from 1911:
As reported by the Tailor & Cutter in 1915: “An overcoat that is being shown in many of the smart tailors’ shop windows is made with a half belt behind, and a pleated or military back. It is quite shapely at the waist, and is called by some firms the Guards Coat.” The pattern (below) is from 1918:
The style remained through the passing of the years, coming in and out of fashion. In 1924 it was reported as being one of the most popular styles, before slipping out of favour in the late 1920s and, by 1930, the style was said to be dead in London and other large towns. However, during the early 1930s the Guards coat enjoyed a revival resulting from the patronage of younger male members of the Royal Family who wore the style both in the daytime and over evening dress. The coats below are from 1931 and 1945:
With the passing of the years the style became almost forgotten outside of the world of tailoring, where the names of garments are prized by the major tailoring houses which have a deep respect for tradition. That said, the elegant front combined with the detail of the rear belt give the Guards Coat an enduring appeal for those with a sense of style.
Chesterfield Coat
“The Chesterfield Overcoat continues to be one of the most popular styles in overgarments for the forthcoming season, and the probability is that it will continue to be so for many years to come.” Tailor & Cutter, October 1911.
The Chesterfield overcoat is one of the all time classic overcoat designs, being widely seen as a comfortable and convenient style. As noted in an 1896 tailoring journal, “the fit is generally of the easy type, straight hanging, but slightly defining the waist.” As early as 1883, one advertiser noted that the style was “too well known to need description, elderly gentlemen wear no other.” As noted in the tailoring journal ‘Tailor & Cutter’ in 1917, the Chesterfield overcoat was “a style that never goes out” and “Always fashionable and up to date”. Popular in brown, blue and black melton wool, the Chesterfield’s modest styling – compared to the fancy details of some of its rival styles - was also favoured by men who, according to tailors, “avoid the fast and conspicuous”. Its continued popularity over 100 years later suggests they were right!
Even in the early years there were variants on the style, such as the ‘French Back’ Chesterfield, which had a shaped back and the ‘Frock Chesterfield’ – which had a waist seam. In the 1890s it was also available with a one one piece back (for a boxier cut) or with a rear seam (for a more fitted look). In 1905 a new style was introduced, incorporating the rear seam, which made it a more close fitting coat. This new style was considered different to the earlier, boxier cuts, which became known as a ‘Sac Chesterfield’). In 1897 the tailoring journal Tailor & Cutter described the Chesterfield’s popularity as stemming from being “easy fitting without any undue closeness”, and later noted that it was suited to all shapes of men. The following illustration shows a Chesterfield from 1886:
In its modern iteration, the Chesterfield is routinely thought of as a single breasted overcoat, around knee length, with a fly front and, often, a velvet collar. It is the style that, during the last half of the 20th Century also became known as a ‘Crombie’, taking its name from Crombie, the Scottish mill whose heavy wool cloth was famous for being used to make Chesterfield overcoats. With a ‘Crombie’ cloth label inside the coats, it was just a matter of time before the cloth names became adopted for the fashionable single breasted overcoats of the day.
Yet the Chesterfield coat has a much longer, and more varied, history than its modern iteration might suggest. Named in the mid 19th century after Lord Chesterfield, who favoured a single breasted coat with a plain back, the style was reported to have antecedents such as the ‘Connaught’, an earlier single breasted coat. As early as 1897 the fly fronted Chesterfield coat was reported as having been the most popular overcoat for over 15 years, with all other attempts at designing a rival – such as the Paddock Coat or the Double Breasted Sac Coat – failing to break its hold on the market.
By 1908 the style had taken on many of its current stylings, being described as “A single breasted, fly front overcoat, of medium length, having a plain back with or without a centre seam.” That said, changes continued and in 1913 the style was reported to be getting fuller in the skirt. In 1917 a variant with three inverted pleats to the rear, a double breasted front and an all round belt, became available. Some Chesterfield coats adopted silk faced lapels for a more formal look, similar to a frock coat. The following pattern is from 1916:
By the time the single breasted Chesterfield overcoat reached the 1930s it was once again being reported as being favoured by older men, with younger men preferring the double breasted version. The following photographs show a selection of mid to late 20th Century single breasted Chesterfield coats:
Double Breasted Chesterfield Overcoats
As previously discussed, the Chesterfield overcoat came in many variants, including double breasted versions. Furthermore, as has already been noted, the terminology used for overcoats is imprecise, with names and designs changing over the years and between countries. Even tailoring companies used alternative names for some designs. With manufacturers always wanting to gain an advantage over their rivals, new names were applied to overcoats in the hope of convincing customers they were buying something unique. The following illustration shows a double breasted Chesterfield coat from 1894:
One area where names and designs overlap is between the Chesterfield and the Paletot overcoats. In modern menswear, the name Paletot (correctly pronounced Paleto, according to Tailor & Cutter in 1896) is routinely applied to double breasted overcoats with a plain back … i.e. the same design as the double breasted Chesterfield overcoat. Just to further confuse matters, the Paleto – just like the Chesterfield - originally came in both single breasted and double breasted designs, with fly front or as button through, with some of the single breasted versions having peak lapels – as did some single breasted Chesterfields. The overlapping between the two designs was recognised within tailoring circles, with patterns recommending tailors to take measurements in the same way as if they were making a Chesterfield, and the two were sometimes considered to be interchangeable, as note in the Tailor & Cutter in 1868, “Paletot’s (or as some call them Chesterfields).”
However, in their roots, the two styles were distinctly different, with the Paletot being described by Tailor & Cutter in 1894 as being “more dressy” than the Chesterfield and being a “smarter coat in every way”. The Chesterfield overcoat was famous due to its plain back, with early designs not even having a rear seam. By way of contrast, the classic late 19th Century Paletot was defined by the design of the coat’s rear, which resembled that of the frock coat. The design was described as having a single breasted Chesterfield front with a frock coat back, leading to the style being described in 1893 as a ‘Frock Overcoat’. Just to confuse matters even further, overcoats with a Chesterfield front and Paletot back were sometimes referred to as ‘Ulsterettes’ in the USA.
In its origins, the Paletot was originally a loose fitting overcoat – usually made from Venetian twill (aka ‘Covert cloth’) - which first appeared in the 1830s and was popular in sporting circles, being described as “a summer racing coat” and being “fashionable for walking or riding”. The following illustration shows a Paletot from the 1850s, in the early loose style:
An 1850s tailoring guide described it as “a garment having no seam across the waist, and in which the skirt is of one piece with a forefront. These extends a great variety of style in this garment, resulting from the place of the seams, which may be combined in a hundred different ways, as also from extra looseness given either behind, in front, in the sides, or all around. Paletots may be cut tight fitting in the body, in order to be worn without an undergarment, but in this case is so very rare that we may nearly say it does not exist.”
The rear of the Paletot had side body panels, similar to those seen on frock coats. It also had pleats in the sideseams beneath the waist. Just to confuse matters, tailors also pointed out the similarities between the Paletot and another overcoat of the period, the Paddock Coat. The following illustration, from 1896, shows the distinctive side panels of the Paletot (right) compared with the Paddock Coat (left):
However, during the 1890s, the use of side panels on Paletot coats began to decline. As a result, in 1893 the Tailor & Cutter described the Paletot as being interchangeable with the Paddock Coat.
During the 1890s, the Paletot was among the most fashionable garments, with one 1894 journal stating “The Paletot Overcoat will doubtless meet with a very large increase in patronage, and will indeed be the fashionable overcoat of the season. No young gent, who aims at being in fashion, will be without it.”
In 1896 the Tailor & Cutter reported on the Paletot: “The Paletot Overcoat is still very popular, and instead of being principally confined to sporting circles, as when first introduced, it is being worn by the general public. Dark grey materials of a more or less rough surface are exceedingly popular, and these are for the most part finished with velvet collars, and sometimes cuffs. The pockets are generally put in on the slant, but this is by no means universal.” The following illustration shows a Paletot coat by Burberry (1913):
Although the double breasted style of overcoat continued to be popular, by the 1920s the term ‘Paletot’ had largely fallen out of use, except for in women’s wear. Instead, British menswear companies continued to use the name Chesterfield for double breasted overcoats. There were some later examples of the Paletot back, however they were rare, such as this French overcoat from 1929:
As the years passed, the style developed, often in keeping with the fashions of the period. Vents came and went, according to the tastes of the day. In the late 1920s the wrap on the coat got wider and in the 1930s the button stance changed and high waists became fashionable, reflecting the favoured styles of double breasted suit jackets. Similarly, when jacket shoulders got softer, so too did the shoulders on the Chesterfield. Lapels widened with the tastes of the day, as did the chest. Lapels took on a soft roll, rather than being pressed flat. By 1934 tailors were reporting that men were ordering their Chesterfields longer than the previous year.
Despite the changes, to this day, the double breasted Chesterfield overcoat remains a recognisable style. It’s a style of coat that, when made from sober cloths, retains a certain formal elegance. And, just like in earlier years, when made from heavy herringbone wools or flecked fabrics, the Chesterfield can be an eye catching alternative to the belted Ulster coat. The following illustrations show 1930s Chesterfields in less formal fabrics:
Some examples of mid to late 20th Century double breasted Chesterfield Coats.
The Covert Coat
Just as the Polo coat is a close relative of the Ulster coat, the Covert coat ( or ‘Cover Coat “please don’t call it covert”, according to the Tailor & Cutter in 1880) owes much of its style – particularly in its modern versions – to the single breasted Chesterfield overcoat, with its relatively short length distinguishing it from the longer Chesterfield. In many ways, the Covert Coat is one of the most easily identified styles, courtesy of the rings of stitching around the cuffs, a feature that has survived for more than 150 years.
The style derives from equestrian wear, with one account from 1907 describing it as a “short box overcoat … designed for riding, driving or country wear …”. It started life as primarily a spring or summer riding coat due to its shorter length. By 1880 it was already a popular style: “The fashionable Overcoat is the Covert Coat, usually made of drab mixtures in Buckskin and Tweed; it is worn short, single breasted with fly, edges double stitched and seams the same; cuffs generally stitched in rows about five or six inches deep, vents at sides, and four pockets and flaps outside.” Three years later, one journalist noted “This is now quite a popular garment – large numbers of young gents now wearing nothing else.” As noted by another in 1884: “this coat seems to have taken a hold upon gay and sporting young gentlemen”.
In 1893 the tailoring journal Tailor & Cutter described the coat’s style: “It is a smart close fitting overcoat ... It has no vent in the back but one is placed on either side about 4 inches deep. It is made fairly close fitting in the body, is finished fly front, generally has four out pockets, vis., 2 on the hips, ticket pocket and breast pocket; the latter being sometimes finished with a welt …” The seams were often raised and double stitched and “The sleeves are for the most part finished with five rows of sewing around the cuff”. The journal even offered tailors guidance on how to waterproof the coat with a mixture of “4 ounces of powdered alum and 41/2 ounces of sugar of lead”. The following illustrations show two versions of the original design’s side vents:
What distinguishes the Covert coat from so many styles is the impact it had on British woollen mills. The name ‘Covert’ came from hunting, or ‘riding to covert’, essentially a place where a fox took cover. Such was the coat’s success that in 1901 one tailoring journal noted “The Fly Front Covert Coat is such a well known garment to our readers that a very little description is required.” Furthermore, the Venetian Twill cloth that was routinely used for the coat became known simply as ‘covert cloth’, a tradition that continues to this day. As was noted as early as 1893, Venetian twill: “has now become so associated with Covert coats that many always list it as Covert Coatings.”
Through the first half of the 20th Century the style continued to be favoured for equestrian wear and, as its popularity spread, new variants of the style were found across Europe, as seen in these images.
The style has remained an equestrian favourite but has also become popular as a coat for general wear, now being available in a range of colours.
Balmaccan Coat
In recent years there has been a surge in popularity of the Balmacaan coat. A loose fitting winter coat often made form tweed, with raglan sleeves, and buttoning up to the neck, its given name is a revival of a term that was little used for many years after its initial popularity in the early 20th Century.
The Balmacaan wasn’t the first overcoat to use Raglan sleeves, with the style having already been popular for many years. The Raglan name was adopted during the 1850s, although the style itself had existed before his name was given to it. Indeed, according to one account, the Raglan sleeve was first designed in 1852 by a Scottish tailor, John Anderson, from Edinburgh. His design was known at first as the ‘Apollo Coat’, until Lord Raglan’s status as a hero of the Crimean War led to the garment being re christened. As noted in a tailoring journal in 1898: “there has been a taste developed by our aristocracy for a peculiar make of overcoat known under many names, such as ‘Raglan’, ‘Talms’, or ‘Triangular Coat’, … by whatsoever name it is known, the same garment is meant … An overcoat with a sleeve extending right up to the neck, so that the shoulder is rounded away both back and front”. The raglan sleeve can be seen in this pattern from 1917:
The Balmacaan is reputed to be named after the Balmacaan estate, near Inverness in Scotland, where the style originated in the late 19th Century. In 1915 it was described as an “easy fitting poncho sleeved coat which hangs beautifully from the shoulders. It will be in great demand by the outdoor man.” Despite its Scottish origins, the London based clothing company Kenneth Durward claimed to be the “sole designer and maker” of the Balmacaan, and the company was reported to have copyrighted the name ‘Balmacaan’. The design appeared in his shop windows in 1903, being described as a “novel style of coat” and was “a Raglan coat in the style of the coachman’s Box Raglan, although not as wide round the bottom. The scye extends down to the waist, and the sleeve is arranged to fit it, the object being to allow the wearer to reach his trouser pocket without unbuttoning the front.”
In its earliest versions, the Balmacaan’s raglan (or ‘poncho’) sleeves were cut in a distinctive manner, far removed from those seen on modern iterations of the style. Kenneth Durward’s advertisements stated that it was “Waterproof but not airtight” and was to be worn “where absolute freedom is essential” and was “Specially designed for outdoor sports - shooting, golfing, fishing, driving – The loose sleeves allow the wearer absolute freedom in any position and to withdraw the arms without unbuttoning the coat, thus forming a perfect cape and travelling garment.” The ability to wear the coat as a cape was claimed to be ideal when riding home from field sports. Durward, who was based in Ulster House on London’s Conduit Street, and who was one of the first makers of Polo Coats for ladies, was described as aiming to “bring science to bear on the construction of the clothes which he turns out.”
The following illustrations, from 1902 and 1905, show the distinctive cut of the original Balmacaan sleeves:
Once the coat made the leap from field sports to the high street, the coat’s most distinctive element, its voluminous sleeves, were streamlined into a more regular style of raglan sleeve. This resulted in the style basically overlapping with other styles of raglan sleeved overcoats. The following illustration, from 1915, shows how the earlier sleeve design had become more streamlined:
Some of these raglan coats continued to button to the neck, in a style known as a ‘Prussian Collar’, while others adopted the lapel stylings of other fashionable overcoats – notch lapels and peak lapels were both popular, whilst belts came in and out of fashion. In some cases, even double breasted fronts were worn on Raglan coats. There were both fitted and loose fitting versions of the style, with the looser garments being immediately recognisable as sporting overcoats. The following illustrations show reversible raglan sleeve overcoats from the 1930s:
In the early 1930s the style was reported to be increasingly popular with the “younger set” when in the countryside. However, as the years passed, the name Balmacaan fell out of fashion in the UK. For many years, loose fitting raglan sleeved overcoats were simply known as Raglan coats and it is only in recent years, with the revival of the style as a favoured garment for people in an interest in menswear, that the name has returned to common use. The result is that the modern ‘Balmacaan’ hardly resembles the garment that is its name is derived from.
Raglan Sleeve overcoats from the 1950s and 1960s:
The British Warm
“Coat for a man of substance, a man’s man: British warm overcoat, originally designed for officers, but since commandeered by civilians.” Queen, 15th December 1965.
The British Warm – which was initially known by tailors as the ‘British Warmer’ - is a very distinctly British style of overcoat which was developed in the early 20th Century, originally as a military coat to be worn by Army and Royal Navy officers who required the freedom of movement that was denied to them when wearing the regulation greatcoats of the day. Since greatcoats were heavy and long, they impeded movement when in combat situations. In early 1914, just months before the outbreak of the First World War, Tailor & Cutter reported on a a visit to Jaeger’s London showroom where they were shown “a military overcoat made from fleecy blanket cloth, light in weight, but warm. This is a distinct speciality of the firm, and has been named the ‘British Warm’, and is supplied among others to many of the leading West End firms.” By December 1914, just months after the outbreak of war, it was reported that large numbers of British officers serving on the Western Front had abandoned their greatcoats in favour of the ‘British Warm’.
It was originally a War Office approved design which was amended to the desires of army officers who “made the style” and set the precedent for the established pattern that exists to this day. As officers ordered their coats from tailors, having them made according to their personal preferences, the length of the coat increased during the course of the war, making it closer to a standard overcoat than the original ‘Reefer’ style short jacket that had been intended. The style often had to be cut one size larger since they ordered thicker lining, such as fleece or camel hair, than in the approved design. In some cases it was made with a fur collar.
The design continued to be popular in the aftermath of the First World War and was also revived during the 1940s for the new breed of incoming army officers, although never with same enthusiasm as in the previous war. In part this was due to the higher levels of officers from the lower middle and working class who didn’t have their own tailors nor the money to order tailored overcoats. The following photograph shows a British Warm available from the military uniform supplier ‘Alkit’ cira 1940:
The characteristic elements of the British Warm were a double breasted front, relatively short length, swollen seams, epaulettes, peak lapels, welted pockets, and leather football buttons.
The style wasn’t entirely fresh and, in some cases, it was referred to as a ‘Pea Jacket’ or as an ‘Army Reefer’. The use of these terms showed its relationship to earlier nautical coating and, despite the style’s ongoing recognisably military link to army officers, the pattern for the British Warm was authorised by the War Office to be made in blue cloth and worn by officers of the Royal Navy as well as in brown for army officers, as seen in this pattern from 1916:
During the 1950s the coat continued to be popular, in particular among more mature men, and it was no longer a fashionable garment. During the 1950s and 1960s the British Warm was routinely used by film makers as a way of showing that a character was a serving, or retired, army officer, as seen in this still from ‘The Village of the Damned’:
The British Warm was marketed to more mature men something which continued through the latter years of the century, with menswear outfitters such as Dunn & Co stocking the style for many years. In the 1980s the outfitters John Collier even used the retired cricketer Freddie Trueman to advertise the style. This was definitely no longer a style for fashionable young men:
Greatcoats
Whilst this is not the place to discuss the history of military uniforms, it is worth mentioning the influence that the stylings of British Army greatcoats had on overcoat fashions during the 20th Century. Just as the greatcoats worn by members of Guards regiments, developed into fashionable belt back Guards Coats, or the War Office approved British Warm became a popular civilian coat, the regulation British Army greatcoat, as introduced in the early 20th Century, had a definite influence on civilian overcoats as the century progressed. The photographs below show a military greatcoat from the late 1930s and a 1960s civilian overcoat showing the influence of the greatcoat.
As reported by Tailor & Cutter in 1910, the regulation pattern for a military officer’s greatcoat included: “Cloth, drab mixture, milled and waterproofed; double breasted, to reach within a foot of the ground; stand and fall collar, 5 inches deep … fastening with hooks and eyes; cloth tab and button; a 21/2 inch inverted expanding pleat down the centre back, from the collar to the waist, terminating under the back strap; loose turn back cuffs of single material, 6 inches deep; two slits at side, 10 inches long …” At this point in time, the regulation greatcoat featured raglan sleeves, something that was soon replaced. Later in 1910, the War Office released a new pattern in which regular sleeves replaced the previous raglan sleeves.
Four years later, just in time for the outbreak of war, the War Office introduced an updated pattern which featured a wider skirt than previous versions. Whilst officer’s greatcoats were double breasted, in this period other ranks mostly wore a single breasted style. The following illustration shows a greatcoat pattern from 1914:
In the aftermath of the First World War, the greatcoat largely disappeared, apart from military surplus coats which were often worn as overcoats by men requiring hardwearing, warm coats when working outdoors. That said, the style was regularly returned to by tailors and designers wanting to offer slim fitting, elegant coats to their customers. In keeping with this tradition, the greatcoat continues to influence overcoat designs into the 21st Century. The following photographs show civilian overcoats from the 1930s displaying the obvious influence of the military greatcoat:
