Mens Duffle Coat!
It’s autumn. Despite the optimistic forecasts, rains and cold winds will certainly come to the city. To protect myself from the frosty weather, one of the best solutions, I would call it a classic coat. It will protect you from dampness, wind and cold. In addition, you will have to wear a hat with a scarf.
However, there is one unique coat that has a classic style and hood at the same time. Today we will talk about the English coat Duffle coat, which is increasingly appearing on the streets of our cities.
To date, there is a huge variety of species of duffle. They differ in style, length, decorative elements, quality of fabric and, of course, color. All of them look great, and you will be interested to know the origin of the coat duffle. How did it get the characteristic hood and large buttons in the form of walrus fangs? Why is it so loved by the English? It is noteworthy that the coat is the only classic coat in the wardrobe of a man who has a hood.
Mens Duffle Coat History
We should start with the Belgian origin of the term “duffle”. The most common myth about the origin of duffle is that the coat is Belgian. The city of Duffel, in the province of Antwerp, was known as the “city of fabrics” in the XV century. It was an exporter of fabrics for the whole of Europe, including supplying “duffle” fabric, which was made of black coarse wool. The coat was named after her. However, the Dufel coat itself was never made in Duffel, nor was it made of genuine Dufel woolen fabric.
he coat duffle coat is considered the ancestor of the Polish frock coat. It was first made in 1820 and gained considerable popularity in Europe in the 1850s. Just like the modern Duffle coat, it had a hood and a horizontal row of buttons. Some time later, at about the end of the 19th century, a tailor from the UK named John Partridge sewed the first samples of Dough cloth’s coat made of thick wool fabric. Buyers liked the coat, and it began to gain popularity every year.
The look of Duffle coat at the time was far from today’s. However, already then there were characteristic wooden buttons. The coat was short, with a very spacious cut. In general, the coat looked like an old biker jacket.
A few years later, the Royal Navy of Great Britain was looking for a wear-resistant and suitable coat for sailors. Duffle coat became part of the British Navy’s ammunition, which is still in use today.
The Peak Of The Popularity Of Mens Duffle Coat
The Duffle coat reached its peak in popularity in the 50s – 60s of XX century for several reasons. First of all, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who loved to appear in public in the duffle coat, contributed to the popularization of coats during the Second World War. That’s why duffle coat in the UK is also known as the monti coat. Was even created wax figure Montgomery, dressed in duffle coat.
After World War II, the military sold surplus Duffle coat to the population, including artists, students and intellectuals. Jean Cocteau, a French writer, poet, artist and playwright, made his own version of the coat in white. As a result, mothers in Europe began to dress their children in them. And the Dutch edition of men’s fashion SIR has published an article entitled “Montique forever”.
Farid Chenoune, the author of the book “History of men’s fashion”, claims that Duffle coat was often worn with sweaters and scarves. And also with corduroy trousers, which can be seen in numerous photographs. But Duffle coat could also be worn with almost any clothes, classic suits and even tuxedos!
Duffle coat are now common in the streets of Europe, although these models are often fashionable interpretations that are far from the original.
Details and Characteristics Of Mens Duffle Coat
Since the 20th century, Duffle coats has usually been made of heavy, coarse wool. The coat has a free style and has a hood. Duffle coat has patch pockets on it, buckles made of textile cord, and instead of buttons wooden or bone “fangs”. It is worth considering every detail of the duffle coat in detail.
Features of the Mens Duffle Coat
The first models of duffle coats looked ridiculous and rude. If you look at old photographs of sailors from England, you’ll see how big the duffle coats were. Particularly low sailors looked lost in such huge clothes.
At the time of the appearance of the duffle coat, the crew of the ships had to move around the rigging of the entire ship, had to climb and jump into the coat, respectively, the free cut was a necessity. On the other hand, the sea is constantly blowing cold wind with rain and it was necessary to keep the body warm. You have to admit that it is difficult to do it in a free coat. Therefore, some sailors tied the doughnut around them with a rope, making a kind of belt. In addition, a cord was attached to the hood so that it would not fall in the wind.
Based on the experience of sailors, the Admiralty came up with some constructive changes in the duffle coat. They became tighter in contact with the body and had a more tight-fitting style. Additional stripes were made on the shoulders to fix the shape and protect them from rain. In general, duffle coat has become similar to modern models.
As for the length of the coat, the original duffle was quite short. During the Second World War, the length increased to the knees or slightly lower. Standard wartime models reached 1.88 meters!
Which Fabric Is Used To Make Mens Duffle Coat
As mentioned above, duffle coat got its name, albeit indirectly, from the Belgian town of duffel, as well as from the rough and heavy woolen fabric produced there. It is worth noting that, by analogy with the coat, got the same name “Duffle bags” or “Dufflebag”.
A duffle coat has never been made from the original black duffle fabric. Instead, they used an analogue: a heavy (1050 grams per meter) woolen cloth with a comb of twill-like twill. Actually, this fabric was called “duffle”. The original color for military duffle-coat was camel. At the beginning of XX century, khaki and dark brown were used. Blue color appeared only in the thirties of XX century. In the 50s, the dark blue color became popular. Today you can find coats in any color, including red, green, olive, gray, yellow, white and others.
In 1950, an Englishman Harold Morris and his wife Freda, who had his own production of workwear for workers, bought excess fabric from the British Navy, along with ready-made duffle coat. They planned to sell the products in the shortest possible time, as the demand, in the post-war period, was very good for coats of this kind.
After a while, the demand for uniforms has fallen. Harold and Freda’s company was re-trained to produce fashionable clothes for men and women. At this time, the brand Gloverall, which is considered one of the best in the production of English duffle coats, appeared. Instead of coarse wool, the Gloverall used a fabric called “loden”. This is an excellent cloth for outerwear, as it is made of felted wool (analogue of felt) and has water repellent properties.
With the rise in popularity in the 50’s and 60’s, coats began to sew from a wide variety of fabrics. At the time, synthetic fabrics were rare, so duffle coats were sewn from camel wool, tweed and even gabardine.
Fang-Shaped Buttons And A Textile Cord On The Coat
Continuous wooden or bone buttons are the most distinctive feature of the duffle coat from all others. Originally a cord made of textile fiber was used in combination with wooden buttons. Globally, they were replaced by more refined ones in the form of fangs in 1954. Today, most of the buttons are made of plastic. Traditionally, for the Royal Navy of Great Britain, 3 buttons with a cord were made; later a fourth button was added.
It is believed that buttons in the form of fangs are more convenient than buttons or round buttons. In my opinion, this is a matter of taste, but on the duffle coat “fangs” certainly look very stylish.
Other Duffle Coat Elements
- The collar clasp on the duffle. Similar to a trench coat, the duffle coat has a clasp under the collar with two buttons. There is no doubt that your neck will be protected from the cold and wind.
- Shoulders on the duffle. On all models of Daflkota additional shoulder pads are sewn, which serve to repel water and prevent premature wear in the shoulder area.
- Patch pockets-Duffle coat has two types of patch pockets: with valves at the top of the pocket and without a valve.
- Lining. The first duffle coat had no lining until 1954. Gloverall added lining to his collections. Interestingly, the original duffle coat had a belt on the inside of the coat, which allowed you to fix the coat to your feet. After the lining was made, the strap was removed.
What To Wear With The Mens Duffle Coat
Traditionally, duffle coat was worn over a military uniform. In the fifties, in addition to uniforms, the duffle coat was worn with various costumes and outfits, including sports suits. Duffle coat does not restrict movement, as it is more spacious than other types of coats. Needless to say, never wear it with a tuxedo, but in general, as Jean Cocteau believed, it’s a pretty versatile coat.
Duffle coat fits well with jeans, chinos, corduroy trousers. Under the coat perfectly fits a classic men’s sweater or other knitwear. With regard to shoes, it is best to wear classic shoes or brooches, also suitable sneakers. I think, do not put on oxfords, as they are too formal look.
If you decide to buy a duffle coat in a bright color such as red or yellow, try to simplify the rest of your outfit, as you will already look stylish and bold. In general, you can conduct experiments, ranging from a classic suit, to a knitted sweater with the image of a reindeer.
Duffle Coat Photos
Conclusion
English duffle coat is one of the best solutions of men’s universal wardrobe. It is suitable for both casual style and formal dress code in autumn and winter. In the winter, of course, you will have to wear something warmer, but up to -10 degrees Celsius, duffle coat will be quite applicable. It is worth noting that the coat allows you to experiment with combinations of colors in clothing, as duffle coat is often worn by people with a nontrivial style: artists, writers, stylists and other creative persons. In addition, the duffle coat is suitable for both students and elderly men. In all age categories, the coat will look great.
With this, we come to the end of this article on Mens Duffle Coat. Hope you enjoyed this and have made up your mind about your favourite Duffle Coat. For more updates like this stay tuned to K4 Fashion.
As always will be glad to your comments.And be sure to follow on Pinterest for more ideas. Good luck!
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