Friday 9 January 2015

The Chesterfield Overcoat .

Phineas Cole Fall 2013

 The Chesterfield coat is a long, tailored overcoat. It arose along with the lounge suit as an alternative to the highly shaped coats it replaced, such as the frock overcoat with its heavy waist suppression using a waist seam. The Chesterfield has no horizontal seam or sidebodies, but can still be somewhat shaped using the side seams and darts. It can be single- or double-breasted, and has been popular in a wide variety of fabrics, typically heavier weight tweeds, or charcoal and navy, and even the camel hair classic. It has often been made with a velvet collar. These variations make it extremely versatile, so it can be worn with a city suit or even semi-formal dress, as well as casual sports jackets. It was a staple of smartly dressed men's wardrobes from the 1920s to 1960s, and is still very commonly worn.

It was named after the Earl of Chesterfield.
No waist seams or front darts (up until then, those were the standard)
Single-breasted fly front
Short, notched lapel
Velvet collar (optional)
Straight side pockets – it looks like a flap pocket but it could be a jetted pocket
No cuffs
Single back vent and an otherwise plain back


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