[Harvard'10 Summa]

Yesterday, I made a post asking where I could get a good chesterfield overcoat. I have luckily found some online but am now having trouble deciding.

I came across this one from Hawes and Curtis, and the price is much lower than anything else I have seen. In fact, I am actually suspicious because of how low it is. It is 100% wool, but I would prefer charcoal over navy. Suitsupply offers an MTM service with pure wool overcoats. It is almost twice the price of the Hawes & Curtis, so I am somewhat reluctant. On the other hand, I have never had anything made-to-order and am curious to try. Also, I prefer slim-fitting clothing and Suitsupply is apparently good for that. This one from Oliver Wicks is about $475 and has the exact colour I want.

I should add that I found an off-the-rack from Charles Tyrwhitt, but it is $499. I have a hard time justifying that price when the H&C one is $200 cheaper. Indochina also has an MTM service, but their wools are about 90% wool to 10% cashmere and I would prefer to just have the pure wool.

What I am really wondering is if there is any reason for the H&C to be as cheap as it is. I am actually suspicious, as I have not seen any other pure wool coat for that price. The next cheapest I could find is a pure tweed coat from CW, and that is $350 on sale from $550.

 

[challer]

The HC is low price in part because they cut it 1 foot too short. Same for Suit supply. IMO, you want a break at the knee -4/+8. I'm on the +8 side of things. The cheap coats are inexpensive all for a reason - too little fabric, low quality fabric, cheap labor. On the other hand, I have a 70 yo cashmere coat I inherited from my father. Looks brand new.

 

[drpeter]

First, I think you may want to check with the shops to see if these are US or UK made. At the prices, even with the H&C coat, you may want to make sure it is not made cheaply overseas.

Second, I agree 100% with @challer : The cheap coats are all cutting corners in some department, perhaps in several! Fabric length and quality, structural details, these are things you may not be able to verify from pictures on a website. One example: I have found that many coats, shirts and suits made overseas are often weak in the area of buttons. You wear them a few times and the buttons come off, or else they can chip -- Bad sewing, cheap plastic instead of horn.

Like @challer, I too have excellent older coats. One lovely midnight blue cashmere overcoat, calf length, has been with me for 30 years -- picked it up in Urbana where I was on sabbatical, at a business-closing sale, for $125, marked down from $850. US-made, not a single problem in thirty years, although it is not an everyday winter coat for me.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

First, I think you may want to check with the shops to see if these are US or UK made. At the prices, even with the H&C coat, you may want to make sure it is not made cheaply overseas.

Second, I agree 100% with @challer : The cheap coats are all cutting corners in some department, perhaps in several! Fabric length and quality, structural details, these are things you may not be able to verify from pictures on a website. One example: I have found that many coats, shirts and suits made overseas are often weak in the area of buttons. You wear them a few times and the buttons come off, or else they can chip -- Bad sewing, cheap plastic instead of horn.

Like @challer, I too have excellent older coats. One lovely midnight blue cashmere overcoat, calf length, has been with me for 30 years -- picked it up in Urbana where I was on sabbatical, at a business-closing sale, for $125, marked down from $850. US-made, not a single problem in thirty years, although it is not an everyday winter coat for me.

Spot on. I am pretty sure the H and C hails from Italy.

 

[Harvard'10 Summa]

First, I think you may want to check with the shops to see if these are US or UK made. At the prices, even with the H&C coat, you may want to make sure it is not made cheaply overseas.

Second, I agree 100% with @challer : The cheap coats are all cutting corners in some department, perhaps in several! Fabric length and quality, structural details, these are things you may not be able to verify from pictures on a website. One example: I have found that many coats, shirts and suits made overseas are often weak in the area of buttons. You wear them a few times and the buttons come off, or else they can chip -- Bad sewing, cheap plastic instead of horn.

Like @challer, I too have excellent older coats. One lovely midnight blue cashmere overcoat, calf length, has been with me for 30 years -- picked it up in Urbana where I was on sabbatical, at a business-closing sale, for $125, marked down from $850. US-made, not a single problem in thirty years, although it is not an everyday winter coat for me.

Understood. The H&C is made in Italy.
So between the Suitsupply MTM and Oliver Wicks OTR, which one should I buy?

 

[drpeter]

If I were you, I'd plump for the Suitsupply MTM. It is extraordinarily reasonable for a coat that gives you many of the advantages of a full bespoke coat, and at a price point that is at least a fifth of the cost it would be for a full bespoke model.

Just my inclination: I usually go for the very best option I can afford, and then make sure I take excellent care of my purchase.

 

[Harvard'10 Summa]

If I were you, I'd plump for the Suitsupply MTM. It is extraordinarily reasonable for a coat that gives you many of the advantages of a full bespoke coat, and at a price point that is at least a fifth of the cost it would be for a full bespoke model.

Just my inclination: I usually go for the very best option I can afford, and then make sure I take excellent care of my purchase.

That is a very good point about the Suitsupply; it's a very good made-to-measure coat, and bespoke would certainly be more expensive.
My issue is Suitsupply is still made in China and/ Malaysia, and thus may suffer from the issues alluded by drpeter. The Oliver Wicks is made in Portugal from Italian wool.
I am sure either will make a great coat.

 

[August West]

All of those are too short to be considered overcoats. i think "car coat" is a more apt description. You may already know this, I'm only mentioned it in case you don't.

Overcoats are one of the easier things to find thrifted, and like they say "they don't make 'em like they used to". If you are so inclined, with a little patience you'll wind up with a higher quality garment at a fraction of the cost.

 

[drpeter]

All of those are too short to be considered overcoats. i think "car coat" is a more apt description. You may already know this, I'm only mentioned it in case you don't.

Overcoats are one of the easier things to find thrifted, and like they say "they don't make 'em like they used to". If you are so inclined, with a little patience you'll wind up with a higher quality garment at a fraction of the cost.

I agree with you, they are much shorter than the standard length for overcoats. But apparently it is the new fashion to wear coats that are of the length of car coats, perhaps because they don't tend to cover up the body as much, or perhaps because in modern settings, one does not have to be outdoors for substantial lengths of time.

I had suggested the thrift shop option to the OP in the second of two threads that he started on this topic -- not entirely clear why he started two threads on the same topic, but my recommendation to him in that thread earlier today was to look at thrift shops and vintage coats.

 

[August West]

I agree with you, they are much shorter than the standard length for overcoats. But apparently it is the new fashion to wear coats that are of the length of car coats, perhaps because they don't tend to cover up the body as much, or perhaps because in modern settings, one does not have to be outdoors for substantial lengths of time.

I had suggested the thrift shop option to the OP in the second of two threads that he started on this topic -- not entirely clear why he started two threads on the same topic, but my recommendation to him in that thread earlier today was to look at thrift shops and vintage coats.

My wife (girlfriend at the time) gifted me a brandy new full length Burberry trench coat (the real deal) circa 1995. It hits lower calf if not even possibliy a smidge longer. Being in my 20's at the time, I thought it was a little too much of an "old man" look for me, so I brought it to my tailor and asked him to shorten it a few inches. He refused. I think he may have come up with some make believe reason why it couldn't be done, and I think I may have even bought it at the time. I now know that my tailor did me a tremendous favor.

25+ years later that raincoat still feels bullet proof and sees regular rotation. If my tailor hadn't known better than me at the time, my shortened trench would probably now be relegated to the back of the closet, or donated.

 

[drpeter]

I can fully understand the tailor's logic. In addition to proper lengths for trenchcoats, there is also the fact that the Burberry trench is iconic, has a venerable history ( especially in WW I ), and the original structure should simply not be tampered with in order to satisfy the demands of fleeting (or fickle) fashion.

I have a genuine old camel-coloured Gloverall duffel coat, it looks identical to the one made famous by Field Marshal Montgomery (standing on the deck of that destroyer in rough seas). I would not alter a single bit of it, and there's no need to. Everything works as intended, and it is like a suit of armor. Heavy, warm, and perfect for the Wisconsin tundra.

 

[215339]

Frankly, none.

I think they all look mediocre in terms of styling, fit, warmth, and quality.

If I had to restrict myself to only made in the USA, slim fit, $500USD, and a longer coat than what is average these days, I'd go for this. It is over $500, but oh well.

https://www.schottnyc.com/products/mens-naval-officers-long-overcoat.htm

I also echo the others' opinions in that you're better off searching for thrifted options.

 

[drpeter]

I have Schott pea coats and even a US Navy peacoat. They are great in almost every respect, except one. Even the officer's long coat (like the peacoats) has lapels that look more informal than a chesterfield, polo, or other kinds of coats. The lapels are quite large and with a deeper gorge when compared to standard overcoats. In my opinion, they tend to look rather out of place when paired with a suit or formal clothes. However, if the OP does not mind this look, the Navy coat is great in terms of protection and warmth.

The other matter that concerns me, especially in terms of the outlay of a substantial sum of money for a garment, is the entire online purchase approach. Personally, I would prefer to go to an actual clothes shop and try on a few coats before buying something that would cost me several hundred dollars. Fit around the shoulders can be notoriously dodgy, especially if you want the option of wearing different ensembles under the coat -- suit or sports jacket, sweater, etc. (Note that the thrift shop approach has the great advantage of permitting one to try out the garment). I also dislike the business of trying something bought online at home, then sending it back and trying a different size, etc. But that's just me.

A good overcoat is a serious purchase that one hopes will last you a decade or more. A high-quality garment carefully purchased in person for a tidy sum, will be a far better investment than something picked up online. I also believe in spending a bit more if I can buy quality -- my practice is always to buy the best I can afford, and often that means I will pay more. But the cost, averaged over the life of the garment, is actually much less than would be the case if I bought cheap items and then replaced them frequently.

 

[215339]

I have Schott pea coats and even a US Navy peacoat. They are great in almost every respect, except one. Even the officer's long coat (like the peacoats) has lapels that look more informal than a chesterfield, polo, or other kinds of coats. The lapels are quite large and with a deeper gorge when compared to standard overcoats. In my opinion, they tend to look rather out of place when paired with a suit or formal clothes. However, if the OP does not mind this look, the Navy coat is great in terms of protection and warmth.

The other matter that concerns me, especially in terms of the outlay of a substantial sum of money for a garment, is the entire online purchase approach. Personally, I would prefer to go to an actual clothes shop and try on a few coats before buying something that would cost me several hundred dollars. Fit around the shoulders can be notoriously dodgy, especially if you want the option of wearing different ensembles under the coat -- suit or sports jacket, sweater, etc. (Note that the thrift shop approach has the great advantage of being able to try out the garment). I also dislike the business of trying something bought online at home, then sending it back and trying a different size, etc. But that's just me.

A good overcoat is a serious purchase that one hopes will last you a decade or more. A high-quality garment carefully purchased for a tidy sum, will be a far better investment than something picked up online. I also believe in spending a bit more if I can buy quality -- my practice is always to buy the best I can afford, and often that means I will pay more. But the cost, averaged over the life of the garment, is actually much less than would be the case if I bought cheap items and then replaced them frequently.

I agree, the lapels are absolutely gigantic on many Schott coats.

On the officer coat I posted, it looks disproportionate to the slim fit. It looks more appropriate on the fuller peacoat models.