This coat is recognised by all gentlemen you can see. Among the orthodox clothes, it is the only one with a hat. Of course, it’s not that gentlemen don’t wear hats. On the contrary, gentlemen’ hats are not much less than coats, but clothes and hats are the only one, and there is no semicolone.
The Chinese name is Fisherman’s Coat, although even in history, this dress did not start with the fisherman or lead to the popularity. But just call it that.
The origin that everyone agrees with is Belgium, named after the small town of Duffel. Then during World War I, it was carried out by British officers Sir Bernard “Monty” Montgomery and Sir David Stirling.
What we want to discuss is its characteristics, that is, among the many products on the market that can recognise fishermen’s coats at a glance, which are orthodox or more adhere to the historical heritage.
Cloth
In a word, all coats, except trench coats, are made of woollen at the beginning, and the thicker the better, because this is warm clothes. At present, the fishermen’s coats recognised by the U.S. military are made of 80% wool and 20% artificial materials, such as polyester fibre. Therefore, if you can buy 100% wool, then choose this. If you can’t, remember not to buy less than 80% wool. It should always be emphasised that if you choose a classic style for men’s clothing, as long as it is not bad, or the figure is not completely inappropriate, you can wear it all the time. So, choose the good one!
Layout
At the beginning, this coat was very, very loose, because even if the seafarers wore this coat, they could still move freely, such as climbing stairs, masts, etc., leaving space. But this is also very unwarm. Later, the clothes gradually became more suitable for the body shape. However, remember that the coat is never to be slim. Even if it is slightly slim, this is not its main purpose. Under the coat, wear a suit jacket, so proper space is a must. The length is relatively loose, from half of the buttocks to the knees, any length in the middle.
Buttons
This button can be said to be the most iconic feature of the fisherman’s coat. Anyone who sees this button will recognise the coat. It’s very simple. Generally speaking, there are four buttons, but if there are only three, there is no problem. In terms of material, it was first made of wood, and then some British people designed clothes for upper-class people and changed it to horn material. To say more, this is also the material that the buttons of high-end suits should be used. Most of the products now use plastic. From the perspective of buying clothes, of course, if we can buy horns, otherwise we will buy wood and plastic, forget it. Moreover, the British modification has also changed the buckle rope to a leather one, which is not forced.
Neck block
I translated this word blindly, but this is an obvious distinguishing point I found when I was looking at the product at present. Many fishermen’s coats have left this behind. Although it doesn’t affect whether it’s a fisherman’s coat, I personally choose this one because it’s more traditional.
Thickened shoulders
This point is very similar to the trench coat, that is, the shoulders are thickened on each side. The purpose is not to completely wet the clothes and seep into the clothes if the water reaches the shoulders, either because of the rain or on the sea.
The most orthodox, patch pockets, but we can also see a lot of pockets with lids. This depends on personal preference. I like patch pockets.
Cuffs and hem
This is also a place to see if this coat wants to abide by the tradition, that is, the cuffs and hem have a circle of edges.
Although I have said a lot, I think a picture is enough to cover these features. Please take a look.
Finally, let’s talk about the colour. The most traditional colour is, of course, this camel colour, but if your coat is all camel-coloured, it’s really impossible to see it. Moreover, after this dress was liked by Ivy League universities in the United States in the 1940s and 50s, many bright colours also came out, such as red, which I think is quite beautiful.
Sum up
Some people say that this dress is full of student humour, but I don’t think so. I can just say that it is the most relaxed and informal in a gentleman’s dress. As such an iconic and distinctive coat, first of all, every gentleman should have it, and secondly, find a bright and blind colour!