Greatcoats

[Banzai]

I've seen a number of old Communist Bloc Greatcoats (Soviet/Bulgarian/etc) floating around on e-bay. They go pretty cheap, and just might be the accessory I need for my upcoming move to Minneapolis. Yes, I'm going to move there in the middle of December!

I figure, if it was made to withstand a Moscow winter, well...

My thought was that I could "de-militarize" it by removing some of the epaulets, insignia patches, etc., and be left with a fine, thick, wool coat. Unless it's not fine, or thick, and is a moldy old piece of junk that still looks way too Soviet and not nearly as Sherlock-cool as I would like.

Any thoughts? Anyone have one of these?

It seems that very few modern clothing makers make a good half-belt wool greatcoat. And yes, I'm going to try to pirate Sherlock's look a bit, but also stay warm through one of the coldest winter cities in the U.S.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Many of us wore great coats in the 1980's - it was a look. But I'm afraid the Sherlock look to me only works if you are tall and thin. A long great coat can look look pretty shabby. I'd leave it as it comes but perhaps swap out the buttons.

 

[Carlos840]

I would look at the British Navy or RAF beofer i look at the russian ones if i were you.
To me they are more civilian looking, also, they are blue rather than grey or green.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-B...hash=item5d508a15ba:m:mlnzkfeKbnPZZtpJqReTMJw

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Maybe you'd be better off looking for a long wool ( vintage) overcoat on the bay rather than a military greatcoat, otherwise you might end up with a ' Jack Harkness' look rather than that of Sherlock's urban chic..

 

[Doctor Damage]

Don't bother with ex-Soviet or Russian stuff, it was never good quality and the Soviet regime didn't really care about its soldiers. Others here are right, make sure you're tall and thin and keep in mind ex-military stuff like this is best for casual weekend wear. There's lots of western European greatcoats around, and even old US ones, most of which will be better choices. Also, please don't ever remove badges, ranks, or buttons from vintage military clothing - keep history intact as much as possible - if you don't want badges etc then look for a coat which doesn't have them. I should also note that a wool greatcoat won't be of much use in Minneapolis. I live in southern Ontario and our winters are slightly better than Minnesota. Although I have several old military greatcoats, they're all quite useless in serious cold. Get something insulated. I know you don't want to hear that, and maybe you have to learn the hard way, but I think you should listen. I'm keeping my greatcoats as a collection only and I wear a proper insulated Can. Forces parka for winter.

 

[skydog757]

I would agree with the good Doctor regarding the wool greatcoats; they generally don't shed wind or snow easily, the open upper chest area is usually pretty deep necessitating a thick scarf, the lack of a zipper allows wind to bore through gaps between the buttons and wool is no longer the best material for retaining warmth. So, not the best for extreme cold. However, they certainly have a "sweet spot" during less extreme conditions and there are some which are lined with an insulating material.

 

[ButteMT61]

I've got Soviet repop Greatcoats. That's the way I'd go. They're fantastic, but take a little bit to ship over here.
WE use these guys - I think they also have an eBay presence. I'll find that later.
They make amazing stuff, and the prices are good. I'll see if I can get some pics too...
http://schusters.ru

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

Don't bother with ex-Soviet or Russian stuff, it was never good quality and the Soviet regime didn't really care about its soldiers. ..

I beg to differ. I have had an old Soviet coat and it was a marvellous piece, perhaps made for a higher rank. The cloth was very good and the construction too. I eventually swapped it for a heavy civilian overcoat.

It's a myth that Soviet-made clothing was poor...there was and has been equal amounts of rubbish coming from North America and Europe at the bottom end. I don't think any 'regime' cares very much for its soldiers, the U.S. Canada and Europe included.

 

[tropicalbob]

I'd certainly never argue with a Canadian when it comes to extreme cold (especially considering where I now reside), but I grew up on NY harbor and wore an overcoat for most of my adult winters. A good Loden coat or a Harris Tweed, if you layer sweaters and jackets under it, will not only keep you warm and dry but I make you look stylish as well. I've been mooning over a McGregor Harris Tweed on Etsy this past week that's going for a mere $35.00. Someone please give it a decent home!

 

[tropicalbob]

N.B. Keep in mind that some of the Russian overcoats, like the WWI American Army overcoats, can be prohibitively heavy and cumbersome, the kinds of coats that will hang in your closet and get worn maybe once or twice a year.

 

[Sloan1874]

I'm currently wearing a Black wool Crombie great coat, a remake based on their old RAF pattern, over a thin shirt , and it's doing a bang-up job of keeping me warm.

 

[Smithy]

Many of us wore great coats in the 1980's - it was a look. But I'm afraid the Sherlock look to me only works if you are tall and thin. A long great coat can look look pretty shabby. I'd leave it as it comes but perhaps swap out the buttons.

I lived in one in the late 80s as well. Bought it at an army surplus shop and it was a British Police one with Lancashire Constabulary buttons on it. Was actually fairly nice and very warm. I have no idea what happened to it, probably got chucked out by my parents when I moved out. A lot of stuff mysteriously disappeared when I went flatting!

 

[ButteMT61]

We use our Greatcoats as an extra layer when camping. Note that we use only WWII vintage or repop gear, so when it's 17ºf and you're sleeping on frozen dirt, it helps. They are heavy - mine is a size 60 Russian. I'd have to weight it but I bet it's over 15 lbs for sure.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I beg to differ. I have had an old Soviet coat and it was a marvellous piece, perhaps made for a higher rank. The cloth was very good and the construction too. I eventually swapped it for a heavy civilian overcoat. It's a myth that Soviet-made clothing was poor...

Now that I think back a friend of mine's roommate had a black Soviet cadet bandsman's greatcoat which was extremely heavy and thick - that was well made. But that would have been from an academy or something and not quite rank-and-file. As for quality, I suggest reading about the Soviet experience in Afghanistan. I suspect most Soviet stuff available today are reproductions, including (sadly) the sailor's pea jacket I have (which is a million times cooler than USN pea coats).

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

The Afghanistan adventure was the tail-end of the USSR and I think deterioration of clothing quality (and supply), though probably worse there by then, had become evident in most of the western world too.

Quite a few of the vintage British examples for officers - WWI, WWII etc - were not 'stock' items, but bespoke; either paid for by the owner or by fiddling army expenses for their own use. Those coats are great (in both senses!). Some of the British stock items are not that brilliant, though probably good in comparison to some of the tripe available new today.

 

[mihai]

Esp during the very cold days (below zero) I wear greatcoats. I have a vintage Russian one - royal blue, air force. It's a fantastic coat, dense and heavy wool. In case of blizzard you can close the lapels and it's perfect. I'd say it's warmer than my N-3B parka. One downside is that is heavy. Another is that it makes you look like Danko in Red Heat movie. But I can stand wearing something a bit different than the rest, while going to work. As long as is tidy and no distressing it's all right.
I prefer military greatcoats bc of their trim build. I have more of an X body structure and I find that a civilian overcoat floats around my waist.
I'd say that the eastern block coats quality is at least as good as those of US ww2 green overcoats(I mean those for ordinary solders, not those having smooth shell for superior ranks).

 

[Smithy]

British examples for officers - WWI, WWII etc - were not 'stock' items, but bespoke; either paid for by the owner or by fiddling army expenses for their own use. Those coats are great (in both senses!). Some of the British stock items are not that brilliant, though probably good in comparison to some of the tripe available new today.

Traditionally it was normal for officers to source their uniforms (including greatcoats, formal mess dress, and other specialised items) from a number of tailors who specialised in providing uniforms to the various branches of the military. This grew out originally from the fact that officers were usually from the upper classes (obviously this changed during WWI but it persisted throughout the interwar years and the early years of WWII). Officers were given a certain stipend with which to source their uniforms from various tailors who offered military uniforms, and for some they chose to use some of their own money to use the very best tailors. One for example was Hawkes of Savile Row (no Gieves at this point as they had not merged in the war years) was a particular favourite of officers with a little extra coin in the back pocket.

I've handled a few Service Dress uniforms, and from especially WWII, and a couple were from senior officers from the interwar and early war period and were beautifully tailored.

 

[Banzai]

Wow, thanks for all the great info! Certainly gives me some things to think about before I actually pull the trigger on one of these, if I do.

In the meantime, my Lands End Peacoat will hold me over. It's pretty darn warm.

 

[heron163]

back in the '80's, one of the exercises a soviet soldier had to endure during basic training was a night out with his greatcoat; no other sleeping bag, tent etc, Don't discount how warm they can be...

 

[ButteMT61]

back in the '80's, one of the exercises a soviet soldier had to endure during basic training was a night out with his greatcoat; no other sleeping bag, tent etc, Don't discount how warm they can be...

All you get is a Greatcoat and a plash palatka. That's about what we use too. They only allowed the cold weather stuff in severe conditions (Ushanka, etc). Tough b*stards...