Is this a Covert Coat?

[Destinys Agent]

Hi Guys,

I've temporarily absconded from the Hats part of the forum to ask this question:

If anyone is an old fogie like me in the UK, you might remember a great TV Cop series called 'The Professionals' in the late 70s. It's being run on CBS Action in the afternoons to this day. Anyway, the character George Cowley, played by the brilliant and sadly missed Gordon Jackson, often wore a coat seen here:

Apologies for the small pics but it's the best the internet can provide ;-)

Am I correct in saying this is a Covert Coat? I'd really like one and I want to know if I'm looking for the right thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Edward]

Hard to tell from the photos, but it could be. As I understand it, the crucial thing about a covert coat is the cloth from which it is made. There are also other common details. Three rows of stitching around the hem and cuffs hearken back to its origins as a groundsman's garment (before it was adopted by the upper classes as a practical garment) - can't tell on size of photos here if that's the case. Buttons are typically covered when the coat is fastened - seems to be the case here. Never seen one without the breast pocket - I use it to stow gloves. The velvet collar is common, though not a requisite part of the Covert. The length is correct for a covert here - just on the knee. You do see overcoats cut to a very similar pattern often these days. A true covert is not Winter weight, but would be worn in similar sorts of weather as you'd wear a trench or a mac as opposed to a heavy wool overcoat. The lighter casual jackets being sported by Bodie and Doyle (?) suggest that if they have been consistent in the costume department a covert would be the appropriate weight for the time of year in which that scene is set.

Price varies enormously - I've seen some as low as about seventy quid, but they looked rather dubious, quality wise. Hackett do one for GBP500, which looks very close to the coat in the photos:

John Lewis also have their own-brand take on this, looks very similar to me. Currently on sale for GBP112:

Never handles one of the JL own bands, though I can vouch for the quality of Charles Tyrwhitt's offering, currently about GBP170 in their sale:
http://www.ctshirts.co.uk/men's-out...vert-coat?q=gbpdefault||OC007DGY|||||||||||||

Roderick Charles and several others do nice options, but they tend to favour the earthtones that are more traditional. I have one of theirs myself - an excellent coat. It lacks the velvet collar, which in this olive shade I find a bonus (velvet on the olive tends to be brown or a shade that would make it clash when worn with blacks / blues etc; I appreciate the flexibility). If you;re looking for one to match the one on screen here, though, you won't I think find a grey in Roderick Charles.

 

[Destinys Agent]

Cheers Edward. A very comprehensive answer. I'll keep my eyes open for a bargain although the Charles Tyrwhitt you pointed out is the nicest I've seen. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

For comparison, this is a covert coat:

 

[Destinys Agent]

Thanks Marc That's useful too.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
You're very welcome! And here's AlanC's covert coat:

 

[Doctor Damage]

Definitely the short length and the rows of stitching around the cuffs and hem are important features; collars not so much.

 

[Destinys Agent]

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You're very welcome! And here's AlanC's covert coat:

That's lovely Marc. I was interested in a grey one but now...

 

[Edward]

Now's a good tie to be buying, with the sales (just) still on.... Jermyn Street has plenty of places selling them for £200 or less (full price is normally significantly to the Norrth of that). I was eyeing the grey and navy ones in Charles Tyrwhitt, though I must check out the John Lewis grey at that much of a saving... Not coats you could wear all Winter, I should stress, but for Autumn (September to November) and late Winter / Early Spring until May or so, a nice, sharp alternative to a trenchcoat. I'd still choose the Burberry first for very wet days, but these are a really nice alternative the rest of the time.