Show Us Your OVERCOATS

[Doctor Damage]

Philip has had that loden coat for a long time - see b&w photo below (click for larger)

 

[Michael A]

Notice: Tweedydon has just posted one of the finest Loden coats to be found anywhere in the Classifieds. A gorgeous, warm coat with just a touch of military style at a ridiculously great price. I bought one thirty years ago and still wear it when I head up north in the winter.

That is a seriously nice Loden on offer. If it were in hand so I could try it on I would be very tempted, though I have no need for another coat.

Here's another Harris tweed coat (click for larger).

Some really nice coats you've been posting photos of Doctor D. Love that Harris tweed. They look like they are good heavyweight models too. The over check on Mr Gambons coat is very nice, but I think the coat looks like it could be a bit large for him in the shoulder area. Maybe not.

Michael

 

[Doctor Damage]

Prince Edward. This is a fav coat of mine. (click for larger)

 

[belfastboy]

Notice: Tweedydon has just posted one of the finest Loden coats to be found anywhere in the Classifieds. A gorgeous, warm coat with just a touch of military style at a ridiculously great price. I bought one thirty years ago and still wear it when I head up north in the winter.

I bit on the Loden offered by Tweedy Don. I don't need another coat but this one was too wonderful to pass up.
Now, I wonder, what colour fedora goes with a loden green?

 

[Celia]

I bit on the Loden offered by Tweedy Don. I don't need another coat but this one was too wonderful to pass up.
Now, I wonder, what colour fedora goes with a loden green?

Traditionally, a charcoal coloured Austrian hat I believe

 

[belfastboy]

Traditionally, a charcoal coloured Austrian hat I believe

Okay but I am not wearing Lederhosen underneath it all!

 

[Celia]

Okay but I am not wearing Lederhosen underneath it all!

Haha, I would hope not I'd still go for charcoal with green. You could try brown to match the buttons of course...

 

[tropicalbob]

I bit on the Loden offered by Tweedy Don. I don't need another coat but this one was too wonderful to pass up.
Now, I wonder, what colour fedora goes with a loden green?

Good for you. You're going to love that coat. Every time I go up to NY in winter I wear mine, particularly because I know I'll be spending a lot of time in the great freezing outdoors smoking cigs. I stand on my brother's deck and pretend I've got guard duty at the Russian front. I'll go with gray as well, but I'd also experiment with the browns.

 

[tropicalbob]

Okay but I am not wearing Lederhosen underneath it all!

I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the coat when it arrives. Cheers.

 

[belfastboy]

I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the coat when it arrives. Cheers.

Yes, I will give you my opinion. I live in Canada but have most of my online purchases shipped to a border town and have asked James to delay shipment til after Christmas. It will be mid January before I actually get my hands on the coat.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Recently I took a swing at a couple of used, H&M short overcoats on the Bay, being sold by some guy in the UK. You never know with H&M since some of their stuff is really nice and some is thin and cheap. Today two really heavy, well made overcoats arrived in the mail (one black, one mustard). They've got a bit of a musty smell, but I'll leave them hanging in the office over the holidays and that should do the trick since it's winter and I can't hang them outside. Then I'll get them dry cleaned and start wearing them. It was a total roll of the dice, but I scored this time.

 

[Michael A]

Will be looking forward to pics of both the loden and the two H & M coats from you guys.

Michael

 

[Doctor Damage]

(click for larger)

 

[Doctor Damage]

Jimmy Stewart (click for larger)

 

[Doctor Damage]

Recently I took a swing at a couple of used, H&M short overcoats on the Bay, being sold by some guy in the UK. You never know with H&M since some of their stuff is really nice and some is thin and cheap. Today two really heavy, well made overcoats arrived in the mail (one black, one mustard). They've got a bit of a musty smell, but I'll leave them hanging in the office over the holidays and that should do the trick since it's winter and I can't hang them outside. Then I'll get them dry cleaned and start wearing them. It was a total roll of the dice, but I scored this time.

Closer inspection reveals that the way these coats have their collar sewn to the liner creates some lumps, which may or may not be irritating while wearing. I haven't tried them on yet since they're not clean. We shall see. The musty smell is gone, thankfully, so it was just a surface thing picked up by being stuffed in a plastic bag in a cargo container crossing the Atlantic.

 

[Doctor Damage]

If you are working on truly tailored clothing, the type where they used ironwork to shrink and stretch the fabric, you must be very careful with the steamer. If it is more run of the mill stuff, read modern, you still need to be careful around seams because they are still frequently differentially stretched to achieve shaping. For tailored clothing a dry iron and a damp press cloth are better choices. If the ridges the cleaners raised are due to loose pocketing you can put a piece of cardboard between the pocketing and the front of the coat. That will prevent the ridge. You can do the same thing when you are ironing vents or other parts where there is overlap.

I agree, a good cleaner is hard to find. Or at least a good presser. If I acquire a jacket where the lapel has been pressed incorrectly I locate the break in the canvassing as best I can and then put a wooden dowel, something around a 1/2" diameter, down that line. Then I steam the break while stretching or shrinking, as may be required, to get a gentle roll and proper lay of the edges.

Michael, thanks very much for your advice in this matter. I took a shot at my Hugo Boss overcoat today and had a lot of success, which I put down to the high quality of the cloth. The biggest issue was the iron marks on the front chest. I steamed it good and then rubbed it in circular motions with my linen cloth (which I use to protect wool when ironing), and about 95% of the marks are gone. I hope they don't return of their own volition, but I suspect they won't. I also dealt with some wrinkles in a few other places pretty successfully. The tip of one lapel still refuses to uncurl, however, so perhaps I'll give that another shot another time, or just leave it alone. Anyways, success! and I didn't have to take a chance on another cleaner.

 

[Michael A]

Michael, thanks very much for your advice in this matter. I took a shot at my Hugo Boss overcoat today and had a lot of success, which I put down to the high quality of the cloth. The biggest issue was the iron marks on the front chest. I steamed it good and then rubbed it in circular motions with my linen cloth (which I use to protect wool when ironing), and about 95% of the marks are gone. I hope they don't return of their own volition, but I suspect they won't. I also dealt with some wrinkles in a few other places pretty successfully. The tip of one lapel still refuses to uncurl, however, so perhaps I'll give that another shot another time, or just leave it alone. Anyways, success! and I didn't have to take a chance on another cleaner.

I hope the H&M coats work out for you. Glad to hear the ironing went well. The curl at the lapel point might be caused the the side on the direction it is curling toward having been shrunk by steam or the iron. Just speculation on my part. Could also be shrinkage of the canvas I suppose, if it is canvassed. If it is the wool the two options would be to try to stretch the shrunken side or to draw in the long side. Putting it over a seam roll or a dowel of something like 2" diameter might work for stretching the short side.

Michael

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ The iron marks returned somewhat by this morning, so it appears they're now permanent. Not as strongly defined, but still. Perhaps a thorough cleaning and pressing by a really good company could do the job. In any case, I'm not going to mess with it. I don't wear the coat anymore and I've packed it away. I'll revisit it in the spring and I'll contact one of Toronto's premiere men's stores and they might have a line on a good cleaner.

The Royals have gathered for their Sandringham Christmas service and here's a bunch of photos: LINK
Prince Philip is wearing a very nice British warm, which I've not seen him wearing before. The rest are in nice coats too.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a rear view of Prince Philip's loden coat, showing the long pleat clearly. (click for larger)



Although I'd like to post tons of photos, the free hosting site I use is now warning that they won't tolerate copyrighted images, so I'll post links mostly.

 

[Michael A]

I found a couple of new overcoats today. First one is this Harris Tweed number.
P1220792 crop by Michael A2012, on Flickr
P1220793 crop by Michael A2012, on Flickr
P1220795 crop by Michael A2012, on Flickr
I don't think I've seen this mark before.
P1220801 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
You can click the pics to view the original sizes.
P1220802 crop by Michael A2012, on Flickr
Sold by Lytton's, a Chicago based chain that went out of business in 1986

Michael