Spatterdash
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 310
In consideration of the coming fall and winter, I thought I'd mention an old favorite.
Of all dress coats for men, the Chesterfield may be the one coat style I consider eternally classic.
My trench is nice, going from a lightweight raincoat to a winter coat with the addition of the liner. It's versatile and practical and it's benefits well appreciated by this crowd, no doubt. But a smooth wool or cashmere coat, gray or tan, single or double breasted (I prefer double breasted with peaked lapels) topped off with that black cotton velveteen collar is simply the best and the one true item of elegance that can still be worn today without looking unusual, IMO.
I've read that the collar was intended to be removable, and was black to keep staining less visible. The one area of a coat that gets noticeably dirty seems to be the collar and the cuffs. So the Chesterfield could be any fine dress coat that has the addition of this collar protection, if I understand correctly.
That being said, was the velveteen layer slipped over the collar and kept in place with small buttons out of sight (under the collar and inside the shoulders)? Does anyone have a Chesterfield with the black collar attached and not removable? Has anyone taken a classic dress coat to a tailor to have it made into a Chesterfield? Anyone ever bought one off the rack?
For those unfamiliar with the Chesterfield, you will see a number of variants worn by the primary characters in the film "Mobsters" with Christian Slater. Not the best film of the era, but a fun one and the music is great.
Of all dress coats for men, the Chesterfield may be the one coat style I consider eternally classic.
My trench is nice, going from a lightweight raincoat to a winter coat with the addition of the liner. It's versatile and practical and it's benefits well appreciated by this crowd, no doubt. But a smooth wool or cashmere coat, gray or tan, single or double breasted (I prefer double breasted with peaked lapels) topped off with that black cotton velveteen collar is simply the best and the one true item of elegance that can still be worn today without looking unusual, IMO.
I've read that the collar was intended to be removable, and was black to keep staining less visible. The one area of a coat that gets noticeably dirty seems to be the collar and the cuffs. So the Chesterfield could be any fine dress coat that has the addition of this collar protection, if I understand correctly.
That being said, was the velveteen layer slipped over the collar and kept in place with small buttons out of sight (under the collar and inside the shoulders)? Does anyone have a Chesterfield with the black collar attached and not removable? Has anyone taken a classic dress coat to a tailor to have it made into a Chesterfield? Anyone ever bought one off the rack?
For those unfamiliar with the Chesterfield, you will see a number of variants worn by the primary characters in the film "Mobsters" with Christian Slater. Not the best film of the era, but a fun one and the music is great.