COATS

Welcome to this post on COATS.

Recently I was concerned at what's going on over at Richard's Bass Bag. You can find the link here ....... on second thoughts no, don't bother, it'll only encourage the old guy who sits up all night watching Google Blogger stats on his computer screen to see if anyone has viewed or, god forbid, commented, on his posts. He normally writes boring posts about bass and violin playing but his most recent ones have been about his foreign language studies. These are mind-numbingly boring which is really the domain of this blog. I thought then that I'd entertain regale you with a little personal history of coats that I've worn over the years.

Now I won't be able to remember all of the coats that I've purchased, borrowed and worn but will try to cover a few styles at different times of my life
I'll try to illustrate with images where possible and will insert a little description courtesy of the excellent Wikipedia which I will acknowledge here.

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Let's go.

I don't remember what coats I wore as a baby but have seen black and white photographs of me, in the 1950s wearing some sort of woollen item with lots of buttons up the front.

This was one sort that I must have worn when I was a baby up until about 2 years old. I don't know what colour it might have been (black and white photography) but as blue was my favourite colour no doubt my mother kitted me out in a blue one not unlike the picture above.

From the ages of 4 to 6 I seem to have worn something like the one above. Please take note that the image above is not a photograph of me. My mother recycled clothing so often I wore cast-offs from both my older brother and older sister. The photograph I've seen suggest that I at some stage was wearing my sister's coat.

Through my primary and intermediate school years I wore raincoats with belts. These were always navy blue coloured and had a tartan lining inside. The style never changed and the exact same design was used from probably the 1920s through the 1960s.

The style I wore was the one with the built in belt and buckle like the boy is wearing just left of centre. The coats were of a heavy not quite waterproof material that had a rubbery texture. I don't know what they were made from and in this case Wikipedia didn't help.

At secondary school there were some kids wearing the belted raincoat still but I didn't socialise with them. They were normally members of the school band and were librarians from the lower classes (the school ranking system not social strata). By this stage I'd discovered the ......


Duffel coat

A duffel coat (also duffle coat, for example in Canada) is a coat made from duffel, a coarse, thick, woollen material. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the fabric originated. The hood and toggle fastenings proved popular, and the coat spread across Europe by the 1850s. By 1890 it was being supplied to the British Royal Navy. After World War II, the coats became available as government surplus stock and became popular, especially with students.

I remember feeling 'cool' in this coat even though it kept me toasty warm (unless it got wet). It was just the thing for windy Wellington winter days. This was the coat of beatniks, revolutionaries and those great looking French girls seen in international magazines. It was the thing to wear until those school band boys and the librarians discovered it. It was time to move on to the .....


Pea jacket

1.

A pea coat (or peacoat, pea jacket, pilot jacket) is an outer coat, generally of a navy-coloured heavy wool, originally worn by sailors of European and later Americans. Pea coats are characterised by short length, broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, often large wooden, metal or plastic buttons, and vertical or slash pockets. References to the pea jacket appear in American newspapers at least as early as the 1720s, and modern renditions still maintain the original design and composition.

2.

The history of the peacoat is deeply rooted in military and naval backgrounds. Surprisingly, the jacket has been around since the 1800s when the first variation was worn by then naval powerhouse, the Dutch. The name pea coat originated from the Dutch word “pije” (they pronounce their j’s funny), which was used in the Dutch language to describe a coat made from coarse wool fabric.
While the Dutch are credited for inventing the peacoat, it was the British navy who can take the credit for the popularisation of the jacket. The British version of the coat was similarly designed for naval duties, particularly designed to be a uniform for petty officers.
The coat then made its way across the Atlantic for a third appearance, this time with the American Navy. The U.S. Navy adopted the coat and used the coat for “reefers”, who were the sailors responsible for the unenviable task of climbing up the rigging of sailing ships

I wore my pea jacket from about the 6th form onwards after, as mentioned I had to abandon the duffel coat. I include the pea jacket in this post even though it is ostensibly about coats as it was slightly longer than the normal jacket and I wore it as a coat even though it wasn't as warm as the duffel coat.
Readers shouldn't worry though as following no doubt on the popularity of this post I will write another one on jackets.

Naval Officer's coat.

At university we used to scour op-shops like St Vincent de Paul's and Salvation Army clothes stores for what we thought were trendy jackets and coats. Some of these were diabolical and smelled bad. This didn't stop Tony though who was already both of those things and he wore the same old speckled black jacket for years.

Noel was always wearing an old army greatcoat in those days (and probably still does). I discovered a 'great' naval officer's coat in a shop in Newtown and proudly wore it when I could

When I say 'when I could' this was because the coat was about six sizes too big for me. It was beautifully tailored though and made from quality wool. I paid peanuts for it but it must have originally cost a fortune in Saville row, London. I kept this for many years and can't remember what happened to it. Maybe The Old Girl 'disappeared' it as it did make me look like a character out of Spike Milligan's Puckoon.

Harris Tweed overcoat

Another Op-shop purchase I made when at university was a grey Burberry Harris tweed overcoat. This, unlike the naval officer's coat fitted like a glove and saw me through many winters in Wellington and, later, in Auckland until for some reason it no longer fit me (must have shrunk). I kept it though and when we were living in Christchurch The Old Girl used to wear it when we went for winter walks. We ended up giving it to the Salvation Army and I hope that with great quality like that it found a good home and was enjoyed by the new owner.

Trenchcoat

A trench coat or trenchcoat is a coat variety made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton gabardine drill, leather, or poplin. It generally has a removable insulated lining, raglan sleeves, and the classic versions come in various lengths ranging from just above the ankles (the longest) to above the knee (the shortest). It was originally an item of clothing for Army officers (developed before the war but adapted for use in the trenches of the First World War, hence its name) and shows this influence in its styling.
Traditionally this garment is double-breasted with 10 front buttons, has wide lapels, a storm flap and pockets that button-close. The coat is belted at the waist with a self-belt, as well as having straps around the wrists that also buckle (to keep water from running down the forearm when using binoculars in the rain). The coat often has shoulder straps that button-close; those were a functional feature in a military context. The traditional colour of a trench coat was khaki, although newer versions come in many colours.

I bought the London Fog trenchcoat many years ago when I was living in Christchurch. This is a superb raincoat and quite frankly I like it when it's raining in Auckland so that I can wear it. I took this with me to the UK when we were living there a couple of years ago and it was perfectly suited to the winter. Ir was less suited to Canada though as the winter's there are fiercely cold and I had to buy another coat while I was there.

Stockman's coat

Wikipedia had no mention of a stockman's coat but the equivalent is a 'duster'.

A duster is a light, loose-fitting long coat.
The original dusters were full-length, light-coloured canvas or linen coats worn by horsemen to protect their clothing from trail dust. These dusters were typically slit up the back to hip level for ease of wear on horseback. Dusters intended for riding may have features such as a buttonable rear slit and leg straps to hold the flaps in place. For better protection against rain, dusters were made from oilcloth and later from waxed cotton. Dusters were the recommended "uniform" for Texas Rangers.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, both men and women wore dusters to protect their clothes when riding in open motorcars on the dirt roads of the day.

I bought this wonderful Backhouse stockman's coat about 15 years ago. My marketing group arranged purchase of a whole lot of the brand's coats for a promotion and I got a special deal on private purchase - buying this coat at cost.

It's great (not a greatcoat - stay focussed, Noel wears one of those) and I really enjoy wearing it when the weather is really bad. As I was living in Auckland when I bought it I opted for the lighter material as opposed to the heavy oilskin as in the image above. Mine is made from hyrdrophilac polyurethane with a nylon lining. It's said to be a waterproof and breathable membrane and hasn't let me down in the fiercest rainstorms.

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Well that's it for coats today. I've left out a few - sorry about that but will make up for it in the soon to be published post JACKETS.