Comforts Classy

Kathy Carter explores staying warm and cosy in mens fashion this winter

We may still be ensconced in the throes of winter, but this year’s outer wardrobe can easily take you through to spring, with key pieces in timeless styles. Here, we look at three classic men’s coats.

Trench Coat

This long coat is a wardrobe staple, especially in the UK, with our unpredictable weather. The trench is often favoured for workwear as a smarter outer layer, but looks equally good over a pair of smart, indigo jeans.

Like all of the coats featured here, the trench coat originated within the military environment; the trench was an outercoat originally worn by army officers in the trenches, hence its name. The military influences are still very much present in today’s modern versions - button fastening, a belted-in waist, usually some form of waterproofing, and a warm lining (the originals would have boasted cosy wool), depending on the weight you choose.

The double-breasted lapel is the most traditional silhouette of the trench – this styling refers to two parallel columns of buttons and an overlapping front closure –think of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, for inspiration! Lengths are usually from around knee to ankle length, although the longer lengths are rarely chosen by younger clientele.

THE TRENCH’S ORIGINS

Rival outfitters John Emary and Thomas Burberry can both lay a claim to the original trench coats that we know and love. Emary designed his trench coat in the mid-19th century for officers serving in the Crimean War, and his brand later became Aquascutum. Burberry designed a more lightweight, twill raincoat or in the late 19th century, which went onto be used by first

Although some hue of camel or beige is the traditional colour for a trench coat, this year, black is also extremely popular. The traditional epaulets at the shoulder that used to define the trench’s silhouette are not featured on all of this year’s styles, leaving you able to choose a less fussy and casual look without them, or a smarter and formal look with the epaulets. Knee length is the trench coat length for 2023, whatever your age, and there are many single-breasted trenches also available, that create a more informal and perhaps more modern look.

Best Boots

And yes, you can wear a trench in winter! They’re not reserved for spring and autumn. For work, they work well over a warm suit or smart jacket, and they can also be layered over a denim jacket or thick sweater. Darker hues look good in winter time, and a black or navy trench will work very well with the natural, autumnal hues that you will likely still have in your wardrobe - a pair of dark coloured Chelsea boots never looks out of place with a raincoat. (These boots, which feature the famous elastic insert to pull the boot on, in the same style as children’s jodhpur boots, were designed by J. Sparkes-Hall, cobbler to Queen Victoria. His boots were known as paddock boots, and were used for walking and riding. In the

All Wrapped Up

Awarm scarf is the perfect accessory for winter. One quirky look with a trench or pea coat is to wear it untied, over your jacket, under the collar. For more warmth, yet to retain a stylish look that seems as if you have styled the scarf rather than ‘thrown it on’, wear it inside the trench or pea coat; fold the scarf in half and wrap it around your neck. Then, pull the ends through the loop mid-1950s, the ‘Chelsea set’, a group of fashionable London artists, designers, and socialites that socialised in Chelsea and often wore the boots, gave the footwear a new lease of life, and a new name, to boot.)

In terms of the fit, you should be able to button up a trench coat and move your arms without any tightness, even with a jacket or sweater underneath; so choose a relaxed fit. (Aquascutum and Burberry are still retailing their original silhouettes, with the latter costing four figures; however the high street has many affordable options, if you are not seeking such an investment piece.)

Bomber Jackets

Another popular style this season is the Bomber jacket, perhaps because of the recent Top Gun: Maverick movie, in which Tom Cruise wears the traditional CWU style that originated in the American military. This style of Bomber jacket is quite short, as it was designed to be worn in an open airplane cockpit. The CWU stood for Cold Weather Uniform, hence these items of apparel are usually waterproof, and lined with some form of quilting. created by the folded end, and pull them tight to secure the knot. Warm fibres such as merino, cashmere, and cable-knit wool are all popular materials in winter and as we move into spring, and are investment pieces.

The classic khaki-hued military design that is still popular today with designers maintains the tight wrist cuffs and elasticated waistband of the originals. It also looks great with jeans and Chelsea boots. But on the high street and in the designer aisles this winter, there are also plain black versions everywhere. Offering a less militarised look, the longer length Bomber is in some ways more versatile, with its zip front, knit cuffs, but with slimmer sleeves and a longer length waistband. For winter, look out for a jacket with a faux-fur lined collar, and team with a warm sweater. Leather boots or trainers work equally well.

Material-wise, you can choose from leather, suede and various waterproofed materials such as nylon; a black leather Bomber looks great paired with a black roll neck sweater, Meanwhile, the nylon versions look good with hoodies.

With a Bomber jacket, an oversized scarf looks good wrapped round and round the neck, to create multiple layers in a more casual style.

A patterned scarf, perhaps stripy, works nicely with a plain jacket for a balanced look. If your coat is patterned, for example a tweed pattern, a plainer scarf looks well put-together. Pick out colours that complement the jacket; for example, a grey scarf with a black jacket, or a bolder colour that picks out a thread from a tweed material.

Wool Overcoats

Another double-breasted style of outer coat is set to be popular in 2023 – the wool coat. This is a warmer and more streamlined version of the trench, and again originated in the military; this time from the navy. The British navy favoured a navy ‘pea’ coat as deck and standard uniform; the name comes from the Dutch’s ‘pije’ or ‘pijjekker’, a coarse wool outer coat worn by naval servicemen in the nineteenth century. Many countries also copied and manufactured their own style of dark blue wool coat; American sailors known as reefers were allocated a pea coat for climbing up the rigging of sailing ships. Their versions flared at the hips, for easy ascent.

Most of the original pea coats were double breasted, and featured an ulster collar, which could be buttoned all the way up, to protect the wearer from harsh elements. Most jackets featured vertical slit pockets for the hands, as well as lower pockets, and brass buttons.

Today’s wool outercoats are still based on this silhouette, but tend to have a straighter cut. Colour-wise, camel tones are popular for winter, while navy is still the most traditional colour; and tweed looks smart.

The wool coat tends to be a fairly formal piece of apparel, so works well with suits or smart jeans – brogue shoes in brown or black can also add a smart finishing touch to a pea jacket, when worn in winter.

(If you’re looking for movie inspiration, Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor braved the New York winter in a pea jacket, which became popularised as a ‘topper’)

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