Overcoat - Examples of Overcoats

Examples of Overcoats

We note here some of the most common historical overcoats, in roughly chronological order.

	The Greatcoat, a voluminous overcoat with multiple shoulder capes, prominently featured by European militaries, most notably the former Soviet Union
	The Redingote (via French from English riding coat), a long fitted coat for men or women
	The Frock overcoat, a very formal daytime overcoat commonly worn with a frock coat, featuring a waist seam and heavy waist suppression
	The Ulster coat, a working daytime overcoat initially with a cape top covering sleeves, but then without; it evolved to the polo coat after losing its cape
	The Inverness coat, a formal evening or working day overcoat, with winged sleeves
	The Paletot coat, a coat shaped with sidebodies, as a slightly less formal alternative to the frock overcoat
	The Paddock coat, with even less shaping
	The Chesterfield coat, a long overcoat with very little waist suppression; being the equivalent of the 'sack suit' for clothes, it came to be the most important overcoat of the next half-century
	The Covert coat, a classically brown/fawn, straight cut, single breasted country coat that became accepted for wear in the city with a suit as well as with tweed. It has a signature four lines of stitching at the cuffs and hem. It also had a fly front closure and 2 side pockets. The collar is sometimes made of velvet.

“Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)

“Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)