Duffle coat
Two front fastenings.
A duffle coat, or duffel coat, is a coat made from duffle, a coarse, thick, woollen material. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the material originates. Duffle bags were originally made from the same material.
There are many varying styles to the duffle coat, although the most common British style would be composed of the following features:
- Made of genuine Duffel, lined with a woolly tartan pattern.
- A hood and buttonable neck strap
- Four front wooden or horn toggle-fastenings (known as "walrus teeth") with four rope or leather loops to attach them to.
- Two large outside pockets with covering flaps.
- It should be three-quarter length.
The wooden toggle-fastenings were made to be easily fastened and unfastened while wearing gloves in cold weather at sea. Current designs have toggles made of buffalo horn, wood or plastic. The oversized hood offered enough room to wear over a Naval cap. After rain, a duffle coat has a characteristic smoky smell.
History
The duffle coat owes its popularity to the British Royal Navy, who issued a camel-coloured variant of it as an item of warm clothing during World War I. The design of the coat was modified slightly and widely issued during World War II. In the Navy, it was referred to as a "convoy coat".[1] Field Marshal Montgomery was a famous wearer of the coat,[2] as a means of identifying himself with his troops, leading to another nickname, "Monty coat". Large stocks of post-war military surplus coats available at reasonable prices to the general public meant that these coats became a ubiquitous and popular item of clothing in the 1950s and 1960s. The British firm Gloverall purchased surplus military supply of coats after World War II and have continued to still make the Monty ever since and in 1954 started producing their own version of the Duffle coat and continue to do so today still being Made In England. Gloverall made in the 50's what is known as todays Duffle by using leather fastenings and Buffalo horn toggles with a double faced checkback fabric. Every Duffle coat you see today in that configuration is a copy of that original made by Gloverall. Only a handful of British companies have Iconic status with a garment Gloverall being for the Duffle, Burberry for the Trench coat and Barbour for the Wax Jacket. Another Navy design coat that gained popularity among the general public is the Pea coat or British Naval Reefer.
They were seen in the popular press as a form of uniform for stereotyped supporters of the left wing, as characterised by Labour leader Michael Foot. Other famous duffle coat wearers include members of Scottish band Belle and Sebastian, Tim Sadler, actor Dudley Moore, television character Jonathan Creek ,children's book and television character Paddington Bear and Ed Helms as Andy Bernard in the popular American comedy The Office. Alex Kapranos pictured is wearing a vintage Gloverall.
External links
References
- ^ Taylor, Theodore, 2007. Battle in the Arctic Sea, Sterling.
- ^ Glossary entry for Duffle Coat