Coating Places

The coat universe surpasses most renowned garments, so The Rake delves into the origins of three lesser-known styles that still complement city existence. 

Coating Places

Blanketed with biblical snow, stock markets tumbling, coups d'état or, in the Los Angeles case, vicious wildfires, January still signals a fresh start. So, should these abrupt events impact your life, it's not the month to batten down the hatches and sip on a dark, earthy Shiraz wine in front of the roaring fire at the Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, as you may have indulged in most afternoons at Christmas, after brisk walks along the Heath. The holiday period has concluded for most, and so, with life’s renewed tempo, the armoury of city winter coats at your disposal needs to be more extensive and precise.

Now, the coat glossary in sartorial menswear trumps most styles. Despite various appellations, including the overcoat term, and varying brand iterations, some coat styles share similarities in design. Yet it’s the subtle components of stylistic detail that can transcend your poise from officiality to informality, and here we focus on three largely unexplored coat styles in modern times that are well-suited for traversing the cityscapes of London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome alike in this deep winter period in Europe.

Balmacaan Coat 

James Sherwood’s 2019 tome Henry Poole & Co., The First Tailor of Savile Row is the magnum opus rich in tailoring antiquities from Savile Row’s most prestigious firm, and Sherwood’s Herculean effort to unearth tales of tailoring history involved excavating and restoring the vast documents lying in their exalted customer ledges. One of those clients was the exiled HIH Grand Duke Michael Alexandra of Russia. It is thought that, while renting the lavish Tudor stately home Knebworth House in Hertfordshire from 1913 to 1914, he was a visitor to the now demolished Balmacaan estate in Inverness, Scotland, and it was from there that the now termed Balmacaan coat originates. 

Worn in the rustic and unforgiving Scottish Highlands since the mid-19th century, it wasn’t until sported by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor, that the single-breasted, unstructured, looser-fitting and raglan-sleeved coat, with fly-front closure shielding underlayers and buttons from shrub damage and the cold and inclement weather, was propelled in popularity; it pleasantly abided with his style paradigm, “dress soft”. Pertinently based nearby the estate is Johnstons’ of Elgin, the last fully vertical mill in Scotland. Founded in 1797, if there was a fashion label that would endorse the naming roots of the Balmacaan coat, it would be Johnstons’ of Elgin, with their oversized version arriving in either a Glen Check or Storm pattern. 

As alluded to, the generous cut allows for freedom of movement, and a thick knit or unstructured Italian-made corduroy suit would comfortably fit below. The knee-length design, as most of them are, is on the informal spectrum in the sphere of well-crafted overcoats. Plain patterns, as opposed to herringbone or houndstooth, emanate enhanced seniority; however, even the more bespoke-like renditions, such as the charcoal wool twill Balmacaan overcoat from Huntsman and the overcheck version, would be deemed at the upper echelons of formality in the advertising hub of Soho, instead of Europe’s main financial districts. 

Oriol photographed by John Rowley for Issue 91 of The Rake.

Ulster Coat

Awash with orange sashes blending in with politico-religious chromatic dress, the marching season in Northern Ireland — a commemoration of a centuries-old military victory by a Protestant king over a Catholic one — culminates on 12th July, generally termed the Twelfth, or Orangemen’s Day, with parades held in the weeks leading up to the day. Traditionally, Ulstermen have seldom been interested in clothing, let alone tailoring craftsmanship, even considering the nickname ‘Linenopolis’ given to Belfast’s booming linen trade during the Industrial Revolution. But the uninspiring clothing landscape did deliver the 'Ballykilbeg suit,' named after the famous and controversial Orangeman, Unionist and Member of Parliament for Belfast, William Johnston of Ballykilbeg, who commissioned a made-to-measure suit from James R. McKee of Donegal Street. This was, until the emergence of the Ulster overcoat in the mid-nineteenth century, the capital's most famous local garment.

However, such is the Ulster coat’s popularity and prestige, spanning from royalty to Hollywood, that the wait for Belfast’s first major sartorial contribution in the Ulster coat was well worth it. First sold world-wide by McGee & Co., of 30-34 High Street, Belfast, today it is dubbed by Rubinacci, Naples’ tailoring family fiefdom, and the architects behind some of the most desirable Ulster coat models, “the most elegant piece in a man’s wardrobe”. 

As far as we’re aware, Rubinacci is the first tailors’ shop to digitise a diverse range of the rarest fabrics from their exclusive archive. Masterminded by Luca, who is at the helm whilst also being the firm’s creative director, the blue vintage 90s wool cloth used for their checked Ulster coat is a masterpiece. Not from the vintage archive, but crafted from a super 200s wool, this version, like all of the Rubinacci models, is traditionally cut below knee length and has a partial lining for flexibility. It also arrives with sizeable patch pockets, which would serve as ample storage for small notebooks — that is, if you weren’t already briskly walking to an important meeting in the Square Mile with your seminal Heritage Westminster flap-over briefcase from Ettinger, who were recognised with a Royal Warrant in 1996.

Despite the Ulster coat's roots in the dank environs of Northern Ireland's capital city, its position as the most elegant menswear overcoat has been solidified by a select few master tailors in Italy. Sartoria Dalcuore's atelier at V. Francesco Caracciolo, located steps away from the sea of Mergellina in Naples, is just a short walk from Rubinacci's flagship store at Via Chiaia. There, Christina and her husband Damiano carry on the enduring legacy of her father, Luigi (Gigi), and, beyond the 700-1000 bespoke suits they craft per year, there have been various sightings of prominent tastemakers sporting bespoke Ulster coats. 

The red stitch at the top of the left lapel signifies Sartoria Dalcuore; its unique construction includes an 'open' sleevehead, a more formal alternative to the Italian phrase 'spalla camicia,' and even for the untrained sartorial eye, it exudes artistic quality. Their designs feature cuffed sleeves, typical of the Ulster coat construction, and with one button, the cuff is slightly curved for visual panache, while the half-belt or martingale beautifully segregates the line of the back pleat and the exquisite buttoned vent. Adorned with stitches made by hand, it’s a phenomenal interpretation, and, in true Italian style, it gives the wearer a sharper guise when worn with a suit, shirt, and tie made from the Neapolitan tradition. To maintain its refined spirit, it's recommended to choose a superior loafer, like the iconic Lopez from John Lobb or the Westminster double monk strap from Edward Green, which seamlessly blends formality and flair.

For sartorial long coat admirers, there’s unlikely to be a setting that eclipses the Fortezza da Basso at Pitti Uomo last week. If you were present, you may have also called into Florentine tailoring house Liverano & Liverano, who are revered for their bespoke Ulster coats cut in the Florentine tradition. 

Sam Heughan photographed by Charlie Gray for issue 73 of The Rake.

Chesterfield Coat

A bon vivant of high living during the reigns of King William IV and Queen Victoria, George Stanhope, the 6th Earl of Chesterfield, enjoyed life in its declensions. Aside from serving as the Master of the Buckhounds under Sir Robert Peel from 1834 to 1835, he was sworn in to the Privy Council in 1843; however, these were the more uncompromising facets of his life. He splurged huge sums on the turf, kept fifty hunters at Bretby Hall, his family estate and owned two yachts. 

However, it was in the denizens of Mayfair that he left the biggest societal mark. His grandfather, the 4th Earl, built his London home, Chesterfield House, one of Mayfair's most stylish and imposing addresses. It served as a refuge for dandies like Count D'Orsay, a latter-day Beau Brummell, and was conveniently located near the smart gambling haunts. 

Similar to the disputed origins of many significant clothing appellations, the Chesterfield coat doesn't hold a definitive name attribution, but considering the address and lifestyle, which included using Henry Pool & Co., as his bespoke tailor it most certainly points towards the 6th Earl. And, perhaps, on either side of his life, Beau Brummell not only lived on that very street, but his house was later occupied by Sir Anthony Eden, the most impeccably dressed prime minister and stalwart wearer of the Chesterfield coat. 

Like most coats popularised in the Victorian era, today’s Chesterfield coats don’t tend to feature a nipped-in waist. However, they usually appear at below knee-length and are single-breasted with a 3-button covered-fly front. Followers of British politics have probably not erased the image of Nigel Farage in his signature tan-coloured Covert coat, which, like the Chesterfield, is differentiated by the black velvet colour. In sync with Farage’s coat, they’re usually rendered with flap pockets. Whatever your views are on politicians, in today’s less-stylish era in parliament, it’s remarkable Farage would probably be sitting on the front benches for stylistic ingenuity.

On a brisk winter’s day in London, Anthony Eden, in his black top hat, black Oxford brogues, and dark grey suit, nonchalantly carrying his umbrella under his arms and holding his smart gloves, perfectly encapsulates the semblance of the professionalism and the Chesterfield coat.

Of course, formality has waned since then, and there are fewer Chesterfield coats on the market, but there are still established brands, past and present, on The Rake's ecommerce fold, such as Lardini and Camoshita, and last but not least, Udeshi, whose designs allow for more movement. If partnered with the right apparel, the Chesterfield coat should still take prime position in your winter coat closet for wear in Europe’s most distinguished fashion capitals.

David Gandy photographed by Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca for issue 79 of The Rake.