The GREAT BRITISH DUFFEL COAT thread

[scrawlysteve]

To this day I associate duffel coats with a) the Desert Rats and b) Paddington Bear and I find this too culturally confusing, so I don't think I'd ever wear one again, iconic though they are.

For me the associations are with the late 50s beats, students and CND marchers....I never wear mine without a copy of "Howl" or a Sartre sticking out of the pocket.....

 

[Doctor Damage]

As a teenager I used to wear one of these. It was passed down from my dad who had got it from his father, who had commanded an LRDG unit in the desert. By the time it reached me it was quite a bit the worse for wear and I don't know what happened to it. Coming from a military family there was no sense that these things were relics - they were just bits of old kit and got thrown out as soon as they got too mothy. To this day I associate duffel coats with a) the Desert Rats and b) Paddington Bear and I find this too culturally confusing, so I don't think I'd ever wear one again, iconic though they are.

I must concur,,they had zero rain tolerance and toggles invariably disappeared.

Great posts guys! Several years back I had a civilian duffle coat and quickly sold it on since I made me look silly. Some men can wear them, I guess, but not me.

 

[Luxire]

It looks great! One question: is the hood removable? I can see times when I'd want one but often not.
What are the specs on the materials? It looks great! I've been wanting a duffle and have yet to find one that is perfect for me. I like the cut of it and the colors, etc. Well done. More info please!

Yes, the hood is removable. There are a few material options, ranging from 14 Oz wool blends to 30 Oz 100% wool, Huddersfield made. Can be custom made to your specs and measurements.

Have to disagree--to me it looks thin and flimsy and I don't care for the combo handwarmer/cargo pocket thing (though I generally like that on leather jackets ), nor the big patches on the front shoulders.....the hood could do with reshaping too, it will catch a lot of weather...

This one was requested to be of the lighter wool. Again, can be custom made, with different types of pockets and different styling for the shoulders and a different style of hood.

 

[PADDY]

I've popped this into the 'Outerwear Room' as well, but sometimes 'things' just get lost in there . This early war jacket, in a Size 1, and has gone off to a new home in California of all places.

[/QUOTE]

 

[Sloan1874]

Very nice! I'm sure it's cold enough in California to wear that, ooh, once or twice a year. Sweet dogs as well, though one does seem to have "Another FL photo shoot?" look on its face.

 

[Doctor Damage]

It's an awesome coat, isn't it? I'm fascinated by the close-up photos: I had assumed the early duffle coats were a 'hard' wool so I'm surprised to see the fuzzy nap on Paddy's coat.

 

[Hal]

This early war jacket...

Welcome back, Paddy!
I don't think I'd call it a jacket (though some modern copies/imitations are short enough to be thus described; but it's interesting to see that the proper name Duffel (a small town in Flemish Belgium) appears on the label, and not the later corruption "duffle".

 

[Spitfire]

Somehow these two makes such a wonderful match. The RN sweater and the Gloverall.

 

[ingineer]

Yes indeed

Richard

 

[Spitfire]

Welcome on "the bridge ":eusa_clap

 

[Doctor Damage]

(from various sources)

https://postimg.org/image/ia73usyvf/

(from Getty Images)

 

[Doctor Damage]

(from Getty Images)

 

[Doctor Damage]

(from Getty Images)

The two photos below show the variant with buttons instead of toggles.



The photos below show the navy blue version.



"Watch where you point that thing, seaman!"



Michael Wilding and Liz Taylor.



Here's post-war civilian use of a surplus military coat.

 

[Doctor Damage]

These are photos of a designed called Thomas Heatherwick posing in what appears to be a vintage duffle coat. It has an interesting 'extra' toggle mounted low to close the skirts of the coat; this is a modification which I've seen in a book on uniforms and which I think I posted about earlier in this thread. It would be a useful mod for a modern-day coat, too.

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[Doctor Damage]

Nigel Twiston-Davies, horse trainer.

 

[Setok]

Has anybody had a chance to wear both the three-toggle earlier version and later 4-toggle edition? I used to own a 4-toggle Gloverall Monty, which was very sadly lost/stolen during a trip. The prices have gone up a lot since then (the Monty was their cheapest option then, it's now their most expensive). Interestingly Gloverall has switched to the earlier 3-toggle version in Monty configuration.

I'd be keen to get a good condition RN version one. Or if I can't find one, perhaps some day spend again on Gloverall. However to me it seems that on the 3-toggle version the closing ends up lower than on the 4-toggle. Ie. it's not just a matter of more toggles for the same area. This means more area for cold around the chest/throat. However I'm not sure if that just happens to be the pictures I've come across. I realise the 3-toggle version has a throat strap, but that would surely be more awkward to close, and apparently leaves small areas for the wind to come in.

Any other plusses or minuses to the two versions?

Size is another factor. I'm around 1.9m (6'2" ?) with chest size of 44". I'd like the duffle to be big enough for thick layers underneath (I live in Finland), and to get that real Royal Navy look. My arms are also pretty long. I thus wonder if the RN size 2 or 3 (or are there even bigger?) would be correct — if a good condition one ever popped up.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Honestly, if you want a coat that seals up well in bad weather, then a duffle coat is not the best choice. Toggles and a hood without drawstring are not ideal.