Navy Great Coat - Black

HIGH PRAISE:

I have owned this coat for 6 years now and worn it almost every day except for the heights of summer; I can confidently say it is the best coat I have owned in all my life. The silhouette is incredible, along with the drapery and practical resilience - and it fits lovely over another suit jacket and looks stunning at any formal or informal occasion.

It is long down to my mid shins, the 3 button vent allows for configurability between movement and wind resistance. The fabric is thick enough to never get wet beneath it - even in heavy thunderstorms for over hours - nor suffer remotest cold through piercing blizzard winds. The two internal pockets in the lining are sturdy and regularly take up to at least 800g each in my daily wear without any issues (perhaps a closing mechanism might be a useful home alteration though since due to the weight of the coat, you will throw it about when taking it off), and the exterior two pockets are massive - I can fit a full half-folded flat-cap and pair of gloves among other things in them without any damage to the coat's natural shape when removed.

It is excellent in all weathers except the height of summer, being worn closed or open, being extremely breathable despite the material composition - I have only ever overheated in it twice in six years: when walking long distances very quickly for over 30 mins.

Wearers should be advised to get used to throwing back, and gathering up to each side, the tails of the fully-open vent in order to sit down, which may take some getting used to but is a very fluid motion once familiar and allows you to keep the coat in good condition whilst being as warm seated (due to the full insulation) as when standing.

CRITIQUE:

The only issue I have ever had with this coat in six years, which I since fixed myself by a very simple alteration, although it plagued me for the first year when trying to fix, was that the lovely brass buttons that take any stress, due to the weight of the fabric, will constantly fall off. This is because the weight of the entire front of the garment (a thick, heavy, wool-viscose blend) often puts almost all its stress on the top two to three front buttons when fully done up; when combined with even mildly vigorous walking, this will quickly wear through either the original thread, or your own thread that you have used to sew the buttons back on.

SIMPLE FIX:

The solution is simple: After trying many different types of thread, I eventually used a 0.35mm thick 15lb tolerance plastic fishing line to sew on the buttons, and I have had no trouble in the five years since - I am sure other thin but heavy duty fishing lines work likewise as well.

The only other alteration I would make is to add a closing mechanism beneath the collar so that you can properly close it (it closes well enough when ironed for a while) when it is heavily raining with strong winds to protect your face and neck. This can be done by adding large hooks and eyes, or a button/tog and loop - if you are adventurous, you could attempt a leather gorget.

Overall, like I said, it is the best coat I have owned in my life and I have worn it nearly daily now for 6 years and it easily looks as sturdy as the day that I got it.

P.S. : Due to the viscose in the material blend, you may see tiny white-looking single spots of thread appear in the wool - this is absolutely fine and it purely a trick of the light as the very surface wool gets slightly worn - this will in no way look different at a distance nor affect the quality of the garment - do not attempt to remove it.

An excellent coat that's warm and long enough to protect your legs from the wind too