A while ago, in the Style & Direction Patreon Discord, we were discussing what we think we each were most obsessed with in menswear. I took the time to think about my answer Was it the daintiness of a loafer? Perhaps a big sportcoat and accompanying spearpoint? In the end, I went for a bit of a shocker: a big trouser. I know I love drape and proportion and so a wide-legged, high waisted trouser was it– it just sets the tone for my whole vibe, even before a shirt and jacket are put on.   But now that I think about it, perhaps this was too hasty of an answer. 

Yes, trousers might be the current answer (I still need to talk about “pant-shoe interaction”), but my obsession with “proper” trouser fit is a relatively new phenomenon. I was well into my menswear journey when I finally decided to evaluate my pant proportions in order to get the right expression. But if we really want to talk about what I’m obsessed with, especially when we want to get at the root of this whole thing, the answer is coats and outerwear.

My love of coats/outerwear pre-dates my interest in tailoring, let alone vintage clothing. Like most nerdy tweens, I thought that coats were just the coolest thing ever. Having one was a way to transcend my boring life. 

This is because every piece of pop-culture back then leveraged big ass coats with huge lapels and long, drape-y lengths. Anime heroes and villains routinely wore them. Tintin and Inspector Gadget had cool trench coats.  Certain AC protagonists had some version of an overcoat. Sylar and Peter battled for the fate of New York while wearing coats (layered with hoodies in true late 2000s fashion). Cumberbatch’s Sherlock had a particularly great coat that all of Tumblr was obsessed with. And even though we couldn’t dress like a Jedi, Sith, or a Wizard in public, we knew that a big coat would serve as an alternative to a cloak (at least until I “discovered” Safincore). All of this was before I saw the better inspo (YMMV) in period photos/films or 80s/90s romcoms. 

Guys just love coats and big outerwear. Every fall/winter, fashion mfer social media accounts are flooded with inspo photos of men in cool outerwear whether its Golden Era movie stars, fashion illustrations, screen caps of 90s romcom protagonists, ads from Armani and Ralph Lauren, Pitti streetstyle shots, and countless editorials from brands doing their own spin on coats and milspec/workwear outerwear.  One of the biggest posts on MFA before it died was about coats. Die, Workwear almost always includes some sort of overcoat when he does his annual “most excited to wear” post; the most recent one has a lengthy section on the polo coat. It’s almost as if men simply upgraded the fictional character they want to be; instead of an anime villain it’s now a Dime Square creative director or an old WASP in a bookstore. Like most pieces of clothing (especially in the classic menswear canon), coats are inherently pointed in specific aesthetics. They just have more fabric and therefore are an easy way to up the cool factor when you wear it.

It’s interesting to see the trends in outerwear throughout the years. Back at the height of #menswear tailoring and bizcaz guys flocked to the camel top coat, no doubt as a grown up version of the one Kanye wore. Casual guys grabbed versions of field jackets, specifically the M-65, to wear with shetland sweaters and raw denim jeans. In-betweeners would flock to the safari jacket. Then as the post-pandemic menswear-merger of tailoring, prep, skate, and gorp came in, the internet fell in love with balmacaans, especially the brown guncheck “dad coat” (Ian wrote a good piece about it) you could get at Abercrombie, the mall brand that had a revival before J. Crew. It was the best one to get because it worked for any style, being kind of dressy but not too much; it was perfect to wear with suits and hoodies. Brands all made their own versions of the balmacaan/mac, doing big tweeds and minimal cotton twills of a raglan sleeve, single breasted coat. Everyone wants the slouchy drama you can get with big outerwear.

Keen fashion mfers will know that the Polo Coat is the new darling of menswear enthusiasts, being preppy and delightfully 80s/90s, perfectly fitting in with the current zeitgeist. (Yes I realize the article linked is from 2022, but it was still IYKYK at the time). I believe the polo coat even echoes how the cricket sweater was the trendy piece this past year.  Tiktokers and dedicated menswear heads alike scour eBay to find Polo Coats, though vintage heads have always known of its power (especially the button-less, belt only version seen on Golden Era movie stars). Of course there are always other niche types of outerwear that remain grails for those “in the know”, like the long-length peacoat or the fun Abercrombie coat made famous by Hunter S. Thompson. 

It’s clear that everyone loves big outerwear, even those who don’t live in an area that can sustain its regular wear. It’s great to have just one, though many of us have more than that, simply because we can’t escape the allure of outerwear. There is just something special about these types of garments that sets them apart from regular clothes like suits or chore coats. Perhaps it is the way that it envelops you, surrounding yourself in pure drama. It’s more than a suit of armor: a big coat or piece of outerwear is transcendent, overtaking anything you’re wearing under it, whether it’s a suit or a cozy sweatshirt and jeans.

A cool piece of outerwear is what we need to achieve apotheosis.

So to bring it back to the intro, I realized that a big coat was my first real foray into menswear, at least in the way of being intentional and emotionally charged (instead of being something just to adhere to a dress code). 

I wanted a coat because I thought the coat itself was cool. I had to beg my parents for what became my first menswear garments: a black brushed cotton topcoat and a grey double breasted ulster-style number. It didn’t matter that I lacked the regular weather or a preppy-ish wardrobe to help make the coats make sense; I took every opportunity I had to wear those coats and regularly wore them with Volcom hoodies and dumb graphic tee shirts. I’m sure I would’ve done the same thing with milsurp jackets and coats if I had more access to them. 

I felt so cool whenever I wore them. I felt like I was sending up all those fictional characters I loved so much, even if the clothes under the coat weren’t cohesive or coherent at all. That was the power of the big coat.

I share this story (and the old photos) because I still am that kid. I love coats. I love cool, long outerwear.  I love how I feel when I wear them. I obviously realize the hilarity of me writing about this seeing as I live in the [Greater] Los Angeles County where winter is a temperature that barely hits 50F. Most people here wear shorts and flip flops year-round. It doesn’t make sense for me to wear coats and most menswear-friendly outerwear. But that’s precisely why I love coats. I spent all of last year going into my philosophy and why I love menswear in a world where it’s not really necessary. It’s driven by pure passion. And coats fit right into that. They are an extension (as well as the root) of this whole non-pragmatic hobby that I’m into. 

That being said, outerwear wasn’t really a focus of my menswear thing for a while. I remember high-school top coats with my budding tailoring collection (and later my true-vintage pieces) simply because I didn’t feel like investing in the right outerwear. I was still very conscious I lived in LA and so my money was better spent on getting the right expression in the other elements of my clothing. Believe me, the desire was there but my priorities were elsewhere. But as was the case with watches, I started to find bandwidth for upgrading my outerwear once my main wardrobe stabilized.

It really began with a fateful visit to Paper Moon Vintage, back when they had a physical location in Los Feliz. I had just finished my interview with Ascot Chang and I felt like treating myself to something. And what better way than a “big boy” purchase of a gorgeous 1940’s brown balmacaan. It was big, dramatic, and brown making it more “casual” than a grey or a navy. It also wasn’t in a scratchy tweed or a heavy flannel, which meant that I could actually wear it properly in LA. 

And wear it, I did. Anytime I was out in the evening or had a cold morning, I wore that overcoat. It just worked well with everything, from full suits to casual pieces like jeans and hoodies. Unlike the other coats I owned, it was long and dramatic which made me love it all the more. The coat just made my look, helping me double down in what I envisioned my fall/winter style to be. There is a lesson here about having a cohesive look: a big coat just made sense for my slouchy take on menswear. Honestly, having this coat was like wearing wide legged pants or a lousy point collar shirt for the first time: I only wanted big coats.

Of course, I didn’t really need to get more coats. This one served me just fine. In fact, I wore it a lot, which had the “unfortunate” effect of making me wear my casual garments less. But that was okay; I knew my heart lay with tailoring…which meant that a big coat was the way to go. In other words, other outerwear that didn’t fit or wasn’t long enough for a suit were simply worn less (unless it was a leather jacket).  That being said, I did find time to get some practical attire specifically for the rain which lead me to get a 1950’s cotton shell trench as well as a navy mac from Uniqlo, with both being quite long and dramatic. After having two proper raincoats (not just me forcing a milsurp jacket or a barn coat over my suit) and one overcoat, I thought I was done.

But nope. I decided to keep going…kind of. I actually just stumbled onto a few more pieces of outerwear that I honestly wear more than any of my milsurp or casual, non-leather jackets. It was all during the pandemic too, which as you know was the push I needed to fully commit to tailoring at nearly-all times. 

I lucked into finding a Duffle Coat at an OC vintage store, which provided a decidedly-preppy option for my colder days. A search on Grailed provided me with Barbour Gamefair, which was a more practical and more aesthetically-pointed alternative to my shell Uniqlo raincoat (and because I couldn’t fit into my trench coat).  And then, almost as if on cue for the 80s/90s zeitgeist, I found a double breasted peachy camel coat at my local thrift store. Save for a conservative grey or navy coat (I prefer the latter in a double breasted version), I finally had a big outerwear arsenal.  Everything was big, long, and dramatic in just the way I wanted it. 

At last, fall/winter Ethan was here, even if my beloved big outerwear was only worn in the evening. It’s worth it for those brief moments of drama and apotheosis (which is probably why I tried not to spend too much money on any of this). 

Again, I know that this whole thing is absurd for an LA kid to talk about, but as my pod with Spencer and MJ goes to say, we just love our outerwear. It’s like wearing a fedora or a knit cap for your whole body: it’s practical and it adds expressive character to our outfit. 

I won’t lie: I like the idea of having fun with outerwear. It just provides an extra challenge when making our fall/winter attire. As I said earlier, outerwear can be pointed toward certain aesthetics thanks to formality, practical purpose, and the era it was made in. However, I’ll add that the vibes you get when wearing a coat with an outfit can be a bit loose. Coats can be played into and subverted with more ease than a suit or shirt simply because a coat can be thrown on over anything. And it’s fun for me to invoke that challenge the few days when I’m actually able to wear outerwear.

Most days, I like to play it straight by wearing my polo coat with an Armani vibe, my barbour with a checked trad suit, or a duffle with an old OCBD and bowtie. But then there are times where I join Spencer in subverting the vibes. I particularly like it when he wears his duffle with his trademarked ripped jeans and beat up cowboy boots. The mix of aesthetics is fun and is simply different than wearing a blazer with western wear. It just feels like even more of a fashion move because it’s using outerwear; this is especially evident when I wear my kimono coat with elements of tailoring, creating a really interesting vibe that is separate from being rugged or trad. Outerwear is all about using Forced Versatility!

We take any opportunity to get some wear out of our outerwear. It doesn’t matter if it’s only worn after 5PM, what matters is that we did it anyway. I remember once, Spencer, Jay, and I decided to take a post-friendsgiving stroll through the neighborhood; we definitely took the opportunity to wear scarves and coats. I make a point to wear a coat when I visit my alma mater for their Christmas program (more specifically the free cookies and hot chocolate).  And as we Hang Out more often, many of our favorite bars and restaurants still retain the pandemic move of going al fresco, which again provides an opportunity to wear a coat. 

It also helps us add more to the look with hats and scarves, which tend to look a little “off” to me when worn with just suit or sportcoat/chore coat. The extra expression of big, dramatic outerwear allows us leeway to add more to the look, making it feel a bit cohesive and usually a bit more practical. Obviously we’d all be fine wearing a sweater and scarf with our suits and milsurp jackets. MJ in particular likes to layer with a puffer vest. And don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy wearing those casual jackets with sweaters and scarves, but that’s just a bit too normal…and short. A big and longer piece of outerwear, be it a coat, barbour, or a lengthier milsurp jacket, is more interesting and special. 

And for those of you concerned with sweating, go a head and stuff it. So far, it’s only really been too warm when we’ve been inside a place with the heater on, but that’s why you can always just take off your outerwear. We just prefer to be outside for obvious reasons. Plus it really is just nice to be outside! It’s almost as if wearing big outerwear is the de facto dress code for such an occasion.

I honestly think one of the reasons why we’re okay with having and wearing coats and outerwear here in LA is because we tend to find them for cheap. Presumably that’s because no one is really buying or wearing them here anyway.  Since we’re able to find cool pieces of outerwear it doesn’t take much effort to wear them–  we might as well do it!

I will say that our ability to find cool pieces regularly and semi-affordably does make us tempted to collect different types of outerwear. Despite having great pieces that I wear often, I sometimes feel the deficit from not owning a proper navy DB coat. But I know that there aren’t enough cold days in the year for me to justify buying another coat; I still have plenty of fits left in the backlog for the outerwear I already own. This also explains why I don’t look too hard for a belted mackinaw (a grail for many vintage enthusiasts).

I’m pretty happy with what I’ve already attained. Each of them are incredibly fun to wear as they add that extra expression to whatever outfit I wear it with. I’ve stated a few times in the past that I want a four-season  base-wardrobe, where I can wear anything I want whenever I want. But for those days where I want to reinforce how “cold” it is (or rather, how cold I feel) and to lean even further into the drama in a way that isn’t possible through a suit or sportcoat, big outerwear just makes sense. 

If I’m going to wear outerwear, it may as well big big and dramatic. Just like my shirt collars and pants tbh. There’s no room for half-assing here!

So enjoy some of my go-to inspo images of big outerwear as well as photos of Spencer, MJ, and me wearing our favorite pieces. It really is special when we SoCal-ians get to wear our coats, turning each evening below 60F into a menswear occasion (as silly as it sounds). We also did a podcast episode on it, which you can listen to below.  

After doing a whole year on clothing philosophy, it’s nice to take a break and just talk about the clothes we love to wear! 

NOTE: As I wrote this, I realized that so much of my style is focused on drama. And as a result, I’ve really moved away from non-dramatic pieces of outerwear. In other words, I don’t wear outerwear that isn’t longer than my thighs, such as chore coats and jungle jackets. It’s rare if I do wear them because that slot is usually filled by my first love: tailoring. If I want to wear outerwear, it’s gonna be long and big. This is a point I missed when I was reviewing my personal style and why I’ve moved away from more casual stuff; it’s just not dramatic. That being said, I am trying to make room for my leather and denim jackets. I still want them to get my patina too!

Podcast Outline

• 11:51 – Topic Start
• 18:21 – Our First Thoughts About Outerwear
• 27:55 – Outerwear Inspo is on Our Minds Recently
• 38:26 – Movement of Outerwear Culture
• 41:37 – What We Own and How We Decide What to Wear
• 1:22:45 – Outro

Recommended Reading

• My articles on:
  • Rainy Day Attire
  • Vintage Outerwear (outdated because I outgrew a lot of that stuff)
  • The Duffle Coat
  • The Barbour Jacket
  • Sorry, I didn’t write one about the Balmacaan or the Polo Coat, so this piece will have to do!

Regular Outerwear

Thanks for listening and reading along! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord. 

The Podcast is produced by MJ.

Always a pleasure,

Ethan M. Wong

Big thank you to our top tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics), Philip, Shane, Henrik, and Alexander.