Car coat

Last updated
Dorothy Levitt, early motoring 'scorcher' and advisor on what to wear Dorothy Levitt Frontspiece to The Woman and the Car.jpg
Dorothy Levitt, early motoring 'scorcher' and advisor on what to wear

A car coat is an outer garment originally made to be worn by automobile drivers and passengers. First designed to provide maximum warmth and coverage, over time it became a much shorter garment. Today it describes a coat that typically ends at mid thigh. It is worn by both men and women.

Contents

While fur, leather and heavy wool were preferred in the early days, today the coat may be made in a wide variety of materials. In the period after World War II, it took on design elements of the jeep coat worn by servicemen and this is when the shorter length became common. As car ownership grew so did the popularity of the coat; by the 1960s it was described as "ubiquitous". The car coat remains popular today, both as a functional and a fashion garment.

'Automobilists' fashion plate of around 1910, showing early car coats Automobilists fur coats, Atelier Bachwitz, 1908-1910.jpg
'Automobilists' fashion plate of around 1910, showing early car coats

Early history of the car coat

Originally the car coat was more usually termed 'motoring dress'. It emerged in the early 1900s, when driving was considered an outdoor sport (most cars were open top) and required protective clothing. [1] Clothing for men and women and for driver and passenger was relatively similar, comprising a long heavy coat. This was often in fur or lined with fur, although sometimes it was in heavy cloth. In summer, women would wear a duster coat, sometimes called a dust coat, to cover their garments, in a cloth such as linen or alpaca wool. [1] This would be accessorised with gloves, goggles and a hat – women often wore elaborate hats and veils, while men would wear a cap. These accessories were worn year round. [1]

A chauffeur, in around 1910. Similar heavy greatcoats in wool or leather were worn by male and female drivers Riley car with chauffeur, c1910.jpg
A chauffeur, in around 1910. Similar heavy greatcoats in wool or leather were worn by male and female drivers
Dorothy Levitt priming a carburettor and wearing an early version of a motoring 'duster' coat Dorothy Levitt demonstrates how to prime the carburettor by Horace Nichols, The Woman and The Car, 1907.jpg
Dorothy Levitt priming a carburettor and wearing an early version of a motoring 'duster' coat

Motoring was still an activity for the elite, however the privations of driving in a vehicle that broke down frequently and provided no retreat from the elements, meant clothing had to be functional and warm. Sports motorist Dorothy Levitt – author of the 1909 handbook The Woman and the Car and dubbed 'the fastest woman on earth' for her 'scorching' (speeding) antics round tracks such as Brooklands – provided useful tips for women drivers on what to wear, along with guidance about the mechanical aspects of driving. On choosing the right coat, she said: "Under no circumstance wear lace or fluffy adjuncts to your toilet. There is nothing like a thick frieze, homespun or tweed coat lined with fur. Do not heed the cry, 'nothing like leather.' Leather coats do not wear gracefully." [2]

1920s styles

In the 1920s, women continued to favour male motoring dress and this also crossed over into high fashion. A 1921 article in The Times about the latest Paris fashions described a red leather motoring coat fastened with metal buckles. [3] Similar leather coats had been popular for chauffeurs and male motorists for several years. Fur was still popular, with a fashion correspondent noting that the Motor Show in Olympia was transforming shop windows around London. She recommended the latest craze for fur-lined coats in tweed, wool velour and cheviot. Musquash and nutria were also being chosen by women motorists, while in Knightsbridge, one new store was offering women's coats suitable for motoring made from men's suiting cloth. [4]

Composer Zez Confrey wearing a fur motoring coat - fur would remain popular driving gear for men and women Zez Confrey.jpg
Composer Zez Confrey wearing a fur motoring coat – fur would remain popular driving gear for men and women

Accessories also followed the unisex trend; The Times described the arrival of neat leather caps as a fashion accessory for women in 1923. [5] This style of sporty hat was worn in the iconic Tamara de Lempicka self-portrait of 1929 in which she is driving a green Bugatti with leather cap and driving gloves – reputed to be based on an Hermès set that she had seen on the cover of the magazine Vu . As this portrait suggests, and Peter Thorold has noted, the car had become the ultimate symbol of modernity and emancipation, something that was reflected in the styling of clothes. [6] Although no coat is visible in the de Lempicka portrait, by the late 1920s the latest motoring coats from France were worn long, made of tweed or flannel with narrow leather belts and collars in fur or flannel. [7] Wide raglan sleeves were popular – allowing freedom of movement – and collars could be military in style with buttons up to the neck. [8]

Reporting on fashions in the shops ahead of the 1931 Motor Show, The Times described not only furs, but a new trend for shorter coats – made of suede and silk lined with zips as fastening – for walking and motoring. [9] As cars became more common and designs provided more protection from the elements, clothing reduced in weight and quantity. However the leather motoring coat remained popular as a distinct item of dress throughout the 1930s. [1]

The jeep coat - as worn by servicemen during World War II - was the forerunner to the modern car coat Man looks under the hood of an old jeep from world war two.jpg
The jeep coat – as worn by servicemen during World War II – was the forerunner to the modern car coat

Postwar designs

The immediate precursor to the postwar (modern) car coat was based around the jeep coat, a design popular in wartime for the drivers of open-topped vehicles. This was generally of a shorter length, ending at mid thigh. [1]

By the early 1960s, some car coats were being designed in nylon, a report from the British Nylon Spinners' Fair in London in 1961 described a new washable mock suede car coat with brushed fleece nylon lining as: "one of the good possibilities" of the technology. [10] Real leathers remained popular – showerproof suede models with detachable collars and large leather buttons were being designed for women by 1964. These were also in the shorter length, ending at mid thigh. [11] Another new motoring design was the roebuck suede (deerskin) jacket, designed at hip length for both women and men, and described as a real innovation because: "A suede upon which grease, alcohol, even motor oil has no effect is a find indeed." [12]

Warmth was still considered a key component of the car coat, with water-repellent poplin models with padded and quilted linings being designed for women as "knock-about car coats". These came complete with detachable hoods and toggle fastenings. [12] Fur was still being promoted for motorists, but as a prestige item to go with prestige cars. An advert from 1965 in The Times by the National Fur Company entitled "An ocelot in your Jaguar" said: "We consider that an important feature of a car coat is its length – about halfway between a jacket and a 3/4 coat. At this length, it's comfortable to wear when driving. It doesn't ride up. Or 'seat'. And there is no risk of undue wear on the seat or back." [13]

The "ubiquitous" car coat

By the late 1960s, the car coat was an item of leisurewear, rather than simply a motoring accessory, and was being produced in a variety of fabrics, including sheepskin and the new manmade fur varieties. A fashion writer describing the uses of faux fur said: "Apart from coats they are made into all kinds of leisure wear, of which the now ubiquitous car coat is a conspicuous example. Derived from the more expensive but still popular sheepskin jacket, it is usually made from a cotton suedette or brushed nylon outer fabric lined with an acrylic pile". [14]

Football commentator John Motson got his first car coat in 1972, subsequently having them tailored in Savile Row John Motson.jpg
Football commentator John Motson got his first car coat in 1972, subsequently having them tailored in Savile Row

While women continued to wear the car-coat length – among others – by the mid-1960s the car coat had become a staple item of the male wardrobe. Editor of The Tailor and Cutter magazine John Taylor, writing in 1966, said: "The riding mac was the equivalent in the nineteen twenties and thirties of the car coat of the nineteen fifties and sixties. If a riding mac was worn there was the suggestion that it had been bought for a specific purpose. The wearer probably owned a hack and therefore was not a member of the hoi polloi. For similar reasons today, however submerged in the psyches of their owners the reasons may lie, there are far more car coats in male wardrobes than there are cars in garages." [15]

Although the car coat was by now a familiar item, it did not mean it couldn't be reinvented. Michael Carr, who had designed an ergonomic racing suit for his company's co-director Stirling Moss applied first design principles to add functionality. Made of waterproofed poplin, his design of 1968 featured a zip front and separate velcro quick fasten strip. Buttons were designed so they didn't catch on the car seat belt, gathered cuffs excluded draughts and pockets were designed to fall on the knee while seated in the car. There was also an interior deep pocket for roadmaps. [16] During the 1970s, the car coat continued to be a wardrobe staple for men, while car coat became a description of cut and length in women's fashion (often looser and always shorter than a traditional coat).

In late 1960s U.K., "shearling" car coats were favored by early skinheads. [17] From the 1980s on, the men's car coat started to symbolise a particular character or walk of life on British TV and in the press, especially when worn in sheepskin or camel hair. Sheepskin was the style favoured by Del Boy in Only Fools & Horses and by football managers. It was also worn by detectives in The Sweeney . [18] [19] Later, the Life on Mars detective series, in which the hero is transported back to the 1970s, would reprise the car coat by giving DCI Gene Hunt a scruffy version in camel wool. [20] More celebrated still are the trademarked sheepskin car coats worn by BBC football commentator John Motson – he wore his first in 1972, acquired from a furrier he met at a party in Chelsea, and subsequently had them made on Savile Row. [21] It had become such a shorthand description for British football pundits by the late 1990s that a Times feature about the warm-up for the 1998 World Cup began with the description: "Paul Sexton, our man in the sheepskin car coat, on the tournament for the World Cup". [22]

Anna Sui shearling car coat at Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week Anna Sui Fall-Winter 2010 084.jpg
Anna Sui shearling car coat at Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week

The character of James Bond, as portrayed by actor Timothy Dalton, wore a black leather car coat made by Kenzō Takada in key scenes of 1987's The Living Daylights movie, the 15th film of the popular British motion picture franchise.

Fantasy and science fiction author Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius often wears car coats.

Fashion revivals

In the late 1990s the car coat attracted attention as a fashion curiosity when Liam Gallagher wore a sheepskin model to the Brit Awards; Craig David wore a similar design in 2001. [23] [24] [25] The car coat length has remained popular since 2008 – with GQ citing the " Mad Men effect" as a contributor to the revival of more formal and retro styles. [26]

In 2010–11, it was popular on the catwalks for both men's and women's coats. [27] [28] Some versions were in fur and shearling (sheepskin), as well as in camel colourways. In 2013, it was described as the best coat length of the season. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glove</span> Covering worn on the hand

A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. Gloves extending past the wrist are called gauntlets. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a guard for what a bare hand should not touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaps</span> Leather leg coverings

Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather or a leather-like material. Their name is a shortened version of the Spanish word chaparajos. Chaparajos were named after the chaparral from which they were designed to protect the legs while riding on horseback. Like much of western American horse culture, the origin of chaparajos was in the south of Spain, from which it then passed on to the part of New Spain that later became Mexico, and has been assimilated into cowboy culture of the American west. They are a protective garment to be used when riding a horse through brushy terrain. In the modern world, they are worn for both practical work purposes and for exhibition or show use. Chaps have also been adopted for use on motorcycles, particularly by cruiser-style motorcycle riders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1890s in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion of the 1890s

Fashion in the 1890s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by long elegant lines, tall collars, and the rise of sportswear. It was an era of great dress reforms led by the invention of the drop-frame safety bicycle, which allowed women the opportunity to ride bicycles more comfortably, and therefore, created the need for appropriate clothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leggings</span> Several types of leg coverings

Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights. Usage from the 18th century refers to men's wear usually made of cloth or leather that is wrapped around the leg down to the ankle. In the 19th century, leggings usually referred to infants' leg clothing that were matched with a jacket, as well as leg-wrappings made of leather or wool and worn by soldiers and trappers. Leggings prominently returned to women's fashion in the 1960s, drawing from the form-fitting clothing of dancers. With the widespread adoption of the synthetic fibre Lycra and the rise in popularity of aerobics, leggings came to further prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and eventually made their way into streetwear. Leggings are a part of the late 2010s into the 2020s athleisure fashion trend of wearing activewear outside sporting activities and in casual settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight jacket</span> Casual jacket originally worn by aviators

A flight jacket is a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. It has evolved into various styles and silhouettes, including the "letterman" jacket and the fashionable "bomber" jacket that is known today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breeches</span> Article of clothing

Breeches are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's clothing, they had fallen out of use by the mid-19th century in favour of trousers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western wear</span> American clothing style associated with the Old West and cowboy culture

Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments popularized by Western film and television or singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s. It continues to be a fashion choice in the West and Southwestern United States, as well as people associated with country music or Western lifestyles, for example the various Western or Regional Mexican music styles. Western wear typically incorporates one or more of the following, Western shirts with pearl snap fasteners and vaquero design accents, blue jeans, cowboy hat, a leather belt, and cowboy boots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion of the 1990s

Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside from ear piercing and, to a much lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evening glove</span> Formal glove reaching above the elbow, worn with evening or ball gowns

Ladies' evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the 1980s

Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which was when apparel became very bright and vivid in appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1880s in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion of the 1880s

1880s fashion in the in Western and Western-influenced countries is characterized by the return of the bustle. The long, lean line of the late 1870s was replaced by a full, curvy silhouette with gradually widening shoulders. Fashionable waists were low and tiny below a full, low bust supported by a corset. The Rational Dress Society was founded in 1881 in reaction to the extremes of fashionable corsetry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the 1960s

In a decade that broke many traditions, adopted new cultures, and launched a new age of social movements, 1960s fashion had a nonconformist but stylish, trendy touch. Around the middle of the decade, new styles started to emerge from small villages and cities into urban centers, receiving media publicity, influencing haute couture creations of elite designers and the mass-market clothing manufacturers. Examples include the mini skirt, culottes, go-go boots, and more experimental fashions, less often seen on the street, such as curved PVC dresses and other PVC clothes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1945–1960 in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the Post-war years 1945-1960

Fashion in the years following World War II is characterized by the resurgence of haute couture after the austerity of the war years. Square shoulders and short skirts were replaced by the soft femininity of Christian Dior's "New Look" silhouette, with its sweeping longer skirts, fitted waist, and rounded shoulders, which in turn gave way to an unfitted, structural look in the later 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1900s in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the decade 1900–1909

Fashion in the period 1900–1909 in the Western world continued the severe, long and elegant lines of the late 1890s. Tall, stiff collars characterize the period, as do women's broad hats and full "Gibson Girl" hairstyles. A new, columnar silhouette introduced by the couturiers of Paris late in the decade signaled the approaching abandonment of the corset as an indispensable garment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothing fetish</span> Sexual fetish relating to particular type of clothing

Clothing fetishism or garment fetishism is a sexual fetish that revolves around a fixation upon a particular article or type of clothing, a particular fashion or uniform, or a person dressed in such a style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian dress</span> Traditional clothing of Romanians

Romanian dress refers to the traditional clothing worn by Romanians, who live primarily in Romania and Moldova, with smaller communities in Ukraine and Serbia. Today, the vast majority of Romanians wear modern style dress on most occasions, and the garments described here largely fell out of use during the 20th century. However, they can still be seen in more remote areas, on special occasions, and at ethnographic and folk events. Each historical region has its own specific variety of costume.

The Medieval period in England is usually classified as the time between the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance, roughly the years AD 410–1485. For various peoples living in England, the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Danes, Normans and Britons, clothing in the medieval era differed widely for men and women as well as for different classes in the social hierarchy. The general styles of Early medieval European dress were shared in England. In the later part of the period, men's clothing changed much more rapidly than women's styles. Clothes were very expensive and both the men and women of lower social classes continued also divided social classes by regulating the colors and styles these various ranks were permitted to wear. In the early Middle Ages, clothing was typically simple and, particularly in the case of lower-class peoples, served only basic utilitarian functions such as modesty and protection from the elements. As time went on the advent of more advanced textile techniques and increased international relations, clothing gradually got more and more intricate and elegant, even with those under the wealthy classes, up into the renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leather jacket</span> Jacket made of leather

A leather jacket is a jacket-length coat that is usually worn on top of other apparel or item of clothing, and made from the tanned hide of various animals. The leather material is typically dyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide range of colors is possible. Leather jackets can be designed for many purposes, and specific styles have been associated with subcultures such as greasers, motorcyclists and bikers, mobsters, military aviators and music subcultures, who have worn the garment for protective or fashionable reasons, and occasionally to create a potentially intimidating appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazakh clothing</span> Clothing worn by the Kazakh people

Kazakh clothing, worn by the Kazakh people, is often made of materials suited to the region's extreme climate and the people's nomadic lifestyle. It is commonly decorated with elaborate ornaments made from bird beaks, animal horns, hooves and feet. Although contemporary Kazakhs usually wear Western dress, the Turkic people wear more traditional clothing for holidays and special occasions.

Maxfield Parrish was a British fashion brand founded by Nigel Preston in the early 1970s. With an international reputation – especially for its work in leathers – it was selected as part of the Dress of the Year in 1982.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cumming, Valerie; Cunnington, C.W.; Cunnington, P. (2010). The Dictionary of Fashion History. Oxford: Berg. p. 135. ISBN   9781847887382 . Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Levitt, Dorothy (1909). The Woman and the Car. ISBN   978-0-238-78967-0.
  3. ↑ "A Woman's View: Paris Fashions". The Times. No. 42799. 15 August 1921.
  4. ↑ "Round the shops: motoring outfits". The Times. No. 43787. 20 October 1924.
  5. ↑ "London fashions: some new millinery". The Times. No. 43486. 31 October 1923.
  6. ↑ Thorold, Peter (2003). The Motoring Age: 1896-1939. Hatton Garden, London: Profile Books. ISBN   9781847651020 . Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Paris Fashions: Midsummer out of doors". The Times. No. 45528. 2 June 1930.
  8. ↑ "Round the shops: clothes for election campaign". The Times. No. 45955. 16 October 1931.
  9. ↑ "Trade improved by cold weather: Motor Show visitors". The Times. No. 46263. 13 October 1932.
  10. ↑ "Here and There". The Times. No. 54998. 6 February 1961.
  11. ↑ "Devoted to women". The Times. No. 56170. 16 November 1964.
  12. 1 2 "Coats in roebuck suede". The Times. No. 56485. 22 November 1965.
  13. ↑ "About Fur: No.4. An ocelot in your Jaguar? (advert)". The Times. No. 56457. 20 October 1965.
  14. ↑ Elvin, Rene (25 April 1966). "The new status symbol – deep pile fabrics". The Times. No. 56614.
  15. ↑ Taylor, John (29 December 1966). "English weather puts us into top gear". The Times. No. 56825.
  16. ↑ King-Deacon, Antony (23 February 1968). "Business Habits: sartorial science". The Times. No. 57183.
  17. ↑ "Hard Mod to Skin". Museum of Youth Culture. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  18. ↑ "'Del Boy' sheepskin factory Nursey of Bungay shuts". BBC. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  19. ↑ Gerard, Jasper (14 December 2003). "It's a woman's life in The Sweeney". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Gene Hunt's camel coat to make return in Ashes to Ashes". Daily Mirror. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  21. ↑ Lawson, James (28 June 2008). "John Motson: The Full Motty". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  22. ↑ Sexton, Paul (15 June 1998). "Soccer it to me baby". The Times. No. 66228.
  23. ↑ Shilling, Jane (26 February 1997). "Pass the cocoa, Liam". The Times. No. 65823.
  24. ↑ Onanuga, Tola (23 March 2009). "Is Liam Gallagher a fashion pioneer". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Sheep's clothing". The Times. No. 67317. 8 December 2001.
  26. ↑ Durbin, Jonathan (28 October 2008). "This Just In: La Rosa vintage car coat". GQ. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  27. ↑ "Smart Buy - Gloverall Anniversary Car Coat". Esquire. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  28. ↑ Alexander, Hilary (15 February 2010). "Diane Von Furstenberg autumn/winter 2010/11 collection". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  29. ↑ Freeman, Hadley (10 June 2013). "What should I be looking for in a summer coat this year?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.