Why do duffle coats have wooden toggles?

So sailors could fasten them with frozen or gloved hands. The Original Monty keeps wooden toggles and jute rope loops to the original naval pattern; they still work exactly as intended.

How should a duffle coat fit?

The Original Monty is an oversized fit, true to the military original, with room for heavy knitwear underneath. The Morris is cut relaxed, a little closer to the body. If you prefer a closer line, choose the Morris, or size down in the Monty.

How long does a duffle coat last?

Decades, treated properly: dry clean only, never machine wash, and air it between wears. Gloverall coats from the 1950s are still in service, and our Renewed programme gives older pieces a second life.

Are Gloverall duffle coats made in England?

Most are. Every duffle coat in the Heritage Collection is made in England at our factory outside London, and Gloverall has been making coats in England since 1951. The Men's Monty Dufflewool Duffle Coat, part of the Dufflewool range, is not.

What is a duffle coat?

A hooded coat in dense wool, fastened with toggles, named after the Belgian town of Duffel where the cloth was first woven. The Royal Navy standardised it; Gloverall turned the naval original into the civilian classic from 1951.

Are Gloverall duffle coats warm?

Yes. The Original Monty is cut from a dense wool of 910 grams per linear metre, with a hood and a throat fastening that close against the wind, and a duffle is designed to be worn over a jacket or heavy knit rather than instead of one. Cloth weight is what does the work: it is the same specification the coat carried on naval convoy decks.

Men's Heritage Duffle Coats, Made in England

No wool coat is fully waterproof, but the Original Monty's cloth is a dense 910 grams per linear metre wool that resists rain and snow the way it did on naval convoy decks. In a sustained downpour wear the hood up, then let the coat dry naturally. The Men's Monty Dufflewool Duffle Coat is the exception on this page: its outer is a showerproof ripstop rather than wool, which sheds rain and wind, though showerproof is still not waterproof.

Gloverall has made them since 1951, which is a more useful answer than a trend forecast: the duffle sits in the foreground or the background of menswear, but it does not leave. What dates a duffle is length and proportion rather than the coat itself. The mid-length Original Monty in navy or camel has been worn over a suit and over jeans in every decade since the fifties, and it is the version to choose if you want the least trend-dependent one.

Men's Duffle Coats

The men's duffle coat (or duffel coat) has a story worth knowing. Born from surplus military stock after the Second World War and refined by Gloverall since 1951, it has earned its place as one of Britain's most enduring outerwear styles, not through trend cycles, but through the kind of quiet authority that only comes with genuine heritage. Our men's collection has four Heritage coats: the full-length Original Monty Duffle Coat and Morris Duffle Coat, and their shorter versions, the Mid-Length Monty and the Morris Mid-Length. The Montys are cut from boiled wool with wooden toggles and jute rope; the Morris coats from a heavier double-faced Melton wool with buffalo horn toggles and leather loops.

The Original Monty Duffle Coat

Named after Field Marshal Montgomery, the Original Monty is the coat that built the brand. Oversized and unlined, it is cut from boiled wool (90% wool, 910 g/lm) with a cotton herringbone webbing interior, built for layering and made to last. Available in nine colours including Black, Camel, Navy, Charcoal, Rust and Natural, with sizes XS to 2XL. At £515, it remains the benchmark for what a men's duffle coat should be.

The Morris Duffle Coat

The Morris Duffle Coat takes the same heritage framework in a heavier cloth: double-faced Melton wool (960 g/lm) with a tartan lining that shows at the hood and when the coat swings open, finished with buffalo horn toggles and leather loops in a relaxed fit. Available in eight colourways including Loden Check, Brown MacDuff Hunting, Grey Black Watch and Camel Buchanan, up to 4XL. The Morris Mid-Length offers the same tartan-lined cloth at a shorter length, with satin-lined sleeves, easier to wear in urban settings.

The Mid-Length Monty Duffle Coat

The Mid-Length Monty hits a versatile spot between the full Monty and a jacket, practical enough for daily commutes, substantial enough for winter. It uses the same boiled wool and wooden toggles as the Original Monty, and comes in multiple colourways, including Camel, Navy, and Charcoal.

What Makes a Gloverall Duffle Coat

Every Heritage coat in this collection carries the details that define the original design. The pancake hood sits flat across the shoulders when not in use, engineered to fit under naval headgear. Toggle fastenings, wooden on jute rope for the Monty and buffalo horn on leather for the Morris, were chosen for their practicality in gloved hands aboard wartime vessels. The martingale cuff tab cinches the sleeve to keep wind and rain out, still present on every one of them today. And the internal webbing leg straps, while rarely used now, remain a mark of authentic craftsmanship with direct roots in WWII naval dress.

How to Choose Your Men's Duffle Coat

If you want the definitive coat, full length, traditional, built to age beautifully: the Original Monty is the answer. For a heavier cloth with tartan at the hood and horn toggles, the Morris is distinctive without being showy. If you want the heritage but prefer a length that works from the office to the weekend, choose the Mid-Length Monty or the Morris Mid-Length. The Montys are cut oversized and the Morris coats relaxed, both with room to layer a substantial jumper underneath. Our men's duffle coat guide compares all four side by side. Pair with a Submariner Jumper or a Churchill Peacoat for the full Gloverall wardrobe.

Men's Surplus Duffle Coats

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Which Duffle Coats Are Still Made in England?

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