Men's Overcoats Made in England
An overcoat is the finishing layer of a winter wardrobe, and the men's overcoats in this collection are made in England from cutting to final stitch. Gloverall has made coats in Britain since 1951, and all three overcoats here carry that pedigree: certified or British-woven cloth, full linings and construction details you can point to, from fly fronts to raglan sleeves. If you are looking for a men's wool overcoat that will still be in service in ten winters, this is the shortlist.
The Hynes Harris Tweed Overcoat
The Hynes Harris Tweed Overcoat is a men's tweed overcoat in the full sense: its cloth is Harris Tweed, handwoven in the Outer Hebrides from pure virgin wool and protected by its own Act of Parliament, the Harris Tweed Act 1993. The cloth weighs 330 grams per square metre, which gives a long tweed overcoat real presence without turning it into a burden. The cut is relaxed, with a button down fly front, angled front pockets and a single back vent. It comes in three patterns: Brown Houndstooth, Charcoal Herringbone and Grey Check Blue Stripe, each with the depth of colour that makes tweed improve with wear. Named after Syd Hynes, the Leeds rugby league great, it is structured but not stiff, refined but never precious.
The Hynes Wool Overcoat
The Hynes Wool Overcoat is the same silhouette in a smoother cloth: 100% wool from Abraham Moon, the Yorkshire mill, at 375 grams per square metre. Where the tweed reads rural and textured, the wool reads urban and quiet, which makes it the easier of the two to wear five days a week. It keeps the two angled front pockets and the back vent, and is cut in a regular fit rather than the tweed's relaxed one. In Mocha, Navy and Olive Green, in sizes XS to 2XL.
The Chesterfield Overcoat
A Chesterfield is the most formal overcoat style there is: single breasted, long, with a clean centre front and a minimum of decoration. The Gloverall Chesterfield keeps the formality and relaxes the fit, with a dropped raglan sleeve that sits easily over a suit jacket, a fully lined body and an internal breast pocket. The cloth is a substantial blend of 75% wool, 20% polyamide and 5% cashmere, and at 620 grams per linear metre it is the heaviest cloth in the collection. It comes in Black, Navy and Camel: the black overcoat for formal wear, the navy for the office, the camel for everything else.
How Warm Is a Wool Overcoat?
Warm enough for a British winter, and the cloth weight is the number to check. The Hynes Harris Tweed carries 330 grams per square metre and the Hynes Wool 375. The Chesterfield's blend is quoted at 620 grams per linear metre, which is a different measure and not directly comparable, though it is the heaviest cloth here by hand and by drape. Wool insulates even when damp, breathes indoors and shrugs off drizzle, which is why a wool overcoat outperforms most synthetic winter coats from October to March. All three are cut with room for a jumper underneath, so the warmth scales with your layers.
Wearing an Overcoat Over a Suit
An overcoat should be cut longer and roomier than the jacket beneath it, and all three of these are. The generous cut and long garment length leave space for a suit jacket or blazer without pulling at the shoulders, and the Chesterfield's raglan sleeve in particular sits cleanly over structured tailoring. For smart wear, a navy or black overcoat over a suit is the classic City uniform; the Hynes in Charcoal Herringbone does the same job with more texture, and the Hynes Wool in Navy does it with none at all. All three styles run from XS to 2XL.
Overcoat, Duffle Coat or Peacoat?
The overcoat is the longest and most formal of the three. A duffle coat is more casual, with toggles and a hood; a peacoat is shorter, double breasted and naval in origin. Choose the overcoat when the coat needs to work over tailoring or read as formal on its own; choose the other two when it does not.
