Reader Questions

From Joshua

"Many sources say that the customary length for jacket sleeves is to reveal at least 0.5 inches of the shirt cuff. However, I have not been able to find a similar custom on the length for sleeves on a top coat. Would you please tell me and the rest of your readers what is customarily accepted as the proper length for our topcoated selves?"

Despite how it looks in the drawing to the left (either the artist erred or the tops of the men's gloves are folded down), a topcoat or overcoat should fall to the bottom of the hand so it covers jacket and shirt cuff. That way, a man's gloves extend up into the sleeve and there's no skin exposed to the weather.

From Pat
"When going to a new tailor, do you ever leave written instructions behind? For instance, I have selected a new tailor to make a dinner jacket for me. For once, I have very specific ideas about what I want, and feel confident that I can communicate my wants to him. However, I am sorely tempted to write a letter reiterating my specific wants and desires, to leave with him."

Specifying a drapey Neopolitan jacket to a tailor who makes clean, Roman style clothes for is a recipe for failure. I believe that we should choose tailors for their reputation and house style, and should then be comfortable enough with that style to let the tailor decide all but the major details of cloth, lining, style (double, single with three buttons, etc.), and pockets.

Past that, the fitter should be writing things down as you mention them and if you lack confidence in his ability to read what he's written you've almost certainly chosen the wrong man (or woman). I've had more than one get details wrong but that's part of the game and they are usually reparable.

A Closet Full of Coats

A man needs a coat, or several of them, for the rain and the snow.

Every wardrobe has to start somewhere. If you have one coat it should be a tan raincoat with a zip-in lining that will help keep you warm when the temperature falls below freezing.

Your second coat should be designed to get you to and from your work in cold weather, like the navy guard's coat in the drawing. Less useful than a raincoat in the rain, an overcoat can literally keep you from freezing on very cold days.

Variety being the spice of life, larger wardrobes have five or more coats for different purposes. In addition to the raincoat and an overcoat, you could constructively add a topcoat, like the covert coat pictured in the center of the drawing, for milder days.

A more formal overcoat, such as a charcoal Chesterfield with a black velvet collar, will be more appropriate than a conventional coat at solemn occasions and in the evening.

Finally, a tweed coat with raglan sleeves will look fitting worn over tweed suits and odd jackets.

We differentiate between overcoats and topcoats because a topcoat is four to six inches shorter than an overcoat and less cumbersome on a train or in an automobile. It's also lighter.

Coat fabrics come in several different weights. Very heavy overcoat fabrics, suitable for a Moscow winter, weigh as much as 30 ounces and are increasingly difficult to find today. Normal overcoat fabric runs 20-22 ounces, and topcoat cloth 17-18 ounces. In warmer climates such as Naples or San Francisco, topcoats may be made from suiting fabric weighing as little as 13 ounces.

The classic colors for overcoats and topcoats are the usual navy, charcoal and tan. For variety, you should acquire one of each color before considering a second or third in a similar color. For example, your closet might contain:

• Tan raincoat
• Charcoal Chesterfield
• Navy guard's coat
• Fawn covert coat
• Brown and cream houndstooth tweed

If you prefer other choices, such as a camel polo coat instead of the navy guard's coat, you can maintain color choices in your closet by substituting, for example, a black and white herringbone topcoat for the covert.

If you've earned an indulgence this winter, remember that coats may be the best opportunities to employ luxury cloth in your wardrobe. Cold weather is significantly less uncomfortable when you're wrapped up in a cashmere overcoat.