Much of my clothing roots go back to that part of the seventies that did NOT include high waistband trousers, Ravel stack sole shoes, round collar shirts and those awful diamond tank tops with matching cardigans.
I spent most of the early part of the seventies in boots braces and a sheepskin (3/4 length bought from a Jewish chap in petticoat lane who had also sold my dad one just after the war)...however, I also owned tonic suits and a crombie. Now the crombie was a particular favourite, with Kingston wearing red hankies in the top pocket and I think New Malden and Sutton wearing blue.
My only regret was not having a crombie with a velvet collar.
Having seen a chap last year wearing a fawn coat with a velvet collar I set about looking for my 'crombie' for this century. However, what I found was this
http://www.tweed-jacket.com/mens_overcoat.html
which I quite liked but felt it was maybe a wee too OTT for me and at around £600 not overly expensive but more than I wanted to spend.
So looking around I discovered Covert coats.
I bought one from Charles Tyrwhitts Toowits Tweets Twatts whatever and discovered they do not have buttons at the cuff and have bands of stitching around the bottom. After taking it to my taylor to get the sleeves shortened a bit (a bonus as he charges more for cuffs with buttons) it looks good with jeans as well as trousers as a long jacket.
I discovered that the bands of stitching were in case the coat got caught on brambles so the stitching would prevent the coat from fraying. Apparently they were/are used for shooting.
I furthered my research a bit and read somewhere that the velvet collar was originally put on as a dig at the French. Can anyone here explain why?
Not sure where you got a price of £600 from for the Bookster tweed, with the most expensive cloth and all the extras it comes out at £420 inc VAT. I have one in the Porter & Harding 560gram "Leven" tweed. I would say the quality is OK but not great but very good value.
IIRC the UK velvet industry was mainly driven by French Huguenot refugees so perhaps that has something to do with the “dig at the French”.
Last edited by JohnL (2009-09-30 15:32:59)
I love covert coats and ,wish it were cold enough here to wear one.
I read some where that the velvet collar prevented long oily hair from staining an otherwise un-velveted collar.
Last edited by JDelage (2009-10-01 01:18:52)
How about this for a bargain?..http://www.peterchristian.co.uk/Catalogue/Jackets-Coats/Covert-Coat?source=GOOGLEADW&gclid=CPve04_N1p0CFUYA4wodejkirA
...Looks too good to be true!
I bought one from Cording last year. Made in Portugal. Not so good sticthing (a thread unsewed at the collar). I wore it once.
Sleeves are too long. Can one shorten the sleeves without living holes despite the stitching on the sleeves?
Mine i blue. SO not a genuine covert coat fabric i guess.
I paid around £400 for it. Only 10% off. The seem to sell well.
New & Lingwood have very good covert coats, made in England, for £495 - http://newandlingwood.com/product.php?id=304. Turnbull and Asser have a similar coat, also made in England, for £650.
Crombie charge a staggering £675 - http://www.crombie.co.uk/p/Category_Men_Coats/4623.htm. Cordings use a heavier material and start at £425. Roderick Charles looks pricy at £445 - http://www.roderickcharles.com/p/Outerwear/060101030003.htm
The cheaper coats on Jermyn Street are worth a look. Tyrwhitt is good value at £175 - http://www.ctshirts.co.uk/ym-gbpdefault/yr-yd-Men%27s-Coats/yp-OC019LBN/Fawn-Covert-Coat/productdetail.aspx?ppp=12&sortBy=Relevance&page=1&back=False&canned=&browse=. Lewin is £150 - http://www.tmlewin.co.uk/product.aspx/Men/MenswearCasualwearCoatsJackets!31043
It's, as usual, a trade-off between brand, price, quality and fit.
Yes, I bought a Charlie Tyrwhitt during the summer sales. As they no longer do the charcoal one I am glad I got it when I did. The Peter Christian has buttons at the cuff and non concealed buttons. Not a true covert coat.
Harvie & Hudson's covert coats are worth a look, often discounted - http://www.harvieandhudson.com/product.phtml?id=166.
I don't like them.
Associations again. Clerk of the course at Sandown Park worn with brown trilby and binoculars. Ones without velvet collar are not quite as bad.
Well it is lucky we all have different tastes. I happen to think that they are very smart and worn with a BD and slacks with a pair of loafers or brogues can look very dashing.
Crombie owner accused of rape.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alan-lewis-arrest-conservative-vice-chairman-2313388
David Cameron’s close ally Alan Lewis arrested over teenage student rape claim
Officers held the 75-year-old – a Conservative vice-chairman – hours before he was due to travel to Manchester for the party's conference
Preparations for the Tory conference were thrown into disarray last night by the news one of the party’s key figures has been arrested on allegations of rape.
Crombie clothing tycoon Alan Lewis was being quizzed over claims he attacked a teenage student in the 60s.
Officers held the 75-year-old party vice chairman for business – one of David Cameron’s closest allies – hours before he was due to travel to Manchester for tomorrow’s conference.
His arrest sent shockwaves through Downing Street.
A Tory source said: “We are in a state of shock over this.
"It could not have come at a worse time. Alan’s arrest will become the talking point of next week’s conference.”
Another party insider added: “At the moment only a few senior Tories are aware of Alan Lewis’s arrest. But once word gets out it will be a bombshell.
“Alan is a hugely popular figure with the senior ranks of the party, and his close relationship with David Cameron is well known.
“He plays a crucial role in keeping the obvious links between the Conservatives and their friends in the business world.”
Police asked committed Christian Mr Lewis, who is said to be worth £220million, to attend a station in Belgravia, Central London.
He was then arrested on suspicion of raping the student in a Manchester hotel while on a business trip. She lived in the city at the time of the alleged attack.
The married woman, from Dorset and now in her 60s, came forward with her shock allegation a few weeks ago.
Greater Manchester Police are investigating the claim.
Mr Cameron was informed of the arrest soon after it happened
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-10-28 04:29:40)
I just wish it were in the Blair 'camp'. There is probably just as much festering away in their cupboards.
Alan Lewis vs David Mason: Battle of the tailors from Savile Row
Tory vice-chairman in court fight over the brand that dressed Jagger and Cher
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/alan-lewis-vs-david-mason-battle-of-the-tailors-from-savile-row-8861199.html
this is especially interesting as when I saw them selling 'Tommy Nutter' suits on their internet site, with all the Sexton stylistic details I went into their store in Mayfair and asked the manager if Tommy Nutter had designed the suits, he confidently said "yes, he designed them". I was sceptical and now it turns out its just a license the aforementioned Alan Lewis bought. He is still selling suits in the shop using the name of 'Tommy Nutter' despite losing the right to use the name, although the case is now apparently under appeal.
I was thinking of buying a new overcoat from somewhere and had considered Crombie on my list .. I have drawn a thick line through using them. An owner who is facing rape charges of a teenager .. a shop manager who tells lies about who designs their clothes .. a owner who shamelessly uses the names of others to brand his clothing and sell more of it. What a horrible place.
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-10-28 04:53:33)
http://www.purdey.com/clothing-accessories/mens-classic-covert-coat-ctdrs016.aspx
I have been widening my search for a well priced, classic covert coat .. I came across this coat from Purdey, who you'd think would know what a 'classic covert coat' looks like. Sadly not. No fly front, no rows of stiching around the ends of the sleeves, no ticket pocket, no velvet collar, basically NO features which would identify it as a covert coat (apart from the material). What idiots actually have these things commissioned? Do you think the guy in charge of this at Purdey got his head stuck up a partridge's backside when creating the specifications for a 'classic covert coat'. fucking nitwits.
well I guess cynically it doesn't make one jot of difference to their bottom line as the customer base is now made up of Russian oligarch types who want to order a nice looking gun, the more expensive the better, to play English gentleman with on a country weekend & perhaps buy a 'classic covert coat' while they are there, not knowing what a fucking 'classic' version entails .. so hell what's the point of spending money on the stiching etc when they would just likely wonder what the fuck it's there for .. bang the retail price up, keep the costs low ... we might just have an English business which can stay in business long enough to survive the rest of the decade. hooray!
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-10-31 18:44:13)