Georges El Haber

Coats: A Menswear Essential 

Cold weather! What does that mean? Well for starters, putting away the shorts and dusting off the coats!

First, the topcoat, a menswear essential, something you should always have in your closet, waiting for the perfect weather to rock it. That moment is now, with it finally starting to feel like winter in NYC, it’s the most likely that you will need one. It can be made from different type of materials. The one I like to wear is a mix of both polyester and wool. Topcoats can also be made from cashmere too.

WHAT IS A TOPCOAT?

A topcoat is a lightweight version of an overcoat and usually a little bit shorter as well. Overcoats generally fall below the knees and are usually heavier and thicker while topcoats end around the mid thigh. These coats are single or double breasted, with peak or notch lapels. The double-breasted tends to be for colder climates because it can cover much more of your frame and keep your body warmer. 

Nowadays, there’s ways to dress down this piece and make it more casual. Seen here, I demonstrate ways you can wear it with just a tee, or dress it up a bit with a shirt and cardigan. Lastly, you don’t prefer wearing it these two ways you can always wear it how it was traditionally intended with a full suit to keep you warm from the cold weather.

The best part about a topcoat is that it’s so easy to accessorize. One way you can do this is by putting a pair of leather gloves into the pocket. If you don’t have leather gloves, a pair of shades would do the trick too. Put them in the pocket and make on side of the temples stick out, thus giving it a casual flair.

I’ve recently been told: “Simplicity is key”. As you can see in my photo, it’s totally true. I did this by wearing a white tee, black jeans and my white sneakers. This look give it more of a pop make makes it stand out from the crowd.

The pea coat is another great type of coat. The topcoat can sometimes be found from the same materials. The one I own is 100% wool. This is a good thing to keep in mind when looking for a pea coat.

WHAT IS A PEA COAT?

A pea coat was originally used by sailors to protect themselves from the biting chill from the open sea. Pea coats are characterized by short length, broad lapels, double-breasted front, often large wooden, metal or plastic buttons and vertical or slash pockets.

As well as the topcoat, a pea coat can be worn casually You can do this by wearing it with a tee and some jeans or class it up a bit with dress pants, a dress shirt, a cardigan and a sports coat. Or, if you don’t like either of those options you can wear it more formally and wear it over your suit.

A pea coat is a great coat to own in your wardrobe. I found it extremely simple to either dress it up or down.