Loden coats

[bry2000]

I am a big fan of Loden coats. Is it correct or preferable only to wear a loden coat in the traditional loden green color? What do you think of loden coats made in other colors like navy? I have seen Lodens made by Schneiders of Austria. Are they the best manufacurer of this type of coat?

Thank you.

[dopey]

If I can add to the question - what exactly is Loden? I assumed it refers to a certain cloth of a certain color. If it is not in the Loden color, then it is is something else, e.g., boiled wool or melton.

[aus_md]

Loden is a woven woollen fabric shrunk by boiling water and pressure. It is dense and relatively water-resistant. The traditional colour is blue-green, but other colours are not uncommon. A related fabric, made from knitted wool, is walk (walkstoff).

Aus_MD

[Concordia]

I have a 3/4 length coat-- sort of a parka/shooting jacket-- that is made from navy blue Loden cloth. No problems there.

[maxnharry]

Who are the favored makers?

[JLibourel]

Not exactly germane to any questions asked, but I'll just affirm that loden is good stuff. I have a full-length loden coat in the traditional green that I bought from Land's End in the early 1980s for the princely sum of $65. After many years of hard use, it's still going strong--surely one of the most durable and useful garments I have ever owned. I wear it almost constantly for walking my dog on cold nights.

[Mark Seitelman]

I have one in navy with a removable fur lining that I purchased at Paul Stuart. The label says made in Austria. I have also seen loden coats in grey at Paul Stuart.

Navy and grey are fine by me.

Oxxford has some lighter weight loden top coats in either green or grey. They were made in Ireland, and the store can give you the name of the manufacturer. They're on sale. Ask for Tashae.

[Richard3]

Even though I am an Austrian I have to admit that I have never owned a Loden Coat. The traditional Loden coats are either green or grey and always have Raglan sleeves. Schneiders is a soild maker but if you want something special I`d opt for their top-line "Habsburg".

BTW, one of the most famous Trachten-shops, Loden Plankl in Vienna (mentioned in Flusser`s Style and the Man), offers some coats online:

www.loden-plankl.at

[bengal-stripe]

The traditional Loden coats are either green or grey and always have Raglan sleeves.

Although loden cloth is a material and can be tailored into any style, the classic and best-known loden coat is the “Hubertus” hunting style.

It has the famous inverted pleat in the back and extended shoulders. The shoulders overlap the set-in sleeves by an inch or so. The seam, attaching the sleeves is left open underneath, to give more room when raising the gun. There are pockets in the front of the coat, but also openings in the side seams to give easy access to the ammunition which is kept dry in the jacket or belt.

This style comes sometimes with a fly-front.

Rolf

[T4phage]

Even though I am an Austrian I have to admit that I have never owned a Loden Coat. The traditional Loden coats are either green or grey and always have Raglan sleeves. Schneiders is a soild maker but if you want something special I`d opt for their top-line "Habsburg".

BTW, one of the most famous Trachten-shops, Loden Plankl in Vienna (mentioned in Flusser`s Style and the Man), offers some coats online:

www.loden-plankl.at

I saw tons of Schniders in Italy during the winter season.... some of the raglan shouldered ones were not too bad at all.

[tteplitzmd]

I believe there is some alpaca in the traditional "Loden" cloth. Schneiders makes very fine, conservative coats and jackets. In NYC Davide Cenci has them, Beretta has them, and the colorings are usually green, charcoal. I have one, very, very nice. Reputedly the loden cloth is a bit water repellant. Davide Cenci may have some still on sale, ask for Daniel Moore.

I cannot swear to it, but I think Schneider's may have begun some Asian production in the last year or so. Check the label carefully.

[Collarmelton]

I have only one overcoat (despite Alden's admonition that one should have three), a traditional green Hubertus model that Loden Frey (Munich) made for me in 1985. I opted for 100% loden (sometimes finer wool is mixed in to make the surface smoother) so it has a rougher finish, but is water resistant and durable -- showing few signs of wear despite being worn nearly every fall/winter day for years.

I would recommend Loden Frey, but with a caveat: twenty years ago it was a purveyor of traditional Bavarian wear, but the last time I passed by (1999) it had morphed into some kind of omnibus hip fashion house, so I didn't tarry long enough to see if the traditional stuff had changed (i.e., gone down in quality).

Bry2000: the next time the NYC crowd meets, you can have a look at my coat.

[Richard3]

You are right, Collarmelton, they now also carry designers but I`d not call them hip. They have a lot of Zegna, Santoni, Regent, Polo RL and the like, so fashion on the "more conservative" side.
But you still can get a lot of their traditional Loden wear though I don`t know if the still do custom.

[Costi]

I very much enjoy wearing (when I go to the mountains for the weekend) a green loden mid-calf cape (something similar appears on the website Richard3 mentioned above). It is actually a riding garment. On the inside there is a woolen lining down to the waist and two long strips of cloth run in the front of the cape from the bottom of it to the bottom of this lining on each side; one is supposed to insert the legs behind these strips (when on horseback) so the wind would not swell the cape when riding. On the bottom half of the back there is a full lining in a water- and dirt-repelling material which is supposed to avoid direct contact between the loden cloth and the back of the horse; besides, all the dirt that usually builds up on the bottom inside area of such a long coat when walking in bad weather can easily be washed away with a wet sponge (quite practical).
The cut is very simple - it is more or less a large circular blanket folded in two along a diameter, with a collar fitted in the middle and a fly front. On the sides, two straps sewn on the inside secure the cape to the wrists so that it follows the movements of the arms. The beautiful drape gives it a particular elegance - I like wearing it over a tweed jacket whose shoulders give it a point to hang from.

[DD MacDonald]

Costi - not to compare your garment to a ladies garment in any way, but my mother has the most marvelous loden cloth cape that she travels with. The real blessing of the garment is that it is so light - i imagine that the cloth is 13 oz or so - but drapes beautifully and does a wonderful job in shedding the wind and a light rain. I have often found when travelling that layering is a great strategy because the "layers" from shirts to sweaters to jackets and overcoats can be interchanged with each other to dial formaily up and down from the same suitcase. In this thinking, a light but wind shedding top layer is invaluable.

DDM