The London Lounge

Dear Gentlemen,

I am looking to buy my very first "formal" coat (you will pardon this term, but it's the only one I can think of, still being a silly younh chap uninitiated to the pleasures of proper dressing), and not being able to afford bespoke I stepped into my Gieves & Hawkes local branch to try their winter coats.

They sell a very nice black one (you will despise this, but I only wear black), 100% cashmere, 3 hidden buttons, mid-calf lenght at around £800. Apart from hoping that it is a fair price for such garment, I do have a couple of thoughts:

first of all, I don't usually wear jackets, just a shirt, cashmere tank top and tie. So I went for a size 40R and it fits perfectly. Problem is when the sales assistant gave me a jacket to try it with: is was quite tight on the chest, creasing when the top button was fastened. But if I were to go for a larger size the tipical G&H shoulder fit would definitely be lost and also the back of the coat would look a bit too wide for my frame. Any suggestions? I may start wearing jackets but not at the moment, I think.

Second thing is about the cashmere: while the cut is very neat and the fit quite slim, the cashmere coat looks bulkier than other ones G&H sells. Do you think that with some cashmere knitwear underneath, or a jacket, it would be too 'heavy', and I could therefore go for a lighter material? Bear in mind that I have to cope with the very cold Yorkshire winter every single morning, for I work in a beautiful park estate but don't own a car. So I walk in the cold weather for at least 40 minutes every single day.

Thank you very much for your help.

PS Any other suggestions on coat for the same price range would of course be much appreciated.

My new winter overcoat came courtesy of Ralph Lauren in Bond Street. I picked up a divine charcoal, cashmere overcoat for a tad less than the one you are looking at. I would stress that I am not a huge fan of Gieves but I suspect you'll get more from your money for an off the peg coat from Ralph Lauren.

Overcoats, if purchased wisely, will last a long time. My suggestion would be to purchase assuming you'll wear it with a coat underneath. You will however know your usage pattern better than me.

In many ways its your call for what you want now and consider yourself likely to wear for the future.

The top coat will last many years so some future proofing is worth thinking about.
Do take exercise or do yohu mostly sit down? That will govern how much weight you may put on in the next ten years and is perhaps a grater challenge than whether you will wear it over a suit. In least in the latter you have a choice....