proper lenght for a dress coat

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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maltess
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Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:42 pm

Heelo to everyone

What would be the proper lenght for a dress long coat? belove or above the knee? I have seen that they tend to be above the knew now at days. above the knee for a casual use with jeans etc. an below for suits would be a good interpretation?

Best ragrads and thanks for your help
Sator
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Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:20 pm

Although at times dress coats have been much shorter than the knees or a bit longer - I prefer them to be knee length.

Image

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Dress coats are never worn with jeans :evil:

http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum
Last edited by Sator on Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
alden
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Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:35 pm

What would be the proper lenght for a dress long coat? belove or above the knee? I have seen that they tend to be above the knew now at days. above the knee for a casual use with jeans etc. an below for suits would be a good interpretation?
Overcoats used for more formal dress tend to extend to the middle of the calf. I find this length a bit cumbersome and prefer to cut my own coats 2 inches or so past the knee. If you desire a shorter overcoat, then a 3/4 length might be the best bet.

M Alden
maltess
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Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:08 pm

Thanks for the answers. After some investigation, I saw the same you said, for a formal coat, everything is below the knee. But I see all the fashion brands have models more casual orientes above the knee. So I think that black formal coats should be below, and other colors and maybe a more casual design can be above the knew. But I am not sure if I am just inventing this

Best regards
chelsea

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:18 pm

For me it is not a matter of colour determining the length, but simply a matter of personal preference.

Personally, I like my overcoats to be 4 inches below the knee.


Chelsea
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Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:27 am

Our great eTutee is the one for formality advice, but if my memory serves me right, I recall Mr. Alden did offer some great advice about considering appropriateness in clothing detail from the point of view of city vs. country.

Not that there's anything original, may I also suggest that the length of whether to go above or below the knee, and by how much, can perhaps be helpfully decided by the kind of inclement weather the outer coat is to be exposed to. For example, wading in heavy snow while invading Russia vs. gaily tripping along the broad modern streets of sub-tropical Shanghai with only early morning snow frost and the temperature just slightly below freezing point only then. Otherwise, one would looked dressed just right for a Great Depression were the rules for very formal outer dress adopted outright.
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