Heavy donegal raglan coat

[marcelo]

However, this illustration published in Esquire, in 1935, puzzles me, as it describes this raglan as “the very newest in formal outer wear”. I wonder if this OC ever achieved the popularity the editors of Esquire though it would achieve.




Interestingly enough, the Inverness, not the raglan, was Sherlock’s favorite OC.

For evening dress, the Inverness or a cape was traditionally the correct garment to wear. Later, in the Edwardian era, the Albert top frock or Chesterfield became acceptable. The idea was that an overcoat for evening dress shoud be loose so as not to disturb the clothing underneath.

A raglan is traditionally a much more casual garment. So, they are pushing a novelty that more discerning readings in 1935 would have been horrified by.

This strengthens the suspicion I had this sort of “formal” raglan did only exist in the mind of Esquire editors, not having achieved the popularity they were expecting. It would be interesting to try and track further images of this garment, just to know the extent to which this project was actually implemented.

[Costi]

It is a classic combination, you see it in many AA illustrations. Mine is very similar to the pictures above, except the large scale herringbone is in dark grey and dark green, the lapels are somewhat wider and the 3 buttons show through. Very practical and it gets a lot of wear.

Here are a few pictures of my peak lapel Raglan overcoat mentioned above:



Who is that standing tall over there?



Good afternoon, general! A very fine day, indeed, isn’t it?



What a tiresome job…



The fabric.



The Raglan in its own environment.

[radicaldog]

A handsome coat, and a handsome ensemble (in my humble opinion).

Would you say that there would be something wrong in opting for the same model but with notch lapels and without sleeve cuffs (but perhaps with buttons), in order to make it more subdued?

[Costi]

Thank you! I think you could very well skip the cuffs, but I would rather advise a pointed collar (see the "Raglan for riches" thread posted by Michael Alden) if you don't like the peak lapels.

[radicaldog]

I think you could very well skip the cuffs, but I would rather advise a pointed collar (see the "Raglan for riches" thread posted by Michael Alden) if you don't like the peak lapels.

But then doesn't it become a regular (if perhaps shortish) raglan? Nothing wrong with that--in fact I'm fond of the style--but this coat has something unique about it. I reckon that if you remove the peaks it would probably lose its charm, though. Which is rather strange: raglan sleeves tend towards the casual, peak lapels tend towards the formal -- they combine gracefully in this overcoat, but they do make it stand out a bit. Yet you're probably right that the pairing of raglan sleeves and notch lapels would have something boring or unaccomplished about it. The idea seems to be that if one is to do a fairly casual raglan sleeve overcoat, then there is no need to modify the standard ghillie-collared raglan.

[Costi]

Well, you did ask for a more "subdued alternative" - "regular" has lots of charm if executed well, like MA's Raglan. Mine was meant to illustrate the peak lapel DB mentioned earlier in the thread, which is "rus in urbe": the cloth and Raglan sleeve are country wear, but the overcoat is citified through the peak lapels and regular mid calf town length. It also has a button through front, while the regular Raglan takes a fly front. In fact, in the pictures I am not wearing it on my estate, as I have none, but in a park in town. I would also wear it in a mountain resort (not a challet in the woods).

[radicaldog]

Fair enough. By the way, I also very much like the position of the shoulder seams on your coat: a lot of RTW raglans have much lower seams, which make the coat goofy and bulky. Yours looks flattering and natural at the same time.

[marcelo]

The Duke with a brown and beige Shepherd check tweed OC featuring raglan sleeves, probably made by Scholte (1934 ). In a picture taken as late as 1950 he wears the same OC.

[Costi]

Here it is again:



An exquisite piece of outerwear!

[le.gentleman]

Very nice ensemble Costi - were the pictures taken in Bucarest? If so, is the city worth a visit in your opinion?

Regards, le.gentleman

[yialabis]

Very nice coat indeed Costi .. !! Smooth and of a perfect line in my opinion.
The fabric has a very similar color and pattern with the DB I recently displayed
..

Regards
Vassilis

[Costi]

Very nice ensemble Costi - were the pictures taken in Bucarest? If so, is the city worth a visit in your opinion?

Regards, le.gentleman

Thanks! Yes, pictures taken in a park in Bucharest. Well, parks are nice everywhere
A visit to Bucharest? I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and what your expectations are. If they are not too high, you might be pleasantly surprised by the cultural life, some old areas of the city, the monasteries around Bucharest... It's not Hamburg, that is for sure!
I have come to the conclusion that almost any place on Earth is worth visiting - for the mere sake of the experience. An open-minded and open-hearted man can find something interesting or beautiful anywhere. It's easy not to get bored in Florence or Paris, but it takes a special set of eyes to see beyond the surface in a less spectacular city.

Very nice coat indeed Costi .. !! Smooth and of a perfect line in my opinion.
The fabric has a very similar color and pattern with the DB I recently displayed
..

Regards
Vassilis

Yes, it's a "citified" Raglan, it is cut somewhat closer to the body (but not tight). I'm glad you like it, Vassilis! Your nice DB looked more brown than green...

[yialabis]

Yes, of course.. yours is green .!! It looked brown on my monitor at work ..Looks perfectly green now that am Home ..!

Vassilis

[marcelo]

Thanks for the second image of the Duke’s OC, Costi. The park in Bucharest where you have taken the photos for this thread looks lovely for a walk.

I have just found another image of a raglan OC I immediately thought of posting in this thread too. We usually turn to the illustrations which appeared in the Esquire as a source of learning and inspiration. Another interesting collection of illustrations in this regard is to be found in the works by J. C. Leydencker. Here an oil on board from 1925 depicting a raglan OC. I wonder if this DB model is usual or even acceptable for a raglan.

[Costi]

What a nice illustration, Marcelo! I seem to recall that the DB Raglan was discussed before here (a few years ago) and the almost general consensus at the time was that set-in sleeves worked better on DB overcoats. However, this particular coat looks quite handsome to my eye, even though it is somewhere midway between an Ulster and a Raglan.