It’s that time again, the clocks have gone back, leaves are dropping and birds are on the move. The joy of living in a temperate climate is change. Out with the old and in with the new, or as I like to think, pass on the old to someone deserving and treat yourself to the new.

As the nights draw in, rich colours and sumptuous cloths are needed to cheer us up, that and plenty of mulled wine. Life is a little limited at the moment but going for a jolly walk in a new coat will lighten your mood no end. The distance of the stroll is up to you but we can help with the length of your coat. In fact, when it comes to a coat length is the single most important factor.

I like to categorise coats into three types depending on their drop. Firstly you have the shorter reefer or field type coats, followed by the classic town or even duffle coat length and finally the sweeping trench or great coat.

Each type of coat is very distinctive and has their own merits, I would go so far as to say that ideally you need all three in your wardrobe for various occasions and activities. Formality increases with length and this helps with the styling as well. A beautiful long coat reaching to your lower calf is always going to look good and keep your whole body warm. They never go out of fashion and can be styled in a fabulously chic way for nights to the opera (I can’t wait) or in a film noir trench style, single or double breasted with sleek slanted pockets and perhaps peaked lapels. There is a drama to a long coat and sweeping along the pavements in a great coat lets your imagination run wild; any passer by could be a silent assassin, or perhaps I’ve been dwelling on the news too much recently…

I favour a classic, mid length coat due to their versatility, one that rests just below your knees. You used to see these around the city in a fawn covert coat style or in dark wools with contrast collars. With our warmer winters and more casual times they often replace a jacket and look good with just a jumper underneath. I love my new coat in our Swale cloth, styled with epaulettes it has a military nod of discernment and it’s bold optimistic design is a real perk.

Shorter coats are useful for the active man, in the navy officers wore longer coats whilst the younger boys climbing masts to reef (tie down) the sails wore shorter coats, hence the reefer coat. They do look very smart and a while ago we designed a modern version of the classic for our shop. These have all sold but we are able to tailor a version of a classic short double breasted coat for you and in a cloth such as our navy Royal Jura it would look top notch.

Although we originally started Dashing Tweeds to give men a greater choice of fabrics we have successfully been moving into womenswear tailoring over the last year or so. Women have been spoilt for choice when it come to fabrics available on the high street but in terms of tailoring, sizes and shapes are often limited.

Having clothing made specifically for you has many advantages, you can choose exactly the length and style you like, there are hundreds of buttons and linings to choose from and I think most importantly it’s more environmentally friendly; the waste large brands create due to excessive sampling and production is huge. It’s reported that Burberry alone burnt £90 million pounds of unsold stock over the last few years.

Coats are such great investment pieces and can last many years. Our black Donegal design as seen above is a great example of a timeless coat. Predominantly black with flecks of primary neps the pure Merino wool goes with everything day and night. This coat features a flowing panelled back and an elegant shawl collar, but the joy of our tailoring is you can have anything you like.

To book a made to measure appointment, pop in store before we close for lockdown today, or we can do a video consultation, do get in contact. Production takes around 6 weeks, so orders placed this week are coming in mid December.