The Duffle Coat is attributed to Englishman John Partridge, a late 19th-century clothing supplier. Inspired by the Polish frock coat – with a closing flap at the chin – the Duffle coat borrows its straight lines and hood. Just like many classics, it was through its official use by the sailors of the Royal Navy in 1863, as a military garment, that it first became popular. Its special feature: duffle, a slightly coarse wool made using wool tissue. Its shape, both ample and long, allows it to cover a large part of the body all while allowing for a certain freedom of movement. So as not to impede the body, the sleeves and the bust were made ample. To allow sailors to be able to wear a hood or a hat underneath, the Duffle coat is one of the rare coats to boast a wide hood; in order to be manipulated with large gloves, horned brandenburgs were kept in place with a piece of rope. Marshal Montgomery’s favorite style quickly became a bon chic bon genre favorite as well, but it didn’t lose any of its naval spirit in the process.
By taking back the post-war army surplus, before fabricating their own coats, the brand Gloverall became synonymous with the Duffle coat. Selling the piece in its authentic form, they were able to spread it as the bearer of a thousand-fold symbolism. Sometimes seen on Jean Cocteau, like a reflection of a certain casual Parisian intellectual bourgeoisie, the Duffle coat would also be taken up as a symbol for rebels. In the 50s and 60s, young people and beatniks wore it as a challenge to their enemies. Later on, anti-Vietnam protesters and the Black Panthers would make it the prerogative of their egalitarian ambitions. This season, this silhouette sculptor is magnified by Hedi Slimane who, for Saint Laurent, is exploiting the rebellious, rock’n’roll fibers of the piece to turn it into something ageless.
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