Mastering the Long Coat: 3 Essential Tips for a Flawless Look

As the cold weather is expected this year, let's talk about bespoke long coats. A perfect long coat elevates your style and makes you visually look taller. This article explains the conditions of a high-quality long coat, tips for selecting one, and why it's essential to have a bespoke one.

In this article, we'll cover the following points about long coats:

• Choosing the right fabric for your bespoke long coat
• Why long coats are perfect for shorter individuals
• Why quality long coats are light and comfortable to wear

 

Choosing the right fabric for your bespoke long coat

Are you under the impression that a thick long coat will keep you warm and will make you hot indoors? Do you wonder if it's weird to wear a long coat when it's warm outside?

Let me tell you that winter is the perfect opportunity to wear a long coat that not only keeps you warm but also makes you look stylish. Regardless of your body shape, a long coat is the best way to enhance your appearance. The ideal long coat materials are wool, cashmere and alpaca, which are warm, light and breathable. On the other hand, a long coat mixed with polyester fibre will make you feel heavy and not warm, and it will be uncomfortably hot indoors.

To understand the warmth retention principle of natural fibres, let's start with a fundamental fact. It's not the wool or down that keeps you warm, but your body's natural heat. In winter, cold air takes away your body heat, making you feel cold. However, the shape and structure of natural fibres store air within the fibres, creating a barrier that stops cold air from reaching your body. This insulation allows your body's natural heat to keep you warm.

On the other hand, polyester fibre has poor hygroscopicity, which means it cannot absorb the moisture emitted by your body and transport it to the surface. As a result, clothes made from polyester fibre stick to your body and make you feel stuffy, especially in warmer temperatures. The more you perspire, the more you generate heat, making it even more uncomfortable.

So, when it comes to choosing a long coat, it's important to consider the materials carefully. Natural fibres like wool, cashmere, and alpaca are great options that are warm, lightweight, and breathable. In contrast, polyester fibre may feel heavy and stuffy, making it uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Choosing a bespoke long coat made from natural fibres can ensure that you stay warm and comfortable, no matter the weather outside.


As a bespoke tailor, I have had the opportunity to work with various long coat fabrics. From my experience, the following three fabrics are some of the best options for long coats:

Wool - Sheep wool, particularly that of the Merino sheep, is an excellent choice for a long coat. Wool fibres are great at storing air and absorbing moisture, which allows for effective temperature regulation. This means that a wool long coat can keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Merino sheep are known to thrive in areas with temperature differences of up to 40 degrees, which is a testament to the quality of the wool they produce.

Source: Wikipedia

 

Cashmere is a luxurious fabric that comes from the Himalayan region, where goats grow in alpine regions over 3,000 meters above sea level. In autumn, the goats grow a layer of soft down to keep out the cold, which falls off when spring arrives. People collect only a small amount of this down, making cashmere an extremely precious fabric. Since cashmere only grows in extreme cold, it is excellent at keeping you warm, with a warmth retention effect more than twice that of wool. Despite being incredibly warm, cashmere is very lightweight, with a weight that is only one-fifth of wool. This means that even a thin layer of cashmere can keep you warm without feeling too hot.

Alpaca - Alpaca wool is native to Peru and is known for its smoothness, lightness and shine. Alpaca fibres are naturally hollow, which is incredibly effective at trapping warm air. This makes alpaca a great choice for a long coat, as it can provide excellent insulation without adding bulk. Alpaca fibres are also naturally water-repellent, meaning an alpaca long coat can keep you dry in wet weather.

Photo by Josiah Farrow on Unsplash

When selecting a high-quality long coat, it is crucial to pay attention to both the outer and inner materials. Even if the fabric is of excellent quality, a non-breathable inner lining can make it uncomfortable to wear. Therefore, it is recommended to opt for long coats made of wool (Wool / WO), cashmere (Cashmere / WS) or alpaca (Alpaca / WP) for the outer layer, and choose cupro (Bemberg/ Cupro / CU / CUP) or silk (Silk / SE) for the inner lining, while avoiding polyester (Polyester / PL). This way, you can ensure that your long coat is not only fashionable but also comfortable to wear.

Why long coats are perfect if you want to look taller

Sometimes, when suggesting long jackets to clients or friends, I often hear concerns about not being tall or slim enough to pull off the look. However, I want to debunk this myth - long coats are not just for tall or slim individuals. Rather, a long coat is a versatile piece that can flatter any body type, as long as it is tailored properly. A well-fitted long coat can even make you look more slender and put together.

When it comes to our perception of the human figure, we tend to look at the overall silhouette. This includes the shoulder width, waist position, and leg length. Long coats and jackets can actually work to enhance your silhouette and make you appear taller and slimmer by covering the trouser waist and seat circumference. In other words, long coats create a more flattering line and give the illusion of longer legs, regardless of your height or weight.

When selecting a long coat to adjust your figure, it's important to consider the "length" and "waist position" to ensure the perfect fit. For example, if you're looking to elongate your figure and avoid appearing shorter, keep in mind that the height of Asians is generally shorter than that of Europeans and Americans, but their shoulders are wider. This means that the length of the coat may sometimes be too long when it meets the shoulder width. When the coat is too long, the waistline will naturally be lower, creating a short-legged and bloated feeling. Similarly, for those with a relatively heavier build, choosing the right colour matching can further slim and create an instant heightening effect.

Length:

The ideal length for a bespoke long coat is about 3-4 inches above the knee, and it's particularly suitable for those who are taller than 180cm. For people who want to look taller, the coat can be slightly higher, around 4-5 inches. Generally speaking, the waistline position of such a length is the most ideal, helping to accentuate your figure. Those with broad shoulders and figures can use different suit colours to elongate their torso, which makes them visually taller.

Waist:

In addition to the length, another key point to consider when selecting a long coat is the waist position. As long as your belly is not too big, a long jacket can essentially shape your figure. This is because people's bellies are generally lower than the waist, and most of the bust and sitting circumferences are larger than the belly. Making good use of long coats to shape your waist can make you look good in winter, regardless of your body shape.

Why quality long coats are light and comfortable to wear

Did you know that the weight of a long coat can be affected by tailoring and craftsmanship?

As you may already know, a garment is made from a paper pattern, which means that it is flat. However, the human body is not flat but rather dominated by arcs, such as the curves of the shoulders, chest, and back. When you put on a coat, you may notice that the area from the shoulders to the back can feel particularly tight. Sometimes, you may even feel pressure on the back of your neck, making it uncomfortable to wear for extended periods.

The weight of a long coat is generally heavier than that of ordinary coats, but this heaviness can be amplified by poor tailoring and craftsmanship. This misconception leads many to believe that wearing a long coat will be a heavy and cumbersome experience.

Investing in a bespoke long coat tailored to your unique body shape and size can ensure that the weight is distributed evenly, reducing any unnecessary pressure or discomfort. With bespoke tailoring, you can enjoy the warmth, style, and comfort of a long coat without the added weight.

Hong Kong has long been a hub for bespoke tailoring in Asia, with a prosperous industry that spans decades to hundreds of years. In the past, when people ordered a suit, comfort was a top priority. This is why ergonomic craftsmanship is the essence of handiwork. You may not be aware that a handmade coat undergoes a "curving" process through ironing. As a result, its back cannot lie completely flat on the table, which sets it apart from purely mechanical coats in recent years.

If you compare a long coat with well-crafted tailoring to a long coat purchased off-the-rack, assuming that the weight of the two is similar, the bespoke long coat will feel particularly light and comfortable, even if you wear it all day. It also enhances your figure, making you look great.

Take a look at the picture below. You can see that the back of a person is curved, so if a long coat is not crafted to fit the curvation of your body, it stresses your back, causing you discomfort. Therefore, it's critical to try on a long coat to see if it's comfortable before purchasing it. Nobody wants to feel weighed down all day, right?

A bespoke long coat is a timeless investment that will make you look and feel great, whether you're standing or sitting. A good long coat should hang evenly and stably on your shoulders, without causing any discomfort or unnecessary pressure.

What makes The Lancelot's long coat special

When it comes to the materials used in a long coat, I believe that high-quality natural fibres such as wool, cashmere, alpaca, and cupro lining are essential. Not only do these natural fibres have excellent performance, but they are also environmentally friendly, unlike man-made fibres. The best fabric factories care for the animals, resulting in better-quality wool. Therefore, I only work with the finest fabrics.

Some of you may have seen my interviews with various media where I introduced how to make good use of technology to produce the best tailoring experience possible. By combining the data collected from 3D scanners, manual measurements and the body shape analysis system that I have developed, the most suitable cutting and structure can be derived for you. This ensures that the weight of the long coat is evenly distributed across your shoulders, reducing any discomfort, making the coat more comfortable to wear and enhancing your figure at the same time.

Furthermore, a bespoke long coat is an excellent tool for enhancing your figure. I will analyse your body shape and recommend the most suitable tailoring design to make you look your best regardless of your body shape to create the bespoke long that can make you feel confident without compromising on the style.

📌 Please browse our Resources page for detailed instructions on ordering a suit, including material selection, collocation, maintenance, etc.

 

 

If you're looking for a long coat made with high-quality fabrics, check out The Lancelot Latest Offers. We will analyse your body shape and recommend the most suitable tailoring design to make you look your best regardless of your body shape to bespoke the long coat that can make you feel confident and comfortable to wear without compromising on the style. 

If you find this article useful, Subscribe to The Lancelot, support us and share this article with your friends! 

===========================