Men's Overcoat Length - How Long Should Your Over-Coat Be_ Male Style Fashion Advice
Hi.
I'm Antonio Centeno, the founder of Real Men Real Style.
And today weíre going to be talking about overcoats, how to choose the right size, how
to choose the right length and talking about how they should fit.
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In addition, we also link to a great article down below.
Itís going to be more information about overcoats.
And I always try to link to very relevant articles, articles which weíre going to support
exactly what weíre talking about.
So the question I received was, ìI am thinking of buying a fall winter coat that would like
good worn over a suit.
But determining what kind of style, and specially the length would look good, is proving an
insurmountable ñ is proving to be insurmountable.
I was hoping that you could write an article that would shed some light on the subject.
Also, sizing, what size should it be and what length should it be, how should it fit in
the shoulders.
These are all questions that I canít seem to answer.î Choosing a jacket, especially
in overcoat is a little bit more difficult.
One of the problems is that when you go out there, your options are almost always limited.
So youíre going to have to go usually to a nicer menís store.
If you go to, actually, a store that maybe specializes in jackets, youíll be able to
find a wider range.
The key is you need ñ donít so much focus on the length.
And if you ever err on anything on the length, always go longer than shorter.
And Iíll talk about why.
So, the first thing is make sure it fits you in the shoulders because if it doesnít fit
you in the shoulders, we ñ they canít make it any bigger.
If itís going to fit you a bit smaller, then look for something thatís called the right
one shoulder, and thatís a shoulder, itís not like a suit jacket that actually ñ the
jacket sleeves is built separate.
Thatís one that actually goes over.
And these type of shoulder builds are really good if youíve got oversized or overbuilt
shoulders or if youíre going to be wearing an overcoat thatís maybe a little bit big
on you because itíll help to hide and give you a little bit more slope in the shoulders.
Now, if you have a really slope shoulders, youíre going to want to go for something
that does have a square cut.
So, look for a regular jacket built on that overcoat.
So once you know it fits you in the shoulders, then you want to feel how it fits in the chest.
If youíve got more than letís say two inches of room that you would like to adjust, be
careful about buying that jacket because if youíre going to have to bring in more than
two inches, one, an overcoat is going to be more expensive because the seamstress you
take it to sheís going to have to have special equipment because of the thickness of the
fabric.
In addition, if youíre going to want to open this up, make sure that there is fabric in
there.
And if you canít see on the inside of the overcoat or you canít see the fabric, be
very careful.
Manufacturers, they donít give overcoats a whole lot of room, so you may not even be
able to open up the overcoat.
You can always bring in overcoat in and it may cost you a pretty penny, but itís a very
ñ it happens a lot that you canít open them up.
The next thing is looking down does it fit you on the hips, does it fit you well in the
stomach area, it has to ñ you have to have a room to play with.
It can be a little bit big, thatís acceptable on an overcoat and you can always bring it
in.
But if itís too tight, youíre going to want to look over to the next overcoat.
Now, letís look at the length.
Okay.
Typically, overcoats are going to go either above the knee or below the knee.
I personally like overcoats that go below the knee.
And the reason being is I think that they just look better.
They make a man look more proportional.
In addition, they actually serve the purpose of protecting the body.
However, if you spent most of your time in a vehicle, you know, that was why the shorter
coats would develop.
They were driving jackets.
The idea that you would be able to put this on and slip in and out of your vehicle and
not have to worry about, you know, trying to bring that train with you of extra fabric.
So, it really comes down to the length that a man should go for depends on his needs.
If youíre a commuter in New York City, you should go for a longer overcoat.
If you are a commuter in Chicago but you drive to and from work in your car, well, go for
a shorter professional-looking jacket.
And both ñ there isnít a right or wrong answer here.
Now, which one compliments the way a man looks, I think the shorter coats, especially those
that are more than probably four ñ about four inches above the knee, youíre going
to find that those ñ they just look like they cut a man in half and that you can make
him look square, especially if theyíre not well fitted or if the man is a bit bigger
in the upper bigger area.
But, you know, when it comes down to it, you need to go with something that suits your
needs.
Now, I alluded to why would you go with something thatís a bit longer than, you know, than
what you need?
So, if you can find an overcoat, letís say youíre going to a thrift store or youíre
going to the sales rack at Macyís and you end up finding an overcoat that fits you really
well.
But letís say you do drive to and from work and you wanted it shorter, but this thing
goes well below your knee, well, the great part is you could actually get that shortened.
A lot of men, they never even think to have this done, but take it to a skilled seamstress,
she can just cut that fabric off.
In addition, if the ñ if it actually isnít as at the point where you want it, letís
say itís almost too long, itís like maybe or two or three inches above your shoes, which
is too long, you want to actually use ñ have at least four to five inches of clearance
above your feet.
So if itís too long, you can bring that up.
And that makes a big difference because it goes from looking sloppy to looking sharp.
And oftentimes, when youíre wearing this overcoats, especially if youíre commuting
via subway, via train, most people are only going to see you in this overcoat.
And so, you want something that fits you well.
And so, donít be afraid to spend a little bit of extra money to get it tailored, especially
if you take care of your body.
They look really nice.
I mean, in my overcoat, I get compliments all the time.
But then again, itís made to fit my body, like many of my jackets.
And I ñ it just ñ my wife loves the way it looks on me.
Iíve had people come up and just ask me where Iíve gotten it.
They mistakenly think that itís the brand.
Itís not the brand.
Itís actually how it fits the man.
Always, when youíre trying on overcoat, wear the clothing that you would be wearing normally
under it when you try it on.
This is very important.
Donít try to guess this because youíre going to probably end up getting it wrong.
So, if youíre not going to be wearing a suit jacket, then donít worry about that.
If you are, well then go over to another part of the store and grab a suit jacket just to
put on and then go try the jackets one.
But oftentimes, men donít do this and they can ñ it just ñ they never get the fit right.
They get something thatís a little bit too tight.
All right.
This has been Antonio Centeno with Real Men Real Style.
And if youíve got any questions, reach to me.
Weíve got ñ and just visit me over at Real Men Real Style and weíve got multiple ways
to be contacted.
And take care and I will see you in the other videos.