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Q and Answer: What Size Overcoat Should I Wear?

William asks: If I wear a 38 regular blazer, what size overcoat should I be looking for?

You should look for your suit and blazer size when buying an overcoat. Manufacturers size with the expectation that you’ll be wearing an overcoat that you’ll be wearing an overcoat over a suit jacket or sport coat. If you wear a size 38 jacket, you’ll want a size 38 overcoat.

If you don’t expect to wear the overcoat on top of another jacket, you may want to consider sizing down one size. And of course you’ll always want to try on or check measurements, as they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. While the vast majority of brands size overcoats by coat size, it’s not universal.

Generally speaking, you’ll want the chest of the overcoat to measure 2” larger than your actual chest size for a snug fit, and 4” or so larger than your actual chest to fit over a suit jacket.

Brooks Brothers Friends and Family Sale

Brooks Brothers’ Friends and Family Sale begins this Thursday. Nearly everything in their stores will be discounted by 25%. It’s not the deepest discount of the year, but it is a chance to get basic items - Brooks Brothers’ forte - that otherwise don’t go on sale.

There are a lot of great choices. I like their lambswool Fair Isle sweater, array of scarves, and waxed driving jacket. Of course, you can get very similar jackets through Barbour, but I like the corduroy mock neck collar on Brooks’ design. If you’re on the market for sport jackets or trousers, check out Brooks’ slimmer lines in the Fitzgerald and Milano cuts (eg. this Fitzgerald corduroy jacket and Milano fit flannel trousers look excellent). Lastly, these chukka boots could work quite well for much of the year, and these dot repp ties are very versatile. Of all the ties on the market, I actually think Brooks’ ties, at least when they’re on sale, offer one of the best price/ quality ratios on the market. 

If you’re thinking about getting something, I recommend going in now and having a sales associate put something on hold for you until the day of the sale. If you can’t make it into a store, check their online store between 12am and 3am EST on Thursday. It usually goes live online then. Both of these tactics are great ways to make sure you get the size that you need. 

Lastly, be aware that you can get an extra 15% discount if you open up a Corporate Card and make your purchase on the card. Not all sales associates will stack these two discounts for you, but I’ve found that most do. 

(Special thanks to a reader named Kevin for notifying us about this sale)

Q and Answer: How To Get the Stink Out of a Barbour Jacket

Warren asks: I bought a Barbour jacket on ebay a while back, and unfortunately it’s got a musty smell.  I’ve been hanging it in my garage for most of the spring, and put it outside on sunny days in an attempt to let the sun clear the smell out… but the musty smell remains.   Any ideas on how I could get rid of it?  I’d like to avoid having the scent transfer to my other clothes…

There’s a reason that an English farmer keeps his Barbour in the foyer by the back door and not in his coat closet. Barbour jackets are musty.

Partly this odor is due to the proofing itself - the wax sealed into the jacket that keeps it waterproof. Partly this is due to the fact that the jackets can’t be washed without ruining said proofing.

It’s not usually an overwhelming odor, and for a lot of folks it just reminds them of the great outdoors. For others, it’s a dealbreaker.

There is one way to dramatically reduce the smell, if you so chose. You can have the jacket cleaned and re-proofed. In the United States, the primary company that does this work is New England Reproofers. They’ll strip the jacket, clean it, then re-proof it. The cleaning costs $30, and the reproofing costs $45. They’ll also repair your coat for you if it needs it.

Just remember: even sparkling clean, Barbour jackets have a smell.

It’s On eBay

J. Press Peacoat

I’ve long been an advocate for actual vintage naval peacoats, rather than designer knock-offs, but this is a beautiful jacket. The fit’s about a 42R, I’d say.

Starts at $100, Ends Monday

It’s On eBay

Gieves & Hawkes Greatcoat

Speaking of RJMan, here’s a Gieves & Hawkes coat he found on the Bay, dated 1953. The seller only ships to the UK, but I bet if you emailed he might be amenable to international shipping.

Buy It Now for

It’s On eBay

Hermes Overcoat (58 Euro)

This is serious. Vicuña overcoat, made from the extra-fine hair of the extra-rare vicuña. The ultimate luxury garment, right? Wrong. It’s not the ultimate luxury garment until you give said overcoat a full mink lining.

I don’t know whether to barf or cry. I may cry barf.

Buy It Now for $25,000

It’s On eBay

Vintage Great Coat (40L)

Starts at 99p ($1.54), ends Tuesday