Acoat is typically an outergarment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth orfashion.[1] Coats typically have longsleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means ofbuttons,zippers,hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), toggles, abelt, or a combination of some of these. Other possible features includecollars,shoulder straps, andhoods.
Coat is one of the earliest clothing category words inEnglish, attested as far back as the earlyMiddle Ages. (See alsoClothing terminology.) TheOxford English Dictionary tracescoat in its modern meaning toc. 1300, when it was writtencote orcotte. The word coat stems fromOld French and thenLatincottus.[2] It originates from theProto-Indo-European word forwoolen clothes.
An early use ofcoat in English iscoat of mail (chainmail), atunic-like garment of metal rings, usually knee- or mid-calf length.[3]
The origins of the Western-style coat may be traced to the sleeved, close-fitted and front-fastened coats worn by theScythian nomads of the eurasian steppes, though this style of coat may be much older, having been found with four-thousand-year-oldTarim mummies and in five-thousand-year-old mummy ofOtzi[4][5][6][7][8] The medieval and renaissance coat (generally spelledcote orcotte by costume historians) is a mid-length,sleeved outer garment worn by both men and women, fitted to the waist and buttoned up the front, with a full skirt in its essentials, not unlike the modern coat.[9]
By the eighteenth century, overcoats had begun to supplantcapes andcloaks as outerwear in Western fashion. Before theIndustrial Revolution, which began in the second half of the eighteenth century, the extremely high cost of cloth meant certain styles of clothing represented wealth and rank, but as cloth became more affordable post-industrialization, people within a lower social class could adopt the fashionable outdoor wear of the wealthy elite, which, notably, included a coat.[10] In the nineteenth century, the invention of the sewing machine paired with existing textile machinery increased the affordability of mass-produced, ready-to-wear clothing and helped spur the popularity of wearing coats and jackets.[11] By the mid-twentieth century the termsjacket andcoat became confused for recent styles; the difference in use is still maintained for older garments.
In the early nineteenth century, Western-style coats were divided into under-coats and overcoats. The term "under-coat" is now archaic but denoted the fact that the wordcoat could be both the outermost layer for outdoor wear (overcoat) or the coat is worn under that (under-coat). However, the termcoat has begun to denote just the overcoat rather than the under-coat. The older usage of the wordcoat can still be found in the expression "to wear a coat and tie",[12] which does not mean that wearer has on an overcoat. Nor do the termstailcoat,morning coat or house coat denote types ofovercoat. Indeed, an overcoat may be worn over the top of atailcoat. In tailoring circles, thetailor who makes all types of coats is called acoat maker. Similarly, in American English, the termsports coat is used to denote a type ofjacket not worn as outerwear (overcoat) (sports jacket in British English).
The termjacket is a traditional term usually used to refer to a specific type of short under-coat.[13] Typical modern jackets extend only to the upper thigh in length, whereas older coats such astailcoats are usually of knee length. The modern jacket worn with a suit is traditionally called alounge coat (or alounge jacket) in British English and asack coat in American English. The American English term is rarely used. Traditionally, the majority of men dressed in acoat and tie, although this has become gradually less widespread since the 1960s. Because the basic pattern for thestroller (black jacket worn with striped trousers inBritish English) anddinner jacket (tuxedo inAmerican English) are the same as lounge coats, tailors traditionally call both of these special types of jackets acoat.
An overcoat is designed to be worn as the outermost garment worn as outdoor wear;[14] while this use is still maintained in some places, particularly in Britain, elsewhere the termcoat is commonly used mainly to denote only the overcoat, and not the under-coat. Atopcoat is a slightly shorter[citation needed] overcoat, if any distinction is to be made. Overcoats worn over the top of knee length coats (under-coats) such asfrock coats,dress coats, andmorning coats are cut to be a little longer than the under-coat so as to completely cover it, as well as being large enough to accommodate the coat underneath.
The length of an overcoat varies: mid-calf being the most frequently found and the default when current fashion is not concerned with hemlines. Designs vary from knee-length to ankle-length, briefly fashionable in the early 1970s and known (to contrast with the usurpedmini) as the "maxi".[15]
Speakers ofAmerican English sometimes informally use the wordsjacket andcoat interchangeably.[16]
Some of these styles are still worn. Note that for this period, only coats of the under-coat variety are listed, andovercoats are excluded.
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The termscoat andjacket are both used around the world. The modern terms "jacket" and "coat" are often used interchangeably as terms, although the term "coat" tends to be used to refer to longer garments.
Modern coats include the:
General:Picken, Mary Brooks:The Fashion Dictionary, Funk and Wagnalls, 1957. (1973 editionISBN 978-0-308-10052-7)
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