Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand
In Singapore, it’s apparent that the fashion-conscious makes up only a small percentage. While most would pick their tomorrow’s outfit a day prior, almost none of them will know what they are called, especially so for winter wear. In this hot and humid red dot, even I wouldn’t give two hoots about clothes that make me warmer than I already am. But since I’m preparing for my move to Japan, my style senses have heightened, and my search for an iconic, long-wearing warm clothing have led to the discovery of the duffle coat.
Named after the town of Duffel in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, where the material, duffle, originates, the coat became swimmingly popular thanks to the British Royal Navy, where the camel-coloured variant was a standard issue during the World War I. Several names sprung during it’s time in the Navy, like the “convoy coat” or the “monty coat” after Field Marshal Montgomery. After the military surpluses were made available to the general public at reasonable prices, the coats became a popular item of the 50s and 60s. Even now, Lily Allen, Kelly Osborne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Hunter, Clint Eastwood and even Paddington Bear, and I’m just naming a few, agrees with me wholeheartedly the popularity of this coat.
Unabashedly Prep in a red Gloverall
To this very day, Gloverall still maintains a version of their iconic duffle coat true to the original World War I version donned by the Navy. While the other colours like brown, black, navy (even red!) are worth a try, The Gloverall 575 Original Monty Duffle Coat in beige would be my closest pick to the original. For those who like a lil’ something something extra to ride the trend wave, cult mod brand like Fred Perry has paired up with the veteran company to produce a slight variation of the duffle, still maintaining the much sort-after quality and silhouette of the original.
Get it here.
