Car coat

While fur, leather and heavy wool were preferred in the early days, today the coat may be made in a wide variety of materials.

In the period after World War II, it took on design elements of the jeep coat worn by servicemen and this is when the shorter length became common.

It emerged in the early 1900s, when driving was considered an outdoor sport (most cars were open top) and required protective clothing.

[1] Motoring was still an activity for the elite, however the privations of driving in a vehicle that broke down frequently and provided no retreat from the elements, meant clothing had to be functional and warm.

A 1921 article in The Times about the latest Paris fashions described a red leather motoring coat fastened with metal buckles.

Fur was still popular, with a fashion correspondent noting that the Motor Show in Olympia was transforming shop windows around London.

As this portrait suggests, and Peter Thorold has noted, the car had become the ultimate symbol of modernity and emancipation, something that was reflected in the styling of clothes.

[7] Wide raglan sleeves were popular – allowing freedom of movement – and collars could be military in style with buttons up to the neck.

Derived from the more expensive but still popular sheepskin jacket, it is usually made from a cotton suedette or brushed nylon outer fabric lined with an acrylic pile".

Made of waterproofed poplin, his design of 1968 featured a zip front and separate velcro quick fasten strip.

[17] From the 1980s on, the men's car coat started to symbolise a particular character or walk of life on British TV and in the press, especially when worn in sheepskin or camel hair.

[18][19] Later, the Life on Mars detective series, in which the hero is transported back to the 1970s, would reprise the car coat by giving DCI Gene Hunt a scruffy version in camel wool.

[20] More celebrated still are the trademarked sheepskin car coats worn by BBC football commentator John Motson – he wore his first in 1972, acquired from a furrier he met at a party in Chelsea, and subsequently had them made on Savile Row.

[22] The character of James Bond, as portrayed by actor Timothy Dalton, wore a black leather car coat made by Kenzō Takada in key scenes of 1987's The Living Daylights movie, the 15th film of the popular British motion picture franchise.

[23][24][25] The car coat length has remained popular since 2008 – with GQ citing the "Mad Men effect" as a contributor to the revival of more formal and retro styles.