Duster (clothing)

The original dusters were full-length, light-colored canvas or linen coats worn by horsemen in the United States to protect their clothing from trail dust.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, both men and women would wear dusters to protect their clothes when riding in open motorcars on the dirt roads of the day.

The film caused a fashion trend for duster coats in the French capital of such proportions that department stores, such as Au Printemps, affixed signs on escalators warning customers to keep their "maxis," as they were called, clear from the edges of the moving steps in order to prevent jamming and injuries.

In Kirk Wong's 1988 gangster film Gunmen, set in 1930s Shanghai, the protagonist (Tony Leung) wears a flowing Chinese robe similar to Leone's dusters.

In the television comedy series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", a black leather duster is featured in several episodes that is prized by several main characters, who often argue over who looks better wearing it.