Figure 1.--THis American boy was photographed in 1908 in Harvey, Illinois, an affluent suburb of Chicago. Most American boys wore knickers in the 1900s, but not all as can be seen here. Note the cap. I'm not sure quite how to describe this overcoat.

The formal coats worn by boys included sveral different styles. The most common style of heavy coats , for a reason I do not fully understand, were double breasted styles. Many other styles were also worn. Almost all of the classic styles originated in England as coats for men. One of the most enduring coat styles were double-breasted coats. The style is adapted from reefer jackets amd eventually employed in different styles of coats. A handful of overcoats have survived as classic styles. The most formal style of overcoat is the chesterfield, named after the 19th Century Earl of Chesterfield. It was based on the style of the 19th century frock coat, but not cut in at the waist. It was always worn as a formal coat in both single and double breasted styles. One of the most enduring coat styles were double-breasted coats. The style is adapted from reefer jackets amd eventually employed in different styles of coats. Sailor reefer jackets were very popular. They were not limired to boys wearing sailor suits. These were the least formal of the traditional ovrcoats. The duffle coat is a less formal style that is still worn by boys. The name is attributed to Duffel, a Belgian town. British school boys traditionally wore belted gaberdine raincoat or overcaot with their school uniforms. The gaberdine coats were often worn at slightly longer lengths than other overcoat styles worn by boys. For a period in the middle decades of the 20th century, the gaberdine school raincoat formed a distinctive part of British schoolboy clothing.

Cape Overcoats

In addition to actual capes, we notice cape overcoats. These were overcoats that had matching capes. This was a popular style for men in the late 19th century. Most of our examples are American, but that is presumbly because our American aechive is very substantial We believe that the style originated in Ebgland, although we have few details at this time. We see few examples of boys wearing them in Europe. We are not sure if this reflects our smller Eiropean aechive are a general attitude that the style was not apporpriate for children. Perhaps the most well known cape overcoat is the one worn by Sherlock Holmes. Many illustrators picture Holmes in a cape overcoat, although we are not sure if the garment was actually mentioined in the Doyle books, perhaps some of our readers will know. Cape overcoats were also made for children, both boys and girls. We are not sure just how popular these cape overcoats were, but we see a number in the photograohic record. We had thouht they were primarilly an upper-class style, but Sears marketed to the mass market and was very important in rural areas. We note two styles for boys advertized in a Sears 1902 catalog.

Chesterfield

A handful of overcoats have survived as classic styles. The most formal style of overcoat is the chesterfield, named after the 19th Century Earl of Chesterfield. It was based on the style of the 19th Century frock coat, but not cut in at the waist. It was always worn as a formal coat in both single and double breasted styles. Beginning in 1850 a fly front opening came into style andbecame a feature on single breasted coats. The chesterfield was often made in grey herringbone for adults and older boys. Younger boys generally wore solid colored coats of plain blue, black, or beige. Traditionally boys wore a very limited number of colorsd, unlike the more casual style of colorful jackets now worn. It was the chesterfield that was worn with classic black velvet on the lapels. Thevchesterfield and other formal coats generally have cut-in sleeves; raglan sleeves, which are cut with seems that extend from shoulder to neck always make a coat more casual.

Dounle Breasted

There were also dounle breasted overcoats. They were done in many different styles with varying velt and pocket treatment. Thus single breasted may be thought more of as a styling element than an actual style of overcoat.

Duffle Coat

The duffle coat is a less formal style that is still worn by boys. The name is attributed to Duffel, a Belgian town. There are references as early as the 18th Century to duffle coats. Defoe writes that duffle, "a coarse woollen stuff" was exported to the New World. The Tyrolean style coat with hooded cap became a fashion staple when it was adopted by the Royal Navy. It was fastened with wooiden toggles and hemp loops (ideal for fingers frozen in the icy sea air). It was so widely worn by the British thatbin World War II it became known as a "convoy coat". When General Montgomery started wearing it, the Europeans started calling it a "Monty coat". Stocks of duffle coats were released for public sale by the military after the war a cold-weather favorite.

Garberdine

British school boys traditionally wore belted gaberdine raincoat or overcaot with their school uniforms. The gaberdine coats were often worn at slightly longer lengths than other overcoat styles worn by boys. For a period in the middle decades of the 20th century, the gaberdine school raincoat formed a distinctive part of British schoolboy clothing. It was of woollen or cotton gaberdine, a close twill-weave fabric with a smooth finish. The raincoat was frequently worn not only for school, but also as general boy-swear. Interestingly, the gaberdine raincoat is the one major element of British school uniform (other than black leather lace-up shoes) which is not derived from some form of sportswear--not surprisingly since topcoats are not typically worn for games! At some schools the gaberdine raincoat was compulsory, some schools even specified the brand. Boys had different opinions about the coats. Some have complained that they were "utterly useless for repelling more than a minute or so of the gentlest rain". Others thought them quite serviceable. While opinions vary, quite a number of HBC readers from England still remember the gaberdine raincoats that they wore as boys.

Reefer

Sailor reefer jackets were very popular. They were not limired to boys wearing sailor suits. These were the least formal of the traditional ovrcoats. The reefer jacket and suit has quite a bit of history attached to it. Historians, however, disagree on its origins and HBC has yet to find a definitive account. We have acquired some information on this important account and eventually hope to provide a more definitive account. These jackets were called reefer jackets owing to their naval origins. The nautical term "to reef" conotates reducing the area of the sail to catch the wind. Sailors wore heavy jackets when they had to go aloft to take in or let out the sails. It must have been a bitter cold experience in bad weather. While heavy, they were short so the sailors could better manuever in the rigging. At any rate the heavy jackets they wore became known as reefer jackets.

Single Breasted

There were also single breasted overcoats as can be seen here (figure 1). They were done in many different styles with varying velt and pocket treatment. Thus single breasted may be thought more of as a styling element than an actual style of overcoat.

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Created: January 3, 1998
Last updated: 6:23 PM 7/23/2015