15 Stylish Duffel Coats to Keep You Warm This Fall and Winter
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Like any other person who’s seen Paddington 2, you can likely identify a duffel coat on sight. What’s harder to discern is whether the cloak-like style is characterized by its heavy wool fabric, detachable hood, and signature toggle closures should be spelled “duffel” or “duffle”.
There’s no definitive ruling on the matter, but Robb Report‘s local style guide uses duffel for coats and duffle for bags. In any case, its etymology can be traced back to the Belgian town of Duffel, famous for producing a heavy woolen fabric of the same name. Hooded coats made from duffel cloth became popular throughout Europe in the 19th century, and in the 1890s the British Royal Navy began issuing them to its sailors.
While this unusual coat with toggle closures likely originated on the continent (some credit the Polish army), it was among the British that the style really took off running. It was widely issued to British armed forces during the Second World War and even worn by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, becoming known as a “Monty” coat in the process.
After VE Day, the British government unloaded its surplus duffel coats on a glove and overall wholesaler named H&F Morris. The army cast-offs proved a hit among civilians on both sides of the Atlantic and became a staple part of the “Ivy League look” in the United States. The firm soon reconstituted itself as Gloverall and decided to make duffel coats of its own.
Seven decades later, Gloverall is still making duffel coats—but they’re far from the only ones. Heritage makers and fashion houses alike have gotten into the game, offering present-day buyers an unparalleled diversity of designs and styles. As the options below suggest, it’s a good time to be in the market for a duffel coat.
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