Covert Coats Go Overt

The covert coat undertook quite a renaissance a few years back. Maybe it was the prodigious use of the coat in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that started it? Jason Statham was born to wear one. But you can't keep a classic down. The coat started life in the country as a gamekeeper's coat, but was adopted by the gentry and taken to the city where it was favoured by gangsters and toffs alike. The coat gradually moved out of Jermyn Street and onto the high street. And there it stays.

Velvet collar

Most shops we like will stock a version of the covert coat, and some we don't. Look out for a nicely cut version with the velvet collar and signature four lines of stitching at the cuffs and hem. Colour-wise, you generally have the choice between the classic fawn colour and navy.

Here's a modern navy version from T M Lewin.

Robust

Covert cloth is woven in Yorkshire and of medium weight, but very robust. I have worn my covert with velvet collar for over fiften years — not constantly — and it still looks like it has a lot of life left in it. I just need to give it a brush down every now and again and it's as good as new.