Alan Paine - Innovation Meets Loden

We all know about the fine country wear that our good chums Alan Paine of Surrey produce. But they don't stand still; and neither does my wardrobe as a result. No sooner had their tweed field coat made its way into my affections (and cupboard space) than I spy AP's Loden Field Coat — part of their Loden Collection.

Alan Paine - Rich in Heritage and Tradition

Loden is a classic Tyrolean pre-shrunk woollen fabric, that has a soft, dense and spongy pile similar to the boiled wool used in traditional duffle coats. The Loden Collection comes in the classic loden green — quite rightly.

I quickly established a convenient maxim that 'no man can have too many field coats'. Move over tweed field coat, you've got company.

The Loden Collection features the now-traditional Alan Paine 'classic-tech' approach. When you combine traditional loden fabric with a 'specially engineered AP-EX breathable waterproof membrane' magic happens — and you can brave the inclemency-disposed British weather. Living in Britain everything needs to be waterproof, and —overstating for effect, though it's largely true as it rains a lot — I mean everything.

Doing the loden walk

My coat-shaped chum and I took a country stroll one morning and got on famously. I loaded his ample pockets with a Scotch egg and a hip flask and off we went.

The pictures speak for themselves, except they don't get across any sense of heft or smell — the coat is lighter than it looks and smells agreeably like a tweed jacket. The coat got all the attention from the cows and farmers.

Admired by cows

From the looks on their faces (cows and farmers), I believe they were admiring the practicality combined with the good looks of the coat.

As a general impression they would notice the reinforcements in the right places, and the padding for warmth.

Beautiful gold lining

Getting closer they would see the details: the cartridge pockets that can be secured open (for easy access to that Scotch egg), the waist adjuster for figure-hugging comfort, the moleskin trims, the storm cuffs, the beautiful gold lining that I might flash coquettishly towards them.

At this rate, my taste for field coats threatens to engulf my love of trench coats. (It's that dramatic embellishment again.)