Crombie Shearling Coat

Skin in the Game

It's good to see the sheepskin coat making a comeback on the streets of Britain. This type of coat was a skinhead staple in the 1960s, which gives me a good excuse to include this photo.

David Niven was a keen wearer too. I never need an excuse to include David Niven.

Since reporting on the tragic demise of sheepskin coat maker Nursey — We Must Defend Our Sheepskin Coats — I've been vocal in my search for reasonable alternatives. Happily, my histrionics were a tad unwarranted: Nursey survives, but they're not making coats at the moment. Nursey's British-made sheepskin peaked cap looks interesting, by the way:

But my battle drum had resounded, and now we see designers introducing the classic sheepskin coat; and in a virtuous feedback loop, I can report on what's being produced. I communicated with someone in Italy about the difference between sheepskin and shearling, and we decided that the terms were used fairly interchangeable: for sheepskin tanned with the wool left on. Technically, shearling ought to be skin from a lamb.

Crombie Tan Shearling Coat

Ever dependable in the coat department, Crombie offers a great panelled shearling coat in guaranteed lambskin (proper shearling, as we defined above). The coat is made in Italy and features integrated pockets, horn buttons and the classic wool trims you want from a sheepskin, sorry shearling, coat.

A polo neck is a splendid item to wear underneath.