How To Wear A Duffle Coat

The colder months are on the horizon. It’s that time of year when you have to find the perfect coat to keep you warm. The trouble is: knowing which one to go for and how to wear it well. To help, we’ve put together this duffle coat buying guide to tell you how to wear a duffle coat this coming season.

With so many different styles of coat to choose from, it’s hard to decide which one to get. You want to look great and—if you're splashing out—you need to get it right.

Cue the duffle jacket: a mainstay of winter fashion. For the style-conscious individual, duffle coats bring an otherwise plain outfit to life. For a formal and informal get-up, this cornerstone of practicality and style works brilliantly for both men and women.

Reading this in the warmer months? Perhaps you love the style of a duffle coat but cannot fathom wearing a thick, woollen coat in the middle of May. That’s where our SS20 collection comes in. Our Mersey Duffle, one of the hero pieces from the range, is crafted from lightweight, technical fabrics that are showerproof yet completely breathable. Available in Poseidon Blue, Tie Dye and Khaki, this the Mersey Duffle is the go-to summer raincoat.

If worn right, your duffle jacket will impress and make you stand out. If worn wrong, it will look oversized and goofy. So, if you want to know how to pull off a duffle coat outfit, follow the advice in this article and you can’t go wrong.

How a duffle coat should fit

A crucial part of nailing the duffle coat get-up is ensuring it fits well. Take note: for a duffle coat to keep you warm enough in winter, it has to fit snugly.

Badly fitting duffle coats are a big faux pas. They make you look like an oversized seven-year-old, playing dress-up with Dad’s wardrobe, or—even worse—a counterculture hipster who’s trying way too hard.

So, how do you strike the right balance and look effortlessly dapper-casual? Simple. When it comes to duffle coats, don’t oversize. Go for modern cuts to avoid any unnecessary puffiness. Remember, they are naturally larger, so getting the right size is vital; you don’t want it to drown you.

First of all, determine when and on what sort of occasions you are most likely to be wearing your coat.

If you are opting for a casual look, then go for a coat that is as close to your real size as possible, ensuring that the shoulder seam aligns with where your shoulder naturally ends. This will pair well with any casual outfit from a t-shirt and skinny jeans for men (complete with brown leather boots), to boyfriend jeans and black leather lace-up flat boots for women.

However, if you are looking to wear your duffle coat as a formal outfit, go for a size bigger so that it fits over smart jackets. This ensures there’s enough room to accommodate for the extra fabric underneath. That way, your stunning duffle coat can be worn with a shirt and tie, a smart jacket and skirt, or a shirt and jumper combo for the colder spells.

When it gets really brisk out there, pair your duffle with a tartan scarf for the ultimate contrasting look that works well in both formal and informal settings. Or, for the same look, consider a duffle coat with a contrasting tartan hood.

What to wear with a duffle coat

What you wear with a duffle coat will entirely depend on the occasion and season. For casual wear in the winter, you can never go wrong with a pair of slim or straight leg jeans and a thick-knit jumper. Comfortable enough for a brisk, long countryside walk but smart enough for a posh lunch afterwards. OurSarah Rib Jumperand Men's Aran Jumper are some of our favourite knitwear pieces for their versatility. Both are crafted from the most sumptuous British Merino wool or lambswool and available in plenty of staple colours.

In the warmer months, you can wear our Spring-Summer Mersey Duffle with anything from chino shorts to pinafore dresses. The contemporary, tech fabrics can also be dressed down with other sportswear such as joggers and sweatshirts for a complete streetwear ensemble. 

For formal occasions, our longline duffle coats are ideal for throwing over cocktail dresses and suits during the winter. Our Original Monty Duffle Coat, available for men and women, has an oversized fit which is ideal for wearing suit jackets or evening gowns. Given its timeless style, the Monty can be worn for countless casual or formal occasions as a true staple piece in your wardrobe. 

Camel Duffle Coat

Transform an ordinary t-shirt and skinny jeans combination with a camel duffle coat.

Camel toned coats have been so incredibly on-trend for the past few years and they show no sign of slowing down in popularity. This lighter shade of brown is the perfect in-between for casual and smarter wear.

 

For a neutral, off-beat monochrome outfit, pair your camel duffle coat with our Ullac x Gloverall Ecru Trousersand a crisp white t-shirt. The neutral beige tones can uplift any ordinary outfit and the streetwear silhouette of the painter trousers provides the perfect contrast to the otherwise classic Monty coat.

 

Black duffle coat

Of all colours, the black duffle coats are the most adaptable because they go with almost anything.

Take our Short Slim Fit Duffle Coat as an example. For the perfect casual womenswear ensemble, why not wear the duffle coat with our Emily Roll Neck Jumper in grey and a pair with light-wash mum jeans?

For men, the black Morris Duffle Coat is the most versatile of them all; it’s likely to pair well with almost all of your outfits. An all-black look is always a winner and one of the most effortless styles to go for. 

Navy duffle coat

Who would have thought that a navy duffle coat could be worn in so many different ways? We did. That’s why we have countless navy styles of duffle coats available. Pretty much all of our original duffle coats are available in a deep navybut if you are looking for something a bit different - can we introduce you to the Mersey Duffle? The Mersey Duffle comes in two sultry navy colourways: Poseidon Blue and Tie-Dye. 

For an eye-catching outfit that wouldn’t be unthinkable on the streets of Berlin or Shoreditch, pair the Tie-Dye Mersey Duffle with our Ullac x Gloverall Indigo Trousers and an oversized vintage t-shirt. Both the Mersey Duffle and Trousers are embracingly unisex for the coolest, streetwear silhouette. 

 

 

With Gloverall’s endless desire to innovate classic silhouettes, we see the duffle coat as a piece that can be styled in countless different ways. Gone are the days when it was just a nod to classic, nautical trends. And with our new SS20 collection, the duffle coat just got a new lease of life.