If I’m being honest, I’ve always found Abercrombie & Fitch rather off-putting. It goes back to high school, really – back in the early aughts, A&F worked very hard to be a place for the ‘cool kids.’ Since I was definitely not one of those, their stores seemed to project the vibe that I was not allowed to wear their clothing. I’ve done a good job of ignoring them over the years, but after so many people started talking about this coat I decided that I’d have to bite the bullet and take a closer look.
Now, the A&F of today is not the same as the one I was afraid of 15 years ago, although much of that stigma remains. Cologne is no longer pumped through the vents, the models are less R-rated, and even the lights in the store seem to be turned up slightly past “too dim to see.” All of this comes as Abercrombie has worked to rebrand over the past few years by moving on from their skeezy past (and slumping sales) and revisiting some of their rich history. One of their other big moves was hiring a talented designer to take over the men’s (and now women’s) collection – Aaron Levine. Levine ran the men’s design at Club Monaco for several years, and had a significant impact on their great clothing in the recent past. Club Monaco definitely had better products than the average mall brand in the years while he was at the helm, so this was a big move by A&F to revert focus back to their product rather than aggressive marketing tactics.
With that context, let’s move to the coat that has been popping up everywhere – the Dad Coat. Perhaps calling it ‘Dad’ makes it easier for A&F to justify slipping such a traditionally-styled garment in-between their puffer jackets and logo tees, but whatever the reason it stands out from the rest of the collection. It seems like something that you might see at a Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren, but instead it’s hiding where you’d least expect it.
This long coat – available in two materials – echoes the style of a balmacaan, a traditional coat with Scottish heritage. A balmacaan is characterized by a long, straight fit, raglan sleeves, fly front, and a collar that buttons up all the way to the top. The style has seem a resurgence in the past few years, likely in part because it is a traditional coat that is still easy to wear with casual clothing.
Abercrombie’s coat echoes almost all of these characteristics very closely. The most notable derivation from tradition is the shoulder construction, which is a strange hybrid of set-in sleeve in front and raglan in back. I think it would look less schizophrenic with just one style, and I personally would prefer the raglan. It’s more accurate for this style of jacket, and also I prefer them on casual long coats like these because they tend to look and fit better (especially on my heavily sloped shoulders). It seems like the hybrid construction makes the sleeve drape a bit strangely, but this isn’t a huge deal on a coat at this price.
Outside of this peculiar design choice, the details are very true to the original style. Fly button front, hidden buttons on the collar and vent, cuff adjusters on the sleeves, and a straight fit make it feel like a traditional coat that wouldn’t normally be found at a suburban mall. The collar is substantial enough to have some shape while popped up (as it is meant to be with this style), and the slash pockets – while perhaps not perfectly positioned – are great for keeping hands warm (as if that were required here in California).
The two materials used on this coat are surprisingly different – one is a 100% wool tweed, while this one is a wool/poly blend with a flannel finish. According to my friend Peter’s twitter, the wool coat seems to be made from a tweed by Moon Mills in England (although I can’t confirm this for certain). Although I’d much prefer pure wool from an established mill, I quite like the herringbone pattern so decided to settle. And while the tweed version is made with unquestionably better material, I find this color and pattern much easier to wear. But if you can pull the tweed one off as well as Peter can by all means go for it (we are similar height and build – he is wearing a M, while I wear a S).
The jacket is fully lined, which is not ideal but also not surprising for a relatively inexpensive, mass-market piece of clothing. The back is rather plain with no pleats or belt, but again this seems reasonable for the A&F market. The product description claims that the buttons are made of horn but if this is true then they are the most plasitc-y horn buttons I’ve ever encountered. Either way, this jacket would be a great candidate for button upgrades.
I found the fit to be a roomy true-to-size, which seems appropriate for this style of coat. My size 38 chest is usually a small and occasionally a medium, and I found the small to fit well. The length from the bottom of the collar to the hem is 36″, which hits a bit above my knee. This is not a fitted coat so the style may be a bit of a jump for those well-accustomed to slim everything, but as far as roomy clothing goes it’s pretty easy to wear. I would recommend staying true-to-size, and sizing down only if you’re in-between sizes.
The coat retails for $300, and frequent sales mean it shouldn’t be too hard to get this for around $200 or less (EDIT: it’s 50% off for Black Friday, though sizes are starting to sell out). At that price, you’re getting a lot. I can’t think of anything on the market around that price that offers such classic and wearable style. It may have some quirks, but at that price it’s getting a lot of things right.
