Chesterfield in heavy merino hopsack in charcoal

£520.00 — ex VAT

Tailored overcoat, made in London, with heavy (26oz) merino woollen hopsack from Yorkshire, and with dark horn buttons from the Midlands.

Waiting

One day — maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon — more of these will be made. Not exactly the same, perhaps, but very similar indeed. You can send an email to info@sehkelly.com for more information, and even to be notified when that day comes.

Sizing

The Chesterfield fits true to size for an overcoat — i.e. something intended to be worn over other layers, such as suits or sweaters. The wooden fellow here, for instance, is a 38 chest through-and-through, and with a mid-weight shirt beneath, wears the Chesterfield in size S.

	XS	S	M	L	XL
To fit chest	36	38	40	42	44
Pit-to-pit	20½	21½	22½	23½	24½
Back length	40½	40¾	41	41¼	41½
Sleeve from centre-back	33½	34	34½	35	35½

A Chesterfield, traditionally, is a long and formal tailored overcoat, and that's precisely what we have here — albeit less tailored than the norm on account of a softer style of shoulder. But still, it is long and tailored, and intended to be worn as a top-layer over things such as suit jackets and sweaters.

The coat has a front of three buttons, which are hidden when the coat is fastened thanks to fly neatly made with binding. They're horn, these buttons — dark in colour and matte in finish — and are thus each unique in shade and marking. Like alpha-keratin snowflakes, then, no two are wholly alike.

Postbox pockets, these, of which the Chesterfield unmistakably has two. They're an ornate style of patch pocket, and here on the Chesterfield are fairly large, and set at just the right height for the never-not satisfying act of plunging in hands on cold days.

There is a pocket at the chest, too. It is a jetted pocket with a swollen bottom lip, and with its bag "stitched through" to the front of the coat to echo the shape of the larger pockets below.

The coat has a half-belt at the back, running between the rear seams, and which is fixed in place and length. It serves to break up the shape of what is a fairly long article of clothing. It also helps pull things together, both literally and figuratively, by introducing a sense of shape at the middle.

This is a half-raglan sleeve — halfway between a set-in sleeve and a full raglan — and is what gives the Chesterfield its unique blend of soft shoulder with formal comportment. You don't see this style of sleeve much these days, which is a great shame, and the Chesterfield bears it with swelling pride.

The coat has a working cuff of three buttons, the opening of which sits on the hind sleeve seam.

There's handiwork here and there on the Chesterfield, such as under the collar, where the lapel and collar are coaxed together with a criss-cross "duck-stitch".

There are two other pockets on the Chesterfield, both of them tucked discreetly into the front facing — one on each side. It's a little sideways pocket, intended for the stashing of wallets or mobiles and the like.

The upper third of the coat is lined down the back with a smooth and slinky satin, cut as a single panel. It helps with sliding the Chesterfield off and on, being as the outer cloth has the potential for friction. The sleeves, too, are lined with the same cloth.

Heavy, luxury cloth, this — reaching its weight with great density and almost as great thickness — and with the pleasing bobbly texture of a hopsack. It is made with two-ply merino yarn. Very supple, but with top-grade technical performance — especially in tensile-strength and abrasion-resistance.

As worn

The man who stands before you is a bit over 6' in height, and a bit over 38 in chest. He is wearing the Chesterfield here in size S, over a chunky sweater, and it is a comfortable and large overcoat-like fit, exactly as intended.

Makers of

The coat is made in north-east London. It is a very specialised skill, assembling coats from heavy cloth, and every reasonable step — and the odd unreasonable step — is to taken to endure things are built to last, from the cutting of the pattern to the work on the machine, but without the results being stiff or bulky.

The wool cloth hails from a mill founded in the Heavy Woollen District of West Yorkshire in the 1800s. Carding, blending, spinning, and weaving — it all happens on the same premises. This unique arrangement means that the fleece’s change into top-grade cloth could not be more tightly tuned.

The horn buttons were cut, shaped, and polished by the last such factory in Britain (now defunct). It was part of a tradition in the Midlands first linked to the meat industry of the 18th century. "It is no easy task," said William Hutton in 1780, "to enumerate the infinite diversity of buttons made in Birmingham."

So they say

My Chesterfield has just arrived, surprisingly quickly! I must say that I am blown away by how well made and how sturdy a garment it seems on first impressions. It is both what I was expecting and yet also exceeds my expectations; let's just say that I am impressed! I may have to have the sleeves shortened a little but that shouldn't be a problem. In any case, I just wanted to express my appreciation for delivering such a high quality product, and at such a reasonable price, especially considering the free shipping.

So said a man in Japan, who in October 2020 picked up the Chesterfield in the heavy merino hopsack.

The coat arrived yesterday afternoon. It fits comfortably over tailoring yet has a flattering shape. I am really pleased with the coat's fabric, colour and design — particularly its length — and am very much looking forward to wearing it.

Happy words from a happy miscreant who picked up the Chesterfield in hopsack melton in October 2020.

I just tried on the Chesterfield and it is perfect! Congratulations for your work: I will wear it with pride.

Jubilation courtesy of a man in France who purchased the Chesterfield in woollen Bedford cord in December 2019.