Coat
Types of Coats
A coat is made from a natural or synthetic fabric, often from fur or leather from the hide of an animal. The basic garment construction is the same for all coats. All coats usually have full or three quarter-length sleeves and buttons, hooks, or a zipper to fasten the front. Sometimes a coat is accessorized with a belt. Trench coats for example always have belts. Most coats have collars that can be turned up or left down.
There are also other types of coats that are worn indoors, such as the sports coat (similar to a suit jacket), the smoking jacket, the dinner jacket or tuxedo, and the opera coat.
History of the Coat
In the Middle Ages, coats were suits of armor. By the Renaissance, they had become knee-length garments worn over a waistcoat and breeches. Toward the middle of the 18th-century, the coat became known as a frock because of its straight pleated skirt. The collar also emerged. It was this garment that would become the modern day coat.
Until the mid-18th century, outerwear referred primarily to cloaks and capes. However, these knee-length coats soon began to be made of heavy wool and eventually replaced cloaks and capes. Known as great coats, they also featured large collars and deep cuffs to protect against the elements. By the 20th-century, coats were firmly established as a type of outerwear.
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