Very specific needs

M

Marcus

Registered Guest
Hello, I'm new here, I only really created my account for one purpose if I'm honest; I'm having a lot of trouble finding a very specific item.

The item in question is a tweed coat, and should be:

-For men
-Long (Ankle/shin length)
-Double breasted
-Not black or grey - a lighter colour if possible, brown etc
-Not necessarily real tweed, as long as it's fairly convincing
-Finally, fairly cheap. I have, in fact, found an item which matches all of the above criteria, but I simply cannot afford to spend £1600 on it.

A good example of pretty much exactly what I'm looking for is the coat Withnail wears in the film Withnail & I, so I've attached an image of that.

I know its a lot to ask (I've been searching for months) but any help would be appreciated.
 

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Marcus, that is an amazing coat. I don't have anything like it, but I'm sure we will all keep our eyes peeled for it. A good costumer could likely make you one based on the photos. You could then select just the fabric you want, perhaps a vintage fabric.
Good Luck
 
Hello,

That is a great look for a coat. You say you want it mid calf or longer, and can you give your height please? I gave 2 vintage 1930s or 1940s coats that I think are pretty close, but right now they are both in storage and I am not sure of the length. Are you a tall, medium or short person? I will dig them out later this week.
 
Marcus, the Withnail coats are very collectable, popular and hard to find - I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know. You're very unlikely to find one cheap, unless it's in very poor condition, as men tend to wear them to death if they like them.

The reason they're rare is because it's a costume, not an actual vintage coat - and the real one was auctioned for charity, no doubt for a lot of money:

From an article in the Guardian -
The coat was the creation of costume designer Andrea Galer, who wanted it to look as though it had come from the family attic. She based it on a 19th-century riding coat, to allow Grant ease of movement as he gallivanted around the countryside. "When shooting fish, he had to be able to tie it up," she explains. "Or in the scene where he rubs in Deep Heat, he had to push the sleeves up and make it look like an entirely usual activity."

The result, in tweed lined with striped Indian silk dupion ("Some hippie friend had decided to give it a lift into the 60s") is suitably louche. "Withnail needed to look decadent," Galer says. "It's a coat that has a life."

You can buy a made-to-order copy for 1600 UK pounds or perhaps trawl ebay hoping for a second hand one (UPDATE: it sounds like you're well aware of this option, in fact probably everything I've written).

Personally, I think you're in for a long, hard search so I'd save your pennies and buy one in your size if you're really in love with it. It's a lot of money but the vintage world can only produce what was originally made.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. With regards to your question Barbara, I'm probably a medium, perhaps tall.
 
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