By Alan Flusser
The Polo coat is one of very few articles of apparel from menswear’s golden years that one hundred years later still populates the closets of the best-dressed men around the world. Whether vintage or new, custom or ready-made, this iconic mantle’s stylishness has long transcended time and place. Worn by Kings and commoners, anointed by the Duke of Windsor and Gianni Agnelli, and able to be paired with black tie or blue jeans and all stops in-between, this workhorse of outerwear has no peer in provenance or versatility.
In the 1920s, the outdoor swathing of choice for English polo players between chukkas (periods) or after the matches was a tan outercoat made from the soft fleece of lightweight camel hair. Introduced on these shores in 1923 at the International Polo Club matches then taking place on Long Island, the highborn cloak soon became a favorite of players and spectators alike with Yale and Princeton graduates adopting it for wear on and off the playing fields.
The Polo coat is traditionally a double-breasted affair with flapped patch pockets and a half belt back, and the early ready-to-wear models were introduced by Brook Brothers. Since the debut of Alan Flusser Custom back in 1985, we have been turning out our own custom tailored, hand-made version incorporating some of Brooks Brothers original but long-lost details, such as its uniquely shaped lapels and envelope patch pockets. We’re now expanding upon the garment’s century-old provenance by introducing our own made-to-measure Polo coat. Cut for your unique physique and build, it’s tailored largely by hand, and then fitted and finished to individual perfection in-house with hand-made buttonholes and real horn buttons.
Below, we show how to take the Polo coat from jeans and sneakers, to casual tailoring with knitwear, to dressy suiting. Contact us for more information on how to get your own; we’d be glad to start the conversation with you.
