This is the first English overcoat I’ve ever had made – or a traditional one anyway. There was the topcoat from Michael Browne, but that was his own particular style and structure. And there was the wrap coat from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, but that was sort of their version of a Parisian style. 

This is the only classic English bespoke coat, and it’s useful because it rounds out the Style Breakdown series that already had coats in most other styles. 

From a technical perspective, the interesting thing about it is how the construction makes the coat smarter to wear, despite not having things like a heavily padded shoulder or roped sleevehead. The difference is more internal – English canvas and horsehair through the chest and lapels, hand-padded to give shape and swell to the chest. 

There is a sharpness to the top third of the coat – the collar, shoulder, lapel and chest – which makes it less wearable with casual things like a simple sweater or other soft knit. 

I’m wearing a knit here, but I deliberately chose this outfit to demonstrate what I’ve found is the most casual thing the coat can be worn with – it needs that scarf at the neck as a substitute for a shirt collar, and the only alternative would be something like a rollneck, or of course a shirt itself.

The trousers, equally, can be flannels but it struggles with anything more casual. Perhaps some rather sharp tailored cottons, but not a chino or a jean. 

This is despite Steven Hitchcock being a ‘soft’ English tailor, and similar in many ways to his alma mater Anderson & Sheppard. For me and my style, this is as structured as I usually want a coat – and I’d wear it with a jacket and shirt just as much as with a knit like this. 

Given that, brown tweed could seem like a strange choice for the material. But I find it works because the tweed is such a dark and muted brown, and so fairly urban in feel. Also because so much of my tailoring is fairly casual – flannels and cords rather than superfine worsteds. 

The material is Fox Tweed TD20, a quality I know well having used it to make three jackets – green from The Anthology, herringbone from Salino (coming soon to London), and houndstooth from Bryceland’s (the version we designed).

It’s 17/18oz, which is heavy for a jacket but light for a coat. It might be the perfect intersection of the two actually – you wouldn’t want to go much heavier for the first or lighter for the second. Its density (compared to say my Harris Tweed) also ensures it keeps nice sharp line on a coat. 

So, so far I’m feeling pretty good about my choices. I also know this is a colour I’ll wear a lot, as my ‘cold-colour’ wardrobe is so predominantly grey, cream, black and brown. 

Actually, a lot of readers have asked recently about colour choices for coats. Specifically, they want to know which is best given they have trousers or suits in all the colours a smart coat would usually be – navy, grey, charcoal, brown. 

My answer is that unless you are happy with something more unusual, such as taupe or camel, you have to live with the fact your coat and trousers will sometimes be the same colour. It’s really not a big problem – a long way down the list of issues that starts with things like suit jackets worn as sports jackets, or belts and shoes in completely different colours. 

Plus, your coat is likely to be sufficiently different in terms of weight and texture to visually separate it from the trousers.

In terms of style, the coat is relatively simple, with just a couple of sartorial touches. 

It’s a double-breasted 6×2, so with six buttons but with only two rows functioning. It has regular flapped hip pockets and a welt breast pocket. The back has a box pleat in the top, a loose half belt and a long vent. Steven calls it a guardsman’s back. 

This is the kind of style that I think a lot of more classically minded readers prefer. There are none of the fancier elements like a buttoned belt, stitched pleats or buttons running down the vent. There’s nothing wrong with those things, but they are too dandy for some, and if anything fashions are probably trending away from them.

The one design concession on Steven’s coat is turnback cuffs, which he particularly likes and I do like on coats (less on jackets). The other thing about a cuff, of course, is that you can take it off at a later date if you change your mind. 

The cut and make is superb – not just clean and well-fitted, but a great combination of comfort and flattery. The chest is full, for example, but without the drapey folds you sometimes see at A&S; the sleeve is similarly big, yet clean at the back. 

The only thing I might tweak having worn the coat is a few times is the length, which is just below the knee. Another couple of centimetres might be nice, particularly on the back. These flannels could also do with another couple of centimetres.

Bespoke is very expensive these days, and Steven’s coats now start at £5900 (plus VAT). But for a really well-executed Savile Row product, I’d certainly recommend him. As we all know, the work involved in a good bespoke piece like this makes it something approaching an heirloom product – a truly special piece of clothing. 

Clothes shown:

• Steven Hitchcock bespoke overcoat in Fox Tweed TD20 cloth
• Trunk cashmere-lined suede gloves in tobacco
• Rubato standard crewneck in ecru (medium)
• Permanent Style undershirt in white (medium)
• Begg & Co scarf in natural
• Whitcomb & Shaftesbury bespoke trousers in Fox flannel
• Nicholas Templeman bespoke shoes in black grain calf

Steven is thesavilerowtailor.co.uk. His bespoke overcoats start at £5900 plus VAT. This coat in Fox cloth cost £6500 plus VAT.