Overcoat

They are sometimes confused with or referred to as topcoats, which are shorter and end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats. Unlike overcoats, topcoats are usually made from lighter weight cloth such as gabardine or covert, while overcoats are made from heavier cloth or fur.

History

In many countries, coats and gowns reaching below the knee have been worn for centuries, often for formal uses, establishing either social status or as part of a professional or military uniform. In the 17th century, the overcoat became widely stylized and available to the different classes.

In the Western world, the general profile of overcoats has remained largely unchanged for a long time. During the Regency, the fashion was to have very form-fitting clothes, with sidebodies, waist seams, and a flared skirt. Examples of this included the frock overcoat and paletot.

Chesterfield coat

The Chesterfield is a formal, dark, knee-length overcoat with a velvet collar introduced around the 1840s in the United Kingdom. A less formal derivation is the similar, but with a lighter fabric, slightly shorter, top coat called a covert coat.

Greatcoat

A greatcoat (also watchcoat), a large, woollen overcoat designed for warmth and for protection against wind and weather, features a collar that can be turned up and cuffs that can be turned down to protect the face and the hands, while the short rain-cape at the shoulders protects from the wind and repels rain. In the 19th century, such a coat was part of a soldier's military uniform, to be worn while on watch (guard duty), hence the term watchcoat.

The drape of the greatcoat reaches to below the knee of the wearer, the short cape drapes reach to the elbow, and the capacious external pockets allow the wearer to carry dry food and other items; for example in the Petersham coat, named after Viscount Petersham. In the fashion of the Regency era (1795–1837) a greatcoat might feature several short capes, usually designed, cut, and tailored to the specifications of fit and aesthetic taste of a dandy.

Russian and Soviet armed forces used various greatcoats (Russian: шинели; singular: шинель) as part of standard uniforms from the mid-1760s until the late-1990s. Soviet general officers in World War II, for example, could wear a light-grey dress greatcoat.