SHARP MEN IN SHARP COATS
It’s no secret that I appreciate the sight of a fine man in a nice overcoat.
These days, though, that overcoat is probably a trenchcoat, beloved of foreign correspondents and spies. (Like every little girl who grew up watching Peter Jennings, I love me some tan trench!)
In Ella Shane’s day, though, the fine overcoat was probably an Ulster.
The Ulster first appeared in the 1850s, as a heavy wool coachman’s coat, with loose wide sleeves, and a short cape.
If you’re thinking it sounds like something Sherlock Holmes would wear, you’re right!
It’s the style associated with him, but it took a while to work its way there.
By the 1890s, people higher on the social scale had realized what the coachmen knew: a warm coat with sleeves that enable you to move, topped by a cape that provides some extra protection, is a very good thing if you’re going to be out in cold weather.
No surprise, then, that hunters picked it up, and soon enough, so did men who spent their time in a different kind of wilderness. It was definitely on the streets of major cities at the turn of the century, and became a stylish male fashion option.
An Ulster was a natural choice for Holmes, who spent his time stalking criminals rather than deer, and might be out in all times and weathers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knew this, and actually dressed the famous detective and his friend Dr. Watson in them.
Then, the illustrator for the original Strand magazine made Holmes’ Ulster iconic. More than 120 years later, that is still many people’s Holmes.
These days, it’s hard to see an Ulster and NOT think of Holmes.
In the late 19th century, though, it was still just a big heavy coat.
There were, and are, two different styles known as Ulsters. Fashion historians say the kind with a cape is the less formal one, which makes sense, since it’s designed for tromping over the moors.
They do, though, accept the existence of a more formal Ulster coat with lapels and no cape. Which to me sounds like nothing more than a sharp winter topper.
So the real question is, what makes an Ulster an Ulster – and why do we call it that?
Turns out the fabric is the key. Ulsters began as a heavy tweed coat, in – you guessed it – the Ulster province of Ireland. In the beginning, any coat made of that tweed was an Ulster.
Then, the name became associated with a particular style of very sturdy and warm coat, the one the coachmen, hunters – and ultimately Holmes – adopted. And let’s face it, Ulster sounds a lot cooler than “big overcoat.”
Soon enough, though, the cape variety was pretty much left to fictional detectives and Mary Poppins (yes, that’s a version of an Ulster on Julie Andrews in the original movie!) because the world, and clothing, had completely changed.
Enter the trenchcoat, which started as a World War I military issue and spread throughout the world. That’s a different story – and look – for a different day! In the meantime, I’ll just appreciate the Professor in his tan trench, and be glad that he doesn’t feel like sporting an Ulster!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
These days, though, that overcoat is probably a trenchcoat, beloved of foreign correspondents and spies. (Like every little girl who grew up watching Peter Jennings, I love me some tan trench!)
In Ella Shane’s day, though, the fine overcoat was probably an Ulster.
The Ulster first appeared in the 1850s, as a heavy wool coachman’s coat, with loose wide sleeves, and a short cape.
If you’re thinking it sounds like something Sherlock Holmes would wear, you’re right!
It’s the style associated with him, but it took a while to work its way there.
By the 1890s, people higher on the social scale had realized what the coachmen knew: a warm coat with sleeves that enable you to move, topped by a cape that provides some extra protection, is a very good thing if you’re going to be out in cold weather.
No surprise, then, that hunters picked it up, and soon enough, so did men who spent their time in a different kind of wilderness. It was definitely on the streets of major cities at the turn of the century, and became a stylish male fashion option.
An Ulster was a natural choice for Holmes, who spent his time stalking criminals rather than deer, and might be out in all times and weathers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knew this, and actually dressed the famous detective and his friend Dr. Watson in them.
Then, the illustrator for the original Strand magazine made Holmes’ Ulster iconic. More than 120 years later, that is still many people’s Holmes.
These days, it’s hard to see an Ulster and NOT think of Holmes.
In the late 19th century, though, it was still just a big heavy coat.
There were, and are, two different styles known as Ulsters. Fashion historians say the kind with a cape is the less formal one, which makes sense, since it’s designed for tromping over the moors.
They do, though, accept the existence of a more formal Ulster coat with lapels and no cape. Which to me sounds like nothing more than a sharp winter topper.
So the real question is, what makes an Ulster an Ulster – and why do we call it that?
Turns out the fabric is the key. Ulsters began as a heavy tweed coat, in – you guessed it – the Ulster province of Ireland. In the beginning, any coat made of that tweed was an Ulster.
Then, the name became associated with a particular style of very sturdy and warm coat, the one the coachmen, hunters – and ultimately Holmes – adopted. And let’s face it, Ulster sounds a lot cooler than “big overcoat.”
Soon enough, though, the cape variety was pretty much left to fictional detectives and Mary Poppins (yes, that’s a version of an Ulster on Julie Andrews in the original movie!) because the world, and clothing, had completely changed.
Enter the trenchcoat, which started as a World War I military issue and spread throughout the world. That’s a different story – and look – for a different day! In the meantime, I’ll just appreciate the Professor in his tan trench, and be glad that he doesn’t feel like sporting an Ulster!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
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