Fashion

Just that maybe its not very eco or that good waterproof wise...?
I'd like something smart ish but also reasonably waterproof coat (as walk a fair bit in the city) that also doesn't swamp me. The previously posted seemed to cover quite a few bases.

Get an umbrella if it's really pissing down?

Re eco, my take on it is to buy quality stuff second hand, use it for as long as possible, then repair and use some more, and sell it instead of binning it.

Umbrella has been somewhat unused since the arrival of small people, holding hands pushing pram...
Yeah think that's a sensible approach, although i usually donate them. I do often get a good few years out of my coats so no too worried about a reasonable investment

I've come to the conclusion that buying a winter coat is harder than building a winter bike. Where as one bike can suffice i cannot see past the need for

1. A warm lightweight jacket - probably down
   
2. Something fully waterproof that i won't boil in
   
3. A winter coat that doesn't make me look like i spend all my spare time in garden centres
   

I am all for environmentally friendly and buying second hand. I do it often. However. Don't beat yourself up about buying new clothes. Buying from someone like Private White is literally a thousand times better than buying something from H&M.

Regarding the jacket itself, i really like ventile a lot. I've been incredibly impressed by the ventile chore coat I own. A testament of this is, when it rains, my trousers get soaked because so much water runs off of the ventile and down onto my trousers... good...but annoying obviously. My torso has stayed bone dry even in the heaviest of downpours (New York rain drops are the size of golf balls sometimes). I would like a full length ventile coat to stop this from happening :-)

I own the PWVC ventile coat and I'm probably going to put it on ebay soon because its too slim. However with regards waterproofing it is fine for walking around the city in situations that you're going to be wearing a jacket like that. Realistically you would need something to cover your head if it was serious rain anyway.

It looks good. The cut is nice but slim (Mine is a size 3 and as someone who works out, the shoulders are way too slim, hence moving it, get in touch if you're interested, probably looking for about a hundred for it)
Brass hardware looks suitably luxy. It's unlined so it provides very little in the way of warmth but is windproof.

With regards to eco credentials it seems to me that trying to work out the credentials of any "Waterproof, breathable" system, bought new, is splitting hairs. Membrane shell jackets are made of plastic and use flurocarbons to be waterproof. Modern DWR Ventile (and basically all 'waterproof cottons') is maybe better, maybe worse because it's cotton coated in flurocarbons instead of plastic. There's that new Eco Ventile which is recycled cotton, so maybe fractionally better or the Finisterre waterproof jackets, which are recycled plastic made without flurocarbons, but I have no idea what they're made with instead.

I've seen a few waxed jackets made with soy wax, those seem relatively eco or it might be greenwashing. Either way they aren't the same aesthetic.

Buying something second hand or getting damp is always going to be the dominant eco solution so rather than worrying about which waterproofing solution to go for, I would just start cruising ebay for something that suits your needs.

Failing that, the community clothing raincoat seems nice
https://communityclothing.co.uk/products/mensraincoat-navy?variant=6978726002742 quite affordable, a cotton base with a DWR coating, which makes it probably basically the same as modern DWR ventile.

I dunno how much it is in the UK, but at $570 on sale, for something that's made in England is very reasonable to me.

Thanks guys.
I like that community clothing raincoat.
Although maybe not as slim cut as the PWVC one but way cheaper.
@Belagerent Thanks for the offer but I'd need a 5. How do you find the arm length?
Any other issues besides the slim shoulders?

No other issues really, arm length is fine on me. It's a nice coat. I don't think I would ever wear it cycling though because of the slimness.

And because it's far too nice to wear on a bicycle!

All this rain coat chat has reminded how much I'm lusting after a Coherence raincoat. The drape on the back is exquisite. Ooooof.

Uniqlo do one that looks identical, it’s waterproof and has a thermal liner you can remove for the warmer months.

Have a link?

I'll chime in (as I do) for Ventile/Grenfell cloth as well. Not waterproof but keeps you pretty comfortable in most 'burb situations and looks/ages marvelously. I have two NOS (at the time) Grenfell car-ish coats and a Hilltrek green-spottish thing that I'll wear into the ground. I got the Grenfells in the 90s and the Hilltrek about 6 years ago.

https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/product/men-two-way-single-breasted-coat-425415.html?dwvar_425415_size=SMA002&dwvar_425415_color=COL09&cgid=IDwool-blended2143

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@fredtc is always saying great things about community clothing - so for £130 the coat up thread seems a solid option.

yeah, but I know nuffing so don't trust me

Anybody here had any experience with Cotton Shell (it’s a branded fabric)? Interested in its merits compared to Ventile, Analogy etc.

Gutted I only found out about this last night (!) but just popped down and got a grey db suit, and two Anderson & Sheppard jumpers for under £150. There's not too much left in size small, but a lot of trunk clothiers chinos at £40 and polos at £20 if that's your bag. If you're a larger lad then there's tonnes. all goes to charity too.

I got a mohair Prada overcoat for Christmas and with the previous chat about rainmacs I’m now looking for something classic, blue and waterproof in the sales. Thoughts are community clothing, APC (tried on and like but lined and only showerproof), Sunspel, Private White - what else out there is there?

Macintosh? I know they revamped there styles a few years back but dont know if they have lost quality in production.

The ultimate raincoat is a Coherence IMO. But not sure there are any active stockists in the UK. Drake’s are apparently, and the Rake but I don’t see anything on their sites.

https://co-herence.jp/

Grenfell.

I'd like to suggest SEH Kelly but they don't really do a plain mac in blue so you'd have to go really far to find anything better than the Macintosh x Loro Piana coat, and it's in the sales currently

https://www.mackintosh.com/gb/shopping/navy-wool-storm-system-mackintosh-coat-12569053