Vintage Style: Women’s Overcoats, Cloaks, and Capes

Cloaks, overcoats, and wraps are outerwear synonymous with cool weather and winter and are must-have clothing because of the cold. 

While some women are quite content with any old winter coat, as long as it keeps off the biting cold, others take this as a time to not only feel warm but to look fashionable as well.  Being chilly outside doesn't mean you should not step out in style.

For those who love vintage-inspired wear, overcoat designs of the early to mid-20th Century can still beat the modern styles of the 21st Century hands down. Worn by elegant women and silver screen goddesses of the time, they still remain some of the best styles ever. 

From the winter capes and coats of the early 1900s to the swing and swagger coats of the 1950s, today's winter overcoats should “duff their hats” to their extremely stylish predecessors.

If you loved those vintage style overcoats and wish to replicate that era, here are some styles that may interest you.

1920s Winter Coat Styles


There is nothing like the women's overcoats of the swinging twenties and their styles are yet to be surpassed. Their designs with large fur collars created a cocoon of warmth and style.

Coat fabrics were mostly made of deep-pile velvet, wool broadcloth, wool suede and velour and were lined with crepe de chine, satin de chine, brocade, or silks and blends. Colours ranged from black and brown to tan, green, blue, and cranberry red.

1930s Women Overcoats


1930s style coats of old Hollywood came long, tailored and modest with the popular styles made of faux fur, wool, velvet, tweed and more. Swagger coats were very popular and quite stylish, and they were ideal for any type of shape.

They had high collarless necklines, sleeves with epaulette shoulders, and smartly placed patch pockets.

Vintage Inspired Styles of Overcoats


1. Dress Coats – This overcoat resembles a dress and is, in fact, one of the trending styles of winter coats today. It comes with a collar, lapels, and a belt that appears to cinch a woman’s waist. Its design is certainly ‘vintage-inspired’ because it was a style that was quite popular in the mid-’50s to the ’60s
 
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2. Vintage Inspired Trench Coats – this style is very popular and worn by men and women. It is generally double-breasted and comes with a fairly wide lapel and belted around the waist.

You will find that trench coats come with shoulder and wrist straps.


3. Trendy Cloaks – Cloaks and capes serve the same purpose as all overcoats, to keep you warm in winter, but it differs in design to the regular kind of coat. It is loose, one of its features that makes it look so fashionable and chic. Cloaks have been around for a number of hundreds, but over time became fashion apparel for winter wear.

They come without sleeves but with a side-slit that you can put your hands through. Most “generally fasten at the neck or over the shoulder” and come in short or long lengths.




4. Faux Fur Overcoat - We all know why we have to settle for faux fur overcoats instead of the authentic animal coats, and rightly so too. But what’s trending for 2014/2015 as regards the faux furry warmers? PRETTY COLOURS! Yes, nice sweet colours such as pale pink, midnight blue, camel, pale orange, oatmeal, turquoise; some with bold stripes running across in horizontal lines. There is also classic black & white combinations.

Styles range from the short-cropped jackets to the long overcoats, most come collar-less and when unbuttoned will look nice with vintage-inspired neck jewellery.
 




5. Pea Coats - Many may not know what kind of overcoat this is vintage-inspired coat is . . . Yes, it is an unusual name, but a pea coat is one that was originally worn by European and American sailors dating back into the early 1700s. It is coarse to the touch and made from wool.

Today, pea coats are not much different from past design and have become trending outerwear clothing. The coat is now considered a vintage/classic inspired style with some now coming with hoods. They come in great shapes; made from other fabrics including leather, besides the classic navy blue wool of centuries past.


So which styles of the above women overcoats are your winter outerwear choice? Which types make your statement? Which of these vintage-inspired overcoat genres' 'spells' your signature?


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