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First Overcoat

Ich_Dien

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I was referring to working in the “city” of London, ie the financial and banking district. And yes people do get sent home for turning up in brown shoes.

I used to live and work in London but have since left for Italy so now live in Venice. Not sure whether it is a major European city.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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I was referring to working in the “city” of London, ie the financial and banking district. And yes people do get sent home for turning up in brown shoes.

I used to live and work in London but have since left for Italy so now live in Venice. Not sure whether it is a major European city.

I have a friend in London who tells me that brown shoe thing is an iGent myth, but I can't say either way from first-hand knowledge.
 

Ich_Dien

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I was referring to working in the “city” of London, ie the financial and banking district. And yes I know of stories of people being sent home for turning up in brown shoes. London, particularly the city, is of course a microcosm but very traditional.

I used to live and work in London but have since left for Italy so now live in Venice. Not sure whether it is a “major” European city to be honest.
 

Ich_Dien

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I have a friend in London who tells me that brown shoe thing is an iGent myth, but I can't say either way from first-hand knowledge.

Well I can say I’ve heard the stories too, from friends who work in the City...whether they’re just having a laugh in the pub is something else but they do say these things.
 

Nobilis Animus

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What I liked about those coats was the colour, to be honest. I think navy coats are a little much with navy suits, and charcoal or even black are much more versatile for a dark suit wardrobe.

With jeans it kind of depends on the style you're going for, but I see black crombies with jeans and chelseas being done all the time here in Toronto - with the ladies swapping for earthy or black/white houndstooth. I think it looks great - very 60s meets 2020s.
 

BigBadBernard

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Having worked in the City for nearly 20 years I’m happy to separate myth from fact here.

Firstly, there are various different cultures and professions within the City and I think very few of them would raise much of an eyebrow over choice of outerwear, within reason. If you turned up with an anorak over a suit (and some do) then there would be a general assumption that you were there to repair the photocopier, worked in IT, or were a life actuary. Otherwise I think you’re fairly safe with any tailored overcoat.

As for brown shoes, well, that’s a different matter. It would likely pass without comment if you were an insurance broker geezer type, but you’d have been spotted for that by your hair/accent/suit before anyone looked down at your feet. In the more respectable professions you would certainly be sent to change, or at the very least singled out as a bit of an oik.
 

TheBookie

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Having worked in the City for nearly 20 years I’m happy to separate myth from fact here.

Firstly, there are various different cultures and professions within the City and I think very few of them would raise much of an eyebrow over choice of outerwear, within reason. If you turned up with an anorak over a suit (and some do) then there would be a general assumption that you were there to repair the photocopier, worked in IT, or were a life actuary. Otherwise I think you’re fairly safe with any tailored overcoat.

As for brown shoes, well, that’s a different matter. It would likely pass without comment if you were an insurance broker geezer type, but you’d have been spotted for that by your hair/accent/suit before anyone looked down at your feet. In the more respectable professions you would certainly be sent to change, or at the very least singled out as a bit of an oik.

As someone who has also worked in the City for a significant period of time and is acquainted with some of its more ancient traditions, I second what's been said here!

Also, agree with Ich_Dien on post #13, got to build foundations for a strong wardrobe.
 

comrade

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I was referring to working in the “city” of London, ie the financial and banking district. And yes people do get sent home for turning up in brown shoes.

I used to live and work in London but have since left for Italy so now live in Venice. Not sure whether it is a major European city.


For me, Venice, with the possible exception of Prague, is THE major European city.
 

Thetam

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I would just buy a coat like this to start with, but it also depends where you live and what temperatures you will wear the overcoat. Navy is the most versatile, I would first get that and then branch out with more expressive colors.
700

Thanks, everyone for the input

This is the kind of overcoat I'm looking for (classic chesterfield?) just wasn't sure to go Gray or Navy sounds like either will work.

I was leaning towards Navy at first but wasn't sure if it was appropriate to wear a navy overcoat with a navy suit or dark wash jeans if I was dressing down
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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A Chesterfield has a velvet collar. I would call the coat above just a navy topcoat.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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As for brown shoes, well, that’s a different matter. It would likely pass without comment if you were an insurance broker geezer type, but you’d have been spotted for that by your hair/accent/suit before anyone looked down at your feet. In the more respectable professions you would certainly be sent to change, or at the very least singled out as a bit of an oik.

Hm, just asked another friend of mine who worked in finance in London. He said that he can imagine that sort of thing happening in the '90s at a snobby bank, but not in bigger finance jobs. He also said that most people wear black shoes today, but it's not a big deal if you wear brown ones.
 

Nobilis Animus

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A Chesterfield has a velvet collar. I would call the coat above just a navy topcoat.

That, and a fly-front closure.

I actually really like that sort of buttoning, tbh.
 

Eucris

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Hm, just asked another friend of mine who worked in finance in London. He said that he can imagine that sort of thing happening in the '90s at a snobby bank, but not in bigger finance jobs. He also said that most people wear black shoes today, but it's not a big deal if you wear brown ones.
You're friend is right on the possibility of being sent home during the '90s. These days in the city of London/Canary Wharf; people wear trainers, rectangular shaped shoes etc. The colour is generally black but you'll still find brown in town. You certainly will not get sent home for wearing brown.
Standards are very much relaxed these days.
 

johng70

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so, back on topic for the OP - the coat style you posted is great. I prefer charcoal, but navy is fine too. Here's the important thing - you want to make sure it's the right weight fabric for the winters where you are at. Mine is 700g. The coat, with a scarf, is fine in the 30s and 20s (F). I've had other coats - my pea coat for example - that has a lighter weight that just isn't warm enough unless you're just going from car to building when it gets in the low 30s. I just bought a loden overcoat that is more casual - the maker includes a zip-out lining and with that it's warm, not as warm as my wool overcoat and if you're out for 1/2 hour in colder temps you feel the lack of warmth in the arms. So, the style you're looking at is perfect - timeless. But make sure the weight is heavy enough for your winters and make sure you get a couple cashmere scarfs - a top coat like that lets in a good amount of cool air but a scarf takes care of it perfectly.
 

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