Life's Lost Little Luxuries #10: The Car Coat

Lady, you need a car coat!

 
Longer than a jacket, shorter than a coat and sporty first cousin to a topper, the car coat as a fashion piece appeared in the 1950s. There were car coats much earlier of course—long, protective "dusters" for both men and women in the early days of automobiling. With a post war economy that saw more cars in driveways, more errands run in them by the lady of the house and more young women behind the wheel, the car coat was not a fad but a necessity—a coat that would be comfortable and not bulky while driving a car.

 
I first had a car coat when I was in junior high. I had no driver's license, but a car coat was the thing to have. It was easy to throw on, looked right with casual clothing and could span the seasons. Made of less expensive fabrics than wool (typically gabardine, poplin or duck), it was a style that lived on for many years. We may still wear them, but hardly anyone calls it a car coat.

Classic vintage car coat

Not all car coats were deemed as such. A car coat could also be a barn jacket, stadium coat or a loden coat (preferably with toggles) . It was really about the length—From hip to 3/4 length, just not so long as to get in the way when you were behind the wheel. 

1965 car coats

The classic barn jacket

Car coats were modern. When she got hers my middle aged mother suddenly looked kind of hip. It was so unlike anything she had worn before. Hers was a beige chino Balmacan that was (shockingly) a little masculine. 

Today's Ralph Lauren version

So what have we learned? Sometimes a fad can become a staple after a name change. "Car coat" does sound a bit dated /fuddy-duddy. But that coat—casual and unrestrictive—is still going everywhere.

Thanks to DG for reminding me even a coat can have nine lives.