Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
An overcoat is a long coat worn over other clothing. Overcoats were previously known as topcoats and occasionally greatcoats, and the three names mark out a family of long outer coats graded by weight and warmth: the overcoat proper for cold weather, the lighter topcoat for milder days, and the heavy greatcoat at the warmest extreme. This page explains the overcoat's place among coats, the cloths and styles it is made in, and how to judge length, fit and lining when choosing one.
The overcoat is a woollen garment first and a fashion garment second, because its job is insulation over a full outfit. Classic overcoating cloths are heavy wool and wool-blend weaves, melton with its dense, wind-resistant felted surface, tweeds for country wear, and finer worsteds and cashmere blends for city coats. Weight is the honest specification: a true winter overcoat cloth is far heavier per yard than suiting, and the coat's warmth comes from that cloth plus its lining, which may be a plain cupro or viscose for sliding over a jacket, or quilted and insulated in coats made for severe weather. Interlinings and a windproof layer matter more than fashion detail in a coat bought for a cold commute.
Style names describe the cut laid over that cloth. The Chesterfield is the classic single-breasted city overcoat, straight, with a velvet collar on formal versions. Double-breasted coats add an overlapping front that doubles cloth over the chest and reads more formal and more military. The greatcoat is the heaviest member of the family, full-length, often double-breasted with a deep collar, descended from the coats of soldiers and watchmen who stood outdoors for hours. Trench coats and raincoats overlap the overcoat's role in wet rather than cold weather, and the parka replaces it at the casual, hooded extreme. A wardrobe in a cold climate usually holds the family in two weights: a topcoat for autumn and spring and a full overcoat for winter.
Fitting an overcoat means trying it over the thickest clothing it will cover. Shoulders should sit at the natural shoulder over a jacket, sleeves should cover the jacket cuff and shirt cuff, and the front should close without pulling when seated. Length is chosen by use: knee length is the versatile standard, longer coats are warmer and more formal, and shorter car-coat lengths suit drivers. Care follows the cloth: brush wool after wearing, rest the coat between wearings on a broad hanger that supports the shoulders, store it clean in summer against moths, and sponge marks rather than washing, since a structured overcoat with canvas, lining and shoulder padding is a dry-clean garment. A well-made wool overcoat is one of the longest-lived garments in a wardrobe, and its plain, conservative styling is deliberate, since the coat must outlast several changes of fashion beneath it.
An overcoat is a long coat worn over other clothing, including a suit or jacket, as the outer layer against cold. Overcoats were previously known as topcoats and occasionally greatcoats.
The names grade the same long-coat family by weight. A topcoat is a lighter long coat for cool rather than freezing weather, an overcoat is the standard mid-to-heavy coat, and a greatcoat is a heavy, full-length coat, historically a military and guard coat, made for severe cold.
An overcoat is cut long enough to cover the clothing beneath it, traditionally to the knee or below, so that trouser legs and jacket skirts stay protected. It is sized to fit over a jacket, so it is bought by chest measure with room allowed for the layers under it.