Things I like: Chore coats for fall
Origins of the chore coat, plus a long list of ready-to-wear picks and sewing patterns
In late nineteenth-century France, the Parisian working class included railroad workers, farmers, carpenters, and other kinds of tradespeople. Over the tops of their coveralls, they started wearing coats made of thick twill or canvas that could withstand machinery and rugged conditions1. These loose-fitting outer layers also featured a pointed collar, button closure and sleeve cuffs, and large chest and hip pockets for storing tobacco, tools, and anything else workers needed on the job. If not worn with overalls, they were often paired with matching trousers.
Traditionally, they came in one color: a rich benzoate-based blue dye, close to cobalt, that easily hid the stains and dirt collected during manual labor. Before they were known as chore coats, the French called is outer layer bleu de travail, which translates to blue work2. This is also the origin of “blue collar” workers.
By the early 1900s, coats were being mass manufactured in Europe and across the Atlantic. In the U.S., Levi’s designed the “Sack Coat,” and Carhartt made “overall coats.” But it wasn’t until 1917 that the French’s coat characteristics appeared in American fashion, newly available in sail cloth drill, herringbone twill, and two types of denim, as seen in Carhartt’s 1925 catalog3.
The hard-wearing nature of chore coats appealed not only to physical laborers, but also to artists like painters Jackson Pollock and Diego Rivera, fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, and actor Paul Newman. One hundred years later, the chore coat is still a wardrobe staple for every kind of profession, from those who sit in an office to those operating a forklift.
How many chore coats is too many? Back then, one was enough. But today, there is no limit. Last year, I sewed matching chore coats for Steve and myself (and wrote about the process for Field Mag) and am nearly finished with another one—a soft denim in cornflower blue that still needs a collar, pockets, and buttons.
As fall approaches, I’m fantasizing about chilly-weather dressing. Coats and boots, and coats and boots. Beanies every day. I pulled together my favorite chore coat styles from across the internet as well as some sewing patterns if you’re up for a DIY. This list is not to be taken as a shopping guide; rather, I’m using it as style inspiration for my own workwear sewing projects and thrifting adventures. It’s here for you too so you can reference and compare the different fits, cuts, colors, materials, pocket and collar shapes, buttons vs. snaps, etc.
Ready-to-Wear Chore Coats
1. Jungmaven Olympic Jacket: A French blue 10 oz hemp twill blend. This one comes in more colors than just bleu de travail.
2. Lemaire Denim Shirt Jacket: Look at those front pouch pockets and front seams! Looks like a baggier fit but in a cool way.
3. Finisterre Yarrel Denim Chore Jacket: A darker denim coat is on my wishlist, and these angled pockets are fun. Pair it with matching jeans? Mwah.
4. Olderbrother Tile Patch Chore Coat: Definitely taking note of the patchwork and Peter Pan collar. It’s sold out, but there’s a medium for sale on Poshmark.
5. Buck Mason Corduroy Sportsman Jacket: Love the curved pockets, love the cord, love the contrast stitching. This is the fit I’m after.
6. YONY Western Embroidered Chore Jacket: Bored of the coat you already have? What about adding some embroidery? The funkier the better.
7. Gravel & Gold Marram Jacket: The collar buttons all the way up for a high neck and totally different look. The boxy sleeves and low patch pockets are also cool.
8. Rhode Dalton Chore Coat: Too circus tent? Who cares. I think I’ll try sewing a striped chore coat this fall. I can’t forget to pattern match the pockets.
9. Noble Denim Chore Jacket: I like that this one has snaps instead of buttons, plus it’s 100% upcycled denim.
10. SLVRLAKE Oversized Denim Jacket: More of a barn coat than a chore coat, but it features the contrast collar reminiscent of the very first chore coat designs.
Chore Coat Sewing Patterns
1. Paynter x Merchant Mills Field Jacket (s/o to Matt for sending this one to me)
2. The Modern Sewing Co. Potter Jacket
3. Allis Patterns French Chore Coat
4. Merchant Mills Ludlow Smock
5. Friday Pattern Co. Ilford Jacket
6. Juliana Martejevs Oversized Embroidered Jacket
7. Fabric Store Paola Workwear Jacket (free!)
8. Muna and Broad Cobden Chore Jacket
9. One Square Meter Den Jacket
10. Happily Dressed Ranger Jacket
The Chore Coat: A Brief History of a Workwear Classic (Analog:Shift)
chore coats are 100% in the n+1 category for me. Never enough. Also, Paytner shoutout! What timing, I don’t realize you had a piece in the works on it. Brilliant
Paynter x Merchant and Mills is a match mate in heaven. I love that they made a sewing pattern (even if it’s sold out haha)!