What is An Overcoat? 

As the name suggests, overcoats are meant to be worn over a coat. Their purpose is to keep you warm during cold weather. They are long coats, but their lengths can vary depending on fashion trends, your personal choice and most essentially, the climate you live in. An overcoat is not an item that people usually own. It isn’t rare but is surely limited. So if you are someone who is looking to buy their first overcoat or someone who wants to get a new one, these are the things you must know before making that purchase. 

1. The length of the men’s overcoat

The overcoat is supposed to belong to keep cold out. However, if you are looking for something more trendy, and the temperatures around you do not get very low, you can even go for a shorter length, extending up to the upper thigh region. Though a classic overcoat extends up to the knee. If you are shorter, we suggest that the length can be a little above the knee too; and if you’re taller, your overcoat can extend to a little below the knee. These are to ensure that the overcoat you’re buying is proportional to your height and complements it. 

2. The length of its sleeves

Unlike a coat or a jacket where you would want the sleeves of the shirt inside to be peeking out at the end, you would not want that in an overcoat. Make sure the sleeves are long enough to cover up the jacket sleeves inside.

3. Make sure there’s enough space 

If you are planning to pair your overcoat with a jacket or not, we want to make sure that you keep  that in mind. If you’re planning to wear it over just a tee or jumper, make sure it is more fitted. But you want to wear a jacket or coat inside of that, then buy a size according to that. This is to ensure that you have enough room in the overcoat and that you have mobility even when you are wearing multiple layers in the winters.

4. Fabric 

Ideal material for a men’s overcoat should be in structure and thick enough to keep you warm. We would advise you to invest in good quality material. You can go for a thinner fabric with less structure if you want it for breezy cool weather and not exactly for the winters. 

4 Phenomenal Overcoat Outfits For Men 

Now that you have an idea about some basic information about men’s overcoats, here are some overcoat outfits for men. We hope these answer your queries about how to style an overcoat.

1. Overcoat on top of your full suit

Generally, the answer to how to style an overcoat guide will always contain this classic outfit idea. Here is ours too. Since the overcoat was originally created to add another layer of clothes on top of the suit during winters, it goes on very smoothly on top of your shirt and coat. The overcoat may be single or double-breasted, depending on what fits your physique better and how cold the weather is.

You can choose any color overcoat to be worn on top of a suit. But we suggest that going with a black, dark navy or earthy colored overcoats is the best as they go well along with any colored suit that you might own. These muted colors keep your outfit formal. On an extra chilly day, you can add a scarf to this outfit. This adds a small fashionable piece, without taking away the maturity of your outfit. This type of overcoat outfits for men is appropriate for formal settings and informal celebratory events too.

2. Overcoat on top of plain tee and pants

This is a casual or streetwear way to style a men’s overcoat. This is for days of autumn and spring when the weather is cool but not super cold. An overcoat looks more put together and mature than other kinds of a jacket. 

For this style, pair a plain white or black tee with black jeans, and put on any color and style of overcoat. You can wear other color tees too, but with them, you have to make sure that the color goes well with the overcoat. Black or white are the safest and most versatile options. You can even throw on a different-than-usual colored overcoat, especially with black tee and jeans. Note that like we have told you before, there is no limit to style and you can keep mixing and matching different combinations and see for yourself what style you like the best.

3. Overcoat over a turtleneck 

As formal and super comfortable men’s overcoat style is pairing the overcoat with a turtleneck. Any color turtleneck, preferably in muted colors, along with any overcoat usually goes well together. Firstly, as just mentioned, it creates a semi-formal look and also makes it look like you know fashion. And secondly, it is practical and effortless as it serves the purpose of keeping you warm too. Here, we would recommend that the color of the turtleneck and the overcoat are of distinctly different colors. For example – black or dark turtlenecks with lighter colored overcoats, and white or pastel turtlenecks with a black or dark overcoat.

4. Overcoat over hoodie jackets 

This option too, like the one with the turtleneck, is meant for breezy cool temperatures. This casual look sets you apart from the usual hoodie or the hoodie with puffer jacket look. Honestly, anything with an overcoat just looks like a grown-up version of the same outfit without the overcoat.

The color combination of the two can be worked out based on your personal preferences, but we would urge you to wear plain black jeans or pants with this. This is to keep away from too many colors clashing. However, if you combine a black hoodie with a black overcoat, then you could go for a different colored pair of jeans or pants.

These are the 4 overcoat outfits that according to us are a must if you own an overcoat and are looking for ways as to how to style an overcoat. Since men’s overcoats have evolved the years, so have the ways to wear them. The more you experiment for yourself, the better you will figure out what works for you and you might even be able to come up with your own unique and amazing overcoat outfits for men. 

Also Read: Best Men's Coat Guide