This is a beautiful old coat, dating to the 1920s, still very sturdy and should be incredibly warm. The cut of the coat is fairly straight, typical for the 1920s. Saddle sleeves add a bit of visual interest at the shoulders. The two sides of the coat front overlap by about 6", buttoning at about hip level. The large shawl collar is shaped in such a way that it can be worn open at the neck showing fur on top and fabric below, or it can be wrapped and folded to fasten near the chin - so luxurious and cozy! The coat is quite heavy, weighing a little less than 4 pounds.
SIZE: No size label. I wear a modern size 12, and except for being a little tight in the shoulders, it is a reasonable fit. The measurements were taken with the coat buttoned closed, creating a 6" overlap in front.
| Measurements | Inches |
Cm |
| Bust |
41" |
104 |
| Shoulders |
15" |
38 |
| Waist |
43" |
109 |
| Bottom hem circumference with 6" overlap | 48" |
122 |
| Length from back of neck | 42" |
106.75 |
| Sleeve length | 23" |
58.5 |
FABRIC/COLORS: The coat fabric is ribbed black wool plush - I am accustomed to thinking of this kind of 1920s coat fabric as "mohair", but I was reminded by my colleagues at the VFG that mohair is a fiber - angora goat - not a fabric. So mohair plush - think of a Steiff teddy bear, soft to stroke from one direction, a little bristly from the opposite direction. I believe the brown fur collar is most likely sheared beaver - it is soft and velvety, with a bit of curl in some areas. The coat has a partial lining of black fabric - sleeves and upper half.
TAGS: No tags
CLOSURES: Two large buttons that close with self-fabric loops - one at the left hip, and the other at the neck if you want to bundle up that soft fur collar.
CONDITION: There is an old repair to the fabric under the hip-level button - see closeup. There is also an older repair to fabric and seam under the right arm - see closeup. The fur collar seems to be in good shape overall with no tearing noted - the most noticeable area of fur wear is at the corner just above the upper loop. There is a third fabric loop - smaller than the other two - on the left edge of the coat front - it obviously used to anchor the coat inside when wrapped, but there is no corresponding button and no obvious place where when should be - I will leave it up to the new owner to decide what to do about that.
