What is a “Grail” for me?
This is what I call these pieces whose research has been refined and matured over the years.
The search for the Grail is the quest for an “ultimate” piece in its category.
And by “ultimate,” I don’t mean “perfect.”
Rather, I am talking about a personal ideal, so meticulous and specific that it becomes difficult to realize it.
"That's what I want. And sooner or later, I'll end up getting it exactly like that!"
After presenting to you my search for the Ideal Perfecto , I would like to share with you another of my "Grails"...
What image do you have of an ideal coat?
For my part, I have always seen the coat as the noblest of all pieces of the men's wardrobe.
Imagine for a moment that your wardrobe is a court, and that its clothes are its courtiers...
When you open the door in winter, you should hear a shirt announcing solo:
“This is Lord Prince, Longcoat XIV, Lord of the Winter Kingdom.”
The coat, prince of a wardrobe
There was a time when I imagined this “prince” more like a martial monarch.
The coat was like armor: structured, grandiose in its shape, sober in its color and material. A little more strict elegance, let's say.
I had a preference for these coats with structured shoulders and very robust wool cloth.
Our very first Jules Tournier wool coat , in gray! Very beautiful, but much more structured than what I'm currently looking for.
Whereas today, the ideal coat seems to me a little more like a prince, more... Decadent, let's say. But all the more charming.
I am therefore looking for a rendering closer to a cape than to armor : enveloping, flexible, with a touch of relaxation.
I want a coat that I can lean in - come on, even slouch! - on a counter or the corner of a table.
The weight of winter is already heavy enough as it is, I don't want my coat to deprive me of my movement.
And so that it does not lose its splendor despite this voluntary relaxation, it needs a sumptuous material.
Yes, something in that taste... (Photo Credits: The Sartorialist, Model Richard Biedul.)
But this change in preferences isn't just about me, actually.
What I explained in my article on Soft Tailoring is that the entire sphere of menswear is beginning a gradual shift towards a less formal elegance, so that it survives in a world where formal style has lost much of its meaning.
Anyway, here you have my feelings about this ideal coat. I have formulated the general feeling of what I want the piece to convey.
My method for defining a sartorial “Grail” is to start with this emotional starting point, and then concretize it into tangible ideas , details, colors, materials and shapes.
1. The light coat, a light in winter
Let's start with color, since it's the first thing that comes to mind.
At first glance, I imagine a light color : when a coat is made in a splendid fabric, it has the merit of making it stand out even more.
To be honest, this article was almost called “In search of the “Grail”: the Camel Coat” . Before delving into the question, I was already convinced.
It is true that this color brightens up grayish winter, absolutely sublimates all neutral tones, whites and ecrus, blues, and even works with well-chosen shades of burgundy and green.
And to top it all off, it must be said that it exudes a decidedly retro charm.
2. The camel dilemma
But, thinking about it carefully, I still find two or three disadvantages.
Already, this retro charm comes precisely from a certain image which seems to me to be well anchored in the collective imagination...
Bruce Boyer says it very well in this article , where he calls it the classic "Polo Coat"
He tells the story of this classic piece, most often made in this very clear camel, which looks more yellow than light brown.
The camel coat on Christian in American Psycho. So we can say that it’s a “killer piece”? (credits Eric Robert/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
And I think it’s this “aristo” side that makes me tick. And it concerns this camel very specifically, and not any other.
On the one hand, I'm not going to deny the "princely" appeal that this represents, since by my own admission, that's a bit of what I'm also looking for in a coat.
But on the other hand, when I think of these shades of camel on a coat, I can't help but associate Christian Bale in the film American Psycho , or models in an old Ralph Lauren ad.
And once I let my mind wander, the flow of images continues: I see young blond Americans with preppy styles and square jaws, decked out in rep ties.
"Ah hello son. Don't forget that we are dining at the Senator's this evening. You better not have scratched the Porsche... Otherwise I swear that you won't go to Gstaad this winter, or I won't Don’t call Peterson!” ( Ben Silver )
It evokes for me an image glorifying a little too much money and the “caste” of a fantasy elite.
And to relate this to France, I also imagine it as the coat of a Parisian West of yesteryear, a little worldly.
Now that's not what I mean by "The Prince of my wardrobe" when I talk about the coat. I completely understand that for some, these are completely positive images, and even an ideal to achieve.
But for me, it leaves me quite lukewarm.
But to return to our camels sheep, this matter of connotation, it comes down to one nuance. To nothing!
And yet it changes everything in my eyes.
Paradoxically, it's a shade that I like much more on casual, textured and summery pieces (here our collab' jacket with ABCL which I worked on in 2019)
Once this feeling has been clarified, other light colors suggest themselves to me as alternatives.
Roof first, I'm considering a slightly browner camel. Another nuance, therefore.
A little less messy, and a little more modest too. Maybe not as flashy, but bright nonetheless (the quality of the fabric plays as much a role as the color).
Another detail, but not the least, this shade is more likely to suit a fair-skinned brunette (like me) in winter. 
Three shades of camel, from the most "yellow" on the left, through the most beige in the middle, to finish on the most "brown" on the right. (Loewe, Lardini, Suitsupply ) Then there is also greige.
It's this slightly bastard color
Neutral tone par excellence, it is perfect for creating shades or gray, beige, white gradients...
The Yak coat that we offered in 2020, made in knit, had a very pretty shade halfway between greige and taupe.
I also thought about light gray, as well as white, but the first will give off something too neutral for what I'm looking for. But that's the role of gray, after all.
As for the second... The white coat is good for showing off at Pitti Uomo, but I think I would get tired of it a little quickly.
I wanted one two years ago, when I had a sudden fondness for light tonal gradients, but I think I did well to leave it at the stage of envy.
Who else but Suitsupply to make an off-white coat for men? Certainly very “show off” (perhaps even too much for me).
3. Camel or not camel?
Then comes the question of fiber.
Obviously, a coat worthy of being called a “Grail” will be made from a precious fiber .
It's not so much out of a need to have exceptional softness on a coat (which is never in contact with the skin), nor a simple bout of textile snobbery.
It is rather because the rarer, finer and more delicate fibers than simple wool tend to give a fluid drape and a luminosity that most wools do not offer.
We therefore think of woolens such as cashmere, alpaca, yak, or, precisely, camel , the fiber to which the "Camel Coat" owes this nickname.
Because the polo coat, which has its origins on English campuses at the beginning of the 20th
It is an extremely soft and warm fiber, whose "furry" appearance reflects light in a very unique way.
On the coat that a good sartorial art lover friend had made to measure at Ardentes Clipei, it looks like this:
Alexandre made himself a Polo Coat according to the rules of the art, the real one.
Which is not what I'm looking for, but what a great piece all the same!
And from memory, it was a Holland & Sherry fabric that was used.
The result is quite striking, and we see in this last photo to what extent the camel has a very unique “velvety” texture.
However, camel wool fabrics are more often produced in this very specific shade of camel, reminiscent of the color of the animal itself... A shade which, as explained just before, does not suit me.
I long believed that this was due to a technical limitation of the fiber, but it seems that it is more a question of tradition than anything else. This is therefore a first argument against camel, even if said fiber has a charm of its own.
The second point that would dissuade me from purchasing such a coat would be its extreme fragility.
This is also one of the reasons why this fiber has lost popularity over the decades. Even cashmere, a delicate fiber, is not as susceptible to abrasion and deformation.
And that is not compatible with my desire to have a coat in which I can slouch.
I am willing to consider paying an amount commonly perceived as unreasonable. And even having to wait a good number of years before being able to do it.
But if it's for a coat that falls through my fingers three years later, it won't do.
When we talk about texture with palpable softness just at a glance, Loro Piana cashmere has its say too...
But there remains a solution that I have heard good things about: by mixing camel or cashmere with fairly soft merino wool, we would obtain a feel and fluidity quite close to a "100%" composition, but much better. sustainability.
Having touched the 50/50 wool-cashmere blends from Loro Piana, honestly, the difference is not immediately obvious.
And besides... It's still a little cheaper.
Yes yes, your Grail does not always have to be the most expensive piece on the market... It's just that it coincides a little often, unfortunately.
The question of material having been dealt with, there remains that of design. And it's far from being the simplest.
It's probably even my design requirements that will make my "Grail" so inaccessible...
Design: a glance at women
I've always been quite inspired by women's coats.
As a teenager, I already found that my mother's coats had a look that men's coats did not seem to have. And it took me a while to understand why.
In my opinion, this is explained by the fact that women's coats have always had this aesthetic of fluidity and roundness , whereas men's coats had, for a long time, a much more angular and structured look.
A Max Mara coat, probably the first brand that comes to mind if you say “beautiful women’s coat”. With the slightest Google Images search, you will see generous collars and belts abound.
But now the spirit of the times has changed. This roundness and flexibility has found its way into men's coats.
So even if the proportions are not the same
1. Shawl collar and double-breasted coat
There are a lot more soft and neutral tones there, by the way.
But above all, women's coats often have two visual elements that I particularly care about so that my hypothetical coat is a "Grail": a belt, and a shawl collar.
And hold on, that's not all.
I want this shawl collar on a double-breasted coat.
...
And I'm not finished!
Because not only do I want it to be in the right proportions , i.e. not too wide...
There is an idea. But the belt too wide, shawl collar too wide... A model a little too "bathrobe" for me. (The Row)
Neither too narrow...
Here on the contrary, the shawl collar is too narrow and lacks roundness for me. The belt is too thin. And there's no stitching, it's flat. ( Aimé Léon Dore )
But in addition, I want the collar and the belt to have relief , in particular using a set of topstitching.
The edges of the collar must have topstitching, which brings out the fabric in a sort of border all along the coat.
The same goes for the belt, but this set of topstitching can also be done in other ways, as below.
Topstitched shawl collar, belt, good shade of greige... This Lardini is undoubtedly the men's coat that ticks the most boxes in terms of my ideal. The only thing missing are the pockets and the raglan sleeves.
Otherwise, when it's too flat, it looks too much like a bathrobe. Or dressing gown, your choice.
This is the kind of thing you probably notice “without realizing it” .
These are the details that give character to a room, but which could easily be forgotten if we asked someone to list their criteria.
3. “Postman” pockets
Where my search gets even more complicated is that I want both these two elements (belt and shawl collar), which are much more often feminine than masculine, AND two design elements much more common in traditional menswear .
First, those pockets.
I've heard them called "postman pockets". Because... I suppose you can slip an envelope in there? I don't know, honestly.
At the post office near my house, I've never seen employees with pockets like that, and neither has the postman, so hey...
These are both patch / "applied" pockets and flap pockets. Note how very beautiful coats often have this topstitching work which gives raised edges. And not just on the collar!
In any case, this is undoubtedly the detail that I like the most on the original polo coat, and one of the most characteristic: these pockets which are both patched, square with rounding on the corners, and with flaps. .
There are variations in shape, of course, but they always convey this image of spacious, functional comfort. It gives a feeling of security for your hands and your personal belongings.
They have a frank and more raw elegance, which helps to relax the coat.
And I think they will have very good synergy with the sleeves...
4. Raglan sleeves
This is the last detail that would characterize my ideal light coat: raglan sleeves.
Here too, it is a choice which contributes to relaxation , and which removes the structured aspect that the shoulder of a classic coat can have.
This De Bonne Facture coat is the pride of one of our editors, who owns it and cherishes it! For me, it's the shoulder work (topstitching!) that I particularly like on this model.
And I'll tell you something: I've never worn a coat with raglan shoulders.
Legend has it that it's much more comfortable than a classic shoulder strap. If that's true, that's one more reason.
But the reason I'm considering it is mainly to achieve balance with my body type.
The coat is already a piece that thickens the build . Being rather short (1m72) and muscular, I am therefore trying to reduce its angularity.
Because structured shoulders can make me look like a walking rectangle.
It's less obvious on a jacket, but on a coat (light one at that), it's obvious.
You should know that the classic shape of the structured shoulder was designed to "simulate"
But when you're muscular , your body already offers a lot of structure to parts.
But how am I going to find this?
... No idea.
The principle of the quest for the Grail is that if I knew where to find it , I would have nothing to tell you .
Of course, it's partly a question of budget, because the requirements of my "Grails" place them at the top of the basket.
But if it was only that, I would save for a long time, I would buy the piece one day, and I would say to you "look, here is my most beautiful coat" .
Or I will simply send you a link to the product.
So, no obstacles, no quest!
For the moment, I only see the option of the real "Bespoke" which could materialize such a project.
That is to say tailor-made with complete personalization. Obviously, the prices for such a coat are completely prohibitive...
And then, even if I found a half-measure brand capable of offering precisely this design... The tailor would have to have access to the right fabric! The right shade of camel or greige. The right weight, the right fall, the balance of fluidity and warmth, the right compromise between robustness and softness...
Clearly, I'm going to dream about this coat for a long time before I see it on my shoulders.
To conclude, I would ask you the same question as at the beginning of this article: what would your ideal coat look like?
