Duffle Coats (or Duffel Coat)

The big patch pockets. That roomy box cut. Those classic wooden toggle fasteners.

Nothing says “Timeless” like a men’s duffle coat.

Fashion historians argue over the origins of this distinctive outerwear. Some look to Duffel, a Belgian textile town famous for its rough, woolen fabric. Others insist the coat is an adaptation of the Polish frock coat so popular in the mid 19th century. Still others credit the British for the modern “duffel coat” (as it’s spelled in England). They point to sailors in the Royal British Navy who sailed all over the globe in this durable coat, beginning in the late 1880s. They note how, in World War II, it was British Field Marshall Montgomery who looked so dashing in his duffel coat, people began calling the garment the “Monty.”

Disputed history aside, here’s something everyone agrees with: Wear a men’s duffle coat from Hendley’s and you’ll make an unforgettable statement.