How long should a topcoat be?

What is the appropriate length for a top coat? Should it come to the
knees, or even longer than that? I am 5–7, if that is helpful. And
while we are on this, what is the difference between top coat, town
coat, trench coat, overcoat, etc... Please pardon my ignorance, I am a
grad student, just about to graduate and be able to afford better
clothes..
Thanks.

On 22 Dec 2005 22:46:30 –0800, remix...@gmail.com choked out
these words:
a little sleepy here. so sleepy in fact, that i initially
thought the topic was about nail polish.
david
––
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amoephoto/

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 07:14:43 GMT, "David RL Gärtner, RMT"
<derbarb...@gmail.com> wrote:
LOL, that's a good one.
I'm a woman, but I do a lot of the purchasing for my husband's
wardrobe. He's a bit shorter than you. I've never heard of a town
coat, so someone else will have to field that one.
A trench coat typically has a belt and lots of details at the
shoulders and sleeves. I think they look best on tall men that can
carry the amount of detail they have. They are usually tan, but I've
seen them in black or even a pea green.
Here's a good picture of a classic trench:
http://www.eshopone.com/smx/trench–coats/detail–trench–coats/
In my opinion, a top coat and an overcoat are similar in style or
shape, but a top coat is what I would call a lightweight coat that
you'd wear over a suit in the warmer seasons, to keep the rain off or
add just a little warmth (a trench could do the same). An overcoat is
a heavier coat in wool, worn in cold weather and I've seen them in
black, gray, camel. A trench with a warm, zip out lining could serve
this purpose, too, if you like the trench look.
Both the topcoat and the overcoat, as I've seen them, are a simpler
shape than the trench, with no belt and few details, just straight
down from the shoulder. I think an overcoat is sometimes longer than a
topcoat, maybe because the extra length is useful in cold weather.
Also the collar on an overcoat is shaped like a suit collar, notched
and laying down flat against your chest. The topcoat, or raincoat
often has a different collar.
Here is a picture of the shape I'm talking about, although I've seen
this called "trench" in some places and "raincoat" in others:
http://www.josbank.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=2140
Here is a great overcoat in wool and cashmere and frankly, if I still
lived in a cold weather state, I'd be ordering it right now for my DH!
Great price and lots of colors.
http://www.josbank.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=2100&pcount=&Product_Id=20190
There is also a coat called a car coat (maybe that's what a town coat
is) and it's a little shorter and more casual than the others, maybe
to wear with Docker–type pants or jeans when out on a date.
Here's an example of that:
http://www.josbank.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=2100&pcount=&Product_Id=239406
I would recommend this style for someone your height, but you should
try on lots of coats of all types to see what looks good on you. Go to
a good men's store and get someone to help you.
My husband would say that you need a wool/cashmere coat to wear over
suits in the winter, one for the warmer weather, and maybe something
more casual, but still neat–looking, for wearing over business casual
clothes. If you end up in a company that does a more casual dress
code, you could even do a suede or beautiful leather (good quality
leather, not anything shiny and cheap looking) instead of the car coat
type, just make sure it is an elegant style, nothing that looks like
it came off the backlot of the "Starksy and Hutch" movie.
KC

That was great. Thanks a lot, KC!
KC wrote:
Id=3D1&Section_Id=3D2140
d=3D2100&pcount=3D&Product_Id=3D20190
d=3D2100&pcount=3D&Product_Id=3D239406