The paletot was a term coined by the French (originally rooted from the word “palla”) and it refers to a double-breasted overcoat with peaked lapels. At first, in the eighteenth century, the paletot was a term used to describe the many different types of overcoats. However, in the nineteenth century, the paletot was classified as a waisted overcoat. The term continued to evolve by the end of the nineteenth century as well as into the twentieth century, where the paletot was considered to be a topcoat with waist suppression. But in the nineteenth century, they were mostly referring to overcoats that were seen throughout the city. It is said to be similar to a frock coat, which is a formal coat for men that includes a skirt that stops at knee length. Features of the paletot coat include no waist seam, a showing of the side seams, multiple outside pockets (though, this varies with every paletot coat), peaked lapels, double-breasted, top buttons not being buttoned, and typically having a darker fabric. With that saying, every paletot is different and some bend the rules (i.e: although most paletots are knee-length, some happen to be ankle-length) (Schneider). Paletots can be worn by both men and women, but in the 19th century, they seemed to be slightly more popular with men.
Everyone wears ‘em, nowadays. The paletots. Ya know, those double-breasted overcoats. The ones with the peaked lapels that got the waist suppression. Men, women, everyone. They wear ‘em everywhere. Always catch strangers flashing ‘em in town, sauntering down the streets, hands stuffed in their outside pockets. Smoking pipes, sometimes, although this is rarely ever the ladies. Nay, mostly the men. They wear their top hats and clean collars, and their top buttons are almost always undone. The women wear their corsets, paletots over ‘em, with their fancy bonnets. Always so nice and formal. The colors don’t change. Dark, never, or rarely bright. Plain, solid colors. Blacks, blues, and grays, those are the most common. ‘Specially with the fellows around ‘ere. People wear ‘em a lot when they sidle up and down the city. I don’t blame ‘em. Why, I got a couple at home myself. My wife, too. She’s got far too many to count, all at my expense. Rarely an occasion where one don’t suit. A must in today’s world, really. Could get ‘em customized in so many different ways. Knee-length, ankle-length. The style always changes. Always evolving. Don’t know why someone wouldn’t have one, for even I could probably use another.
Works Cited
Schneider, Sven Raphael. “Paletot - The Double Breasted Overcoat.” Gentleman's Gazette, Publisher Gentleman's Gazette LLC Publisher Logo, 14 Apr. 2020, www.gentlemansgazette.com/paletot-double-breasted-overcoat/.