The Permanent Style Donegal Overcoat, Biscuit

Private White V.C. makes its clothes in its own factory in Manchester, a rarity in British menswear, and has a habit of collaborating with people who know what they want. Its partner here is Permanent Style, the menswear site whose founder has spent years writing about cloth, cut and the details most brands skip. Their Donegal overcoat dates from 2019, and this autumn it returns in a new colourway, Biscuit, in what the brand calls an extremely limited run.

Enter the cloth. The yarn comes from Donegal Yarns, an Irish spinner in the county that gave the cloth its name, which dyes, blends, cards and spins it, and the flecks of colour give an otherwise plain herringbone depth. It is woven by Mallalieus of Delph, a small family-run Pennine mill dating to 1863 and one of the few vertically integrated mills left in England. At 760gsm it is a substantial cloth, which is what lets the coat hang straight. The colourway, the brand says, is inspired by the relaxed elegance of American Ivy League dressing.

The details are those of a coat designed by an enthusiast. The collar has a crescent-shaped insert at the rear to stay upright against the wind, there is a detachable throat latch, and the cuffs have button-adjustable tabs. Pockets are lined in cashmere (a small kindness for cold hands) and there are three internal pipe pockets, a four-button front and a viscose lining. The buttons are Tiger's Eye buffalo horn, individually selected, and generous seam allowances let the sleeves and hem be lengthened or shortened by up to 4cm.

The limits follow from the brief. A coat this heavy will not fold into a carry-on, it is dry clean only, and the relaxed, raglan-sleeved cut finishes below the knee and is designed, the maker says, to sit over tailoring and heavier knitwear, so it will feel roomy over a T-shirt.

It is a coat made the way enthusiasts wish all coats were made. That is both its appeal and its limitation.

Photographs courtesy of Private White V.C.