Mens French Workwear Jacket | Vintage Chore Coat

Mens French Workwear Jacket

Sixties Chore Coat Lines. Slanted Pockets. Everyday Weight.

Mens French Workwear Jacket, cut on the 1960s chore coat line that French labourers, rail workers and factory hands wore for a living. Maden keep the square body, the turn-down collar and the clean button front, then set the hip pockets on a slant so your hands drop straight in rather than fighting the seam.

The khaki is a soft matte shade with a green cast rather than a flat sand, and the cloth is light enough to wear indoors and right through spring without the bulk of a canvas jacket. It sits naturally with raw denim, fatigues, wide-leg chinos and boots.

Key Features

Slanted Patch Pockets: two curved hip pockets set on an angle, far easier to get into than a straight patch.
Turn-Down Collar: sits flat worn open, or buttoned up to the neck.
Button Front Closure: four tonal matte buttons, the traditional workwear fastening.
Chest Welt Pocket: a flat slot at the chest that adds no bulk under a coat.
Lightweight And Unlined: no lining or padding, so it layers instead of adding weight.
Relaxed Regular Fit: room for a tee or a light knit without looking oversized.

Sixties French Workwear, Read Through Japanese Amekaji

The origins are industrial rather than fashionable. The French work jacket started as a uniform for rail workers, farmhands and factory crews, worn until it fell apart and patched rather than replaced. This is Maden's reading of it, which is the Japanese Amekaji habit of taking an honest Western work garment and rebuilding it with better proportion. A mens french workwear jacket like this one earns its place by being worn constantly, not saved for occasions. It sits alongside the rest of our mens vintage jackets, and pairs with the workwear tops in the same range.

Product Details

• Style: Mens French Workwear Jacket / Vintage Chore Coat
• Fit: Relaxed / Regular Fit
• Material: Woven shell, documented by our supplier as 100% polyester
• Weight: Lightweight, unlined, no padding
• Closure: Four-Button Front
• Collar: Turn-Down Collar
• Pockets: Two Slanted Hip Patch Pockets, One Chest Welt Pocket
• Sleeve: Long Sleeve, Regular Cuff
• Season: Spring, Autumn, Milder Days
• Colour: Khaki
• Brand: Maden
• Inspiration: 1960s French Workwear, American Chore Coats, Japanese Amekaji

Fit And Sizing

Sizes run S through to XXL in a relaxed regular fit, roughly UK chest 38-40 at S up to 46-48 at XXL. Model reference: 165cm / 59kg wears S loose, 173cm / 62.5kg wears S to M, 175cm / 75kg wears M to L, 176cm / 76kg wears L to XL, 183cm / 80kg wears XL to XXL. Please check the measurements below before ordering, and if you are between sizes or plan to layer a knit underneath, size up.

What Is A French Workwear Jacket?

It is the bleu de travail pattern: a square, boxy jacket with a turn-down collar, a plain button front and big utility pockets, issued as workwear across France from the late nineteenth century onwards. This is that shape in khaki with slanted pockets rather than the traditional straight ones. It is not made in France, so we would not describe it as the genuine article.

Is This A Chore Coat Or An Overshirt?

Closer to a chore coat. The words get used interchangeably, but an overshirt is cut to be tucked or worn as a shirt layer, while this has patch pockets, a squarer body and jacket-length sleeves, so it works as a light outer layer over a tee or a shirt.

What Is The Fabric?

Our supplier documents the shell as 100% polyester, woven and unlined, and does not certify anything beyond that, so we will not describe it as cotton. In the hand it reads as a soft, matte, cotton-look cloth rather than a shiny synthetic, and it holds a crease less than cotton does. If you need the precise composition before ordering, message us and we will confirm it with the warehouse.

How Warm Is It?

Light. There is no lining, padding or insulation, so treat it as a spring and autumn layer, or as something to wear indoors and under a heavier coat when it turns cold. That is the point of the cut, it goes on over a tee in April and under a parka in January.

How Should I Wash It?

Machine wash cool, do not tumble dry, and hang it to dry. Woven polyester dries quickly and comes out with very little creasing, so it does not need pressing.

How Fast Is UK Delivery?

Stock is held in the UK and ships domestically, so there is no waiting on an overseas order. UK delivery is free on orders over £100. If your order is delayed it will be because that size has sold out and we are replenishing it, and that will take no longer than 10 working days.

SIZE CHART

Measurements in centimetres, taken flat and doubled where relevant. Allow 1-2cm for manual measurement.