J.C. Wells, camel hair polo coat, England, 1951.
The Museum at FIT, gift of Margaret Kaplan.
Brooks Brothers circular for polo coats and double-breasted suits, date unknown. Courtesy of Brooks Brothers.
"Precepts for Freshmen and a New Version of the Polo Coat Model." Figure at right wears a herringbone Connemara tweed coat ("the first real variation on the polo coat model in years"). Apparel Arts, Advance Fall 1935, v. 5, no IVA. Courtesy of the Fashion Institute of Technology/SUNY, FIT Library Dept. of Special Collections and FIT Archives.
Photograph of a Brooks Brothers camel's hair and wool double-breasted polo coat, 1940. Courtesy of Brooks Brothers.
Many garments have been derived from the game of polo, including this camel hair overcoat that was originally used as a "wait" coat by British polo players during "chukkas" (the term for polo’s periods of play). In design, it was at first little more than a heavy bathrobetype wrap coat, but when British polo teams began making regular visits to the U.S. in the 1920s, it was modified and became popular on elite college campuses. The classic version is always double-breasted, with patch side pockets, a half-belt, and cuffed sleeves.
