HUMP DAY

The camel-hair coat started as a sensation before becoming an icon of American style. Now it's looking better than ever.

- By Nick Sullivan

Coat ($2,498), vest ($298), shirt ($168), and jeans ($115) by Polo Ralph Lauren; boots ($320) by Red Wing Heritage.

IF YOU THINK FASHION FADS ARE A PRODUCT OF THE SOCIAL-MEDIA age, you haven’t considered the camel coat. A century ago, it went from completely unknown to the hottest piece of outerwear in America. And it was all thanks to a few visiting athletes.

According to Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashions (1973), camelhair coats were first adopted in 1926 in the U. S. after British polo players on tour on Long Island were spotted wearing them on the sidelines. A later Esquire story from 1986 revealed that these British sportsmen called them “waiting coats” because they kept the players warm while changing ponies between periods (known as “chukkas” in polo). Knee-length, double-breasted, half belted at the back, and finished with cuffs on the sleeves and two letterbox pockets on the hips, they were like bathrobes on steroids—big on swagger but even bigger on function.