Vintage Chaps Ralph Lauren Overcoat Review & How to Find One

Happy Tuesday, or whenever you see this post!

It’s been a really long day. Aside from my 9–5, I’ve had to create content back to back for both the channel and other platforms.

Whew!

Anyway, today is an interesting one. I just got one of the best-looking vintage overcoats ever. For the longest time, I’ve been looking for the perfect black overcoat. Something made from 100% natural fibres, or at least a natural-fibre blend, but also stylish, properly long and something I could actually see myself wearing for years. And then I came across this vintage Chaps Ralph Lauren overcoat. Honestly, it just checked so many boxes.

For reference, I’m 6ft and currently around 79kg.

Let’s start with the obvious: this is a beautiful coat. The first thing I noticed when I received it was the fabric. It has that proper wool overcoat feel, substantial, soft and with enough weight to it that you immediately know you’re not dealing with some flimsy fashion coat.

And then there’s the cashmere in the blend, which I think adds a really nice touch to the overall feel.

The stitching is also something I paid attention to. Everything looks neat and consistent. The construction just feels good. But what really surprised me was the condition.

This is a vintage coat, and yet it has aged incredibly well. It doesn’t look like something that’s been sitting in someone’s wardrobe for years and years and taken a beating. It looks like it’s been looked after. That was a big selling point for me. When you’re buying vintage, you can find something that looks amazing in the listing photos, but there’s always that little bit of anxiety about what you’re actually going to receive. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case here. When it arrived, I was genuinely very happy with it.

In terms of colour black was what I was looking for, but this isn’t quite black. It’s more of a deep charcoal, and actually, I’m completely fine with that. I really like charcoal anyway. It’s one of those colours that gives you the same versatility as black but has a little more depth to it. It doesn’t look quite as harsh, and depending on how close you are, you can see the variation in the fabric.

So although black was what I had in my head when I started looking, I don’t feel like I compromised by getting this. If anything, I think the charcoal makes it a little more interesting.

Now, I normally go for a 40R in an overcoat. This is a 44S, so yes, it’s bigger than what I’d normally buy. But if you collect vintage clothing, you’ll know the struggle. You can spend ages looking for something and finally find the piece you’ve been looking for, only to discover it’s nowhere near your size. That’s vintage for you. In this case, the 44SH was the only one available, and I decided I’d rather have the coat than let it go simply because the sizing wasn’t perfect. And to be fair, it’s not wildly oversized on me. There’s enough room for layering, which I actually like. I don’t want an overcoat that fits so closely that I can only wear a shirt underneath it.

The only thing I’m not completely sold on is the amount of fabric around the back. You can see from the photos that there is some excess there.

Nothing disastrous. But it’s there. I could take it to a tailor and have it brought in slightly, and realistically, that’s probably the most sensible thing to do, but I hate altering my clothes, especially something like this. I like buying a garment and leaving it alone. There’s something about altering a vintage piece (...well, all my clothes to be honest), that makes me hesitate, even when the alteration would probably improve the fit. So I’m still on the fence.

It’s the one thing I’d mention if you’re looking for one of these yourself: be patient and try to find your actual size. Because everything else about this coat is pretty much what I wanted.

The length is probably my favourite thing about this coat. Look at it compared with my old Zara overcoat. The Zara one comes down roughly to my knees, but Chaps? It goes well below the knee. It sounds like a small difference, but visually, it makes a massive difference.

I’ve been wanting a genuinely long overcoat for ages. Not something that’s technically an overcoat but finishes around the knee. I wanted that longer, more traditional silhouette. And this gives me exactly that. There’s just something about a long coat that I prefer. It has more presence. It drapes differently. And when you’re walking around in it, it actually feels like you’re wearing an overcoat rather than just a longer jacket.

So, was it worth waiting this long to find one? Absolutely.

Another big reason I bought it was my previous Zara overcoat was 60% wool and 40% polyester on the outer shell. And honestly, that was one of the reasons I eventually got rid of it. I know polyester isn’t inherently bad. I’m not saying every garment containing polyester is automatically inferior. But for an overcoat, I realised I wanted something different. I wanted natural fibres. Something made from wool, cashmere, or a blend of both. Whatever fabric makes sense for the garment, but buying a coat where a significant portion of the outer fabric is synthetic. And that’s why this Chaps really appealed to me. It’s a wool-and-cashmere blend.That’s what I was looking for.

There’s a different feel to it. There’s a different way the fabric hangs and moves. And for something like an overcoat, which is a fairly substantial piece of clothing, I think the fabric makes a huge difference. It’s also one of those things that I’ve become much more conscious of as I’ve got older. I’m not necessarily looking for the newest thing anymore. I’d rather find one really good piece that I genuinely love and can keep wearing. And this feels like one of those pieces.

So, how did I find it?

eBay. Of course. 😂

This is where you have to be willing to do a bit of digging. I wasn’t just searching for “black Ralph Lauren overcoat” and calling it a day. With vintage, you have to try different combinations because sellers don’t always describe things in the same way. I tried searches like:

“Vintage Chaps Ralph Lauren overcoat”
“Vintage Chaps Ralph Lauren wool coat”
“Chaps Ralph Lauren wool cashmere coat”
“Vintage Ralph Lauren men’s overcoat”
“Vintage Chaps long overcoat"... you get the picture.

And then started playing around with the colours and sizes. The other thing I did, and would strongly recommend is looking at the seller’s measurements rather than relying entirely on the size on the label. Also check to see if “long” in terms of length, is mentioned in the description. Vintage sizing can be all over the place, and even two coats with the same labelled size can fit completely differently. So if you see something you like, check the measurements, compare them with a coat you already own and then make your decision. That’s basically how I approached this one. And just in case you’re curious about the price, as I sometimes get these types of comments on the channel, I got it for £133.80, including shipping.

Am I happy with it overall?

Very.

The sizing isn’t perfect. I know that. I’d rather have this in my usual 40R, and that extra fabric at the back is something I’m still deciding what to do with. But honestly? I’m not going to let that overshadow everything else. The fabric is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. The wool and cashmere blend feels great. The construction is solid. The condition is excellent considering its age. I love the charcoal colour. And that length…

That’s the big one for me.

I’ve been looking for a coat that actually has that long, classic overcoat silhouette, and after looking for quite some time, I finally found one. It wasn’t black. It wasn’t my usual size. But somehow, it ended up being exactly the coat I wanted. And that’s probably the funny thing about buying vintage. Sometimes you don’t find exactly what you went looking for.

You find something better.

Measurements (inches):