The Best Chore Coats for Men: French, American and Japanese

The best chore coats are simple, hip-length work jackets in hard-wearing cotton, with a point collar, a buttoned front and three or four patch pockets. Our picks: Vetra for the classic French jacket in twill or moleskin, Railcar Fine Goods and Bradley Mountain for the American duck and canvas chore coat, Double RL for denim and striped engineer jackets, and Japanese coveralls from Momotaro, Pherrow's and Orslow for the most faithful reproductions.

A good chore coat is the most useful jacket in a heritage wardrobe: warm enough over a knit in autumn, light enough over a T-shirt in spring, and better with age.

What is a chore coat?

The chore coat began in 19th-century France as the bleu de travail, the blue work jacket of labourers, railwaymen and farmers. It was cut boxy and roomy, with no lapels, patch pockets for tools and tobacco, and dyed indigo blue. It was usually made in heavy cotton drill or moleskin. The French work jacket is often credited as one origin of the phrase "blue collar".

American makers took up the style in the early 20th century and gave it the name chore coat: heavier, often in duck canvas or denim, sometimes blanket-lined for winter. Railwaymen wore similar coats, often in denim or hickory and indigo stripes, and those became the engineer's jacket and the coverall.

Vetra is one of the French makers still at it. Edouard Beerens founded the company in Paris in 1927, naming it after vêtements de travail, work clothes. Its five-button jacket with three patch pockets has barely changed, and the family still runs the business.

Fabrics

• Moleskin. A dense, brushed cotton with a soft, suede-like face. Warm, windproof and comfortable from the first wear; the classic French choice.
• Twill and drill. The everyday French work cloth: lighter, crisp, and quick to soften. A good spring and summer chore coat.
• Duck canvas. The American choice: tough, stiff at first, and fades and creases like raw denim. Waxed canvas adds water resistance.
• Denim. Fades like your jeans and works with almost everything except more of the same shade. A raw or rinsed denim chore coat is a favourite in the selvedge world.
• Wool. Less common, warmer, and closer to a light overcoat.

The best chore coat brands

Vetra

Vetra still makes its jackets in northern France, in organic twill, moleskin, brushed canvas, linen and wool. It is the closest thing to the original, in the original colours: workwear blue, black, khaki, ecru. See Vetra jackets.

Railcar Fine Goods

The chore coat is Railcar Fine Goods' signature jacket, made in its California workshop with riveted stress points and a full set of pockets. It comes in 12oz duck, wax canvas, sashiko and Japanese and Italian denims, and some versions are blanket-lined for winter. See Railcar's jackets.

Bradley Mountain

Bradley Mountain's Edison Chore Coat is cut from 11oz waxed canvas: unlined, with brass hardware, a half-hidden pen pocket and reinforced hand pockets. More water resistant than plain duck, and it takes on a patina quickly. See Bradley Mountain jackets.

Double RL

Double RL does the American railroad side best: denim and indigo-striped engineer jackets in washed and faded finishes, alongside chore-style overshirt jackets and coveralls. See Double RL jackets.

3sixteen, Knickerbocker and Anatomica

3sixteen makes a chore jacket in nep denim; Knickerbocker a shop denim chore coat; Anatomica a chore jacket with the clean lines of its French-influenced range. Each is a quieter, more tailored take.

Japanese coveralls

Japanese denim brands reproduce early 20th-century American coveralls in detail. Momotaro's duck coverall, Pherrow's Wabash coverall in the striped railroad cloth, Orslow's relaxed coverall and Universal Overall's denim coverall are all longer and roomier than a French jacket, with deeper pockets.

Softer takes

Engineered Garments, the New York label of Daiki Suzuki, makes jackets that sit between a work coat and a blazer, such as the Bedford. Universal Works does its Bakers overshirt in cord and twill, and Umber and Ochre makes the Akash chore coat in wool.

Chore coat vs overshirt

An overshirt is a heavy shirt worn as a light jacket: shirt-weight buttons, a shirt collar, usually one or two chest pockets, and a slim enough cut to wear under a coat. A chore coat is a jacket proper: heavier cloth, bigger buttons, and hip pockets that sit low enough for your hands. If you want one piece for three seasons, buy the chore coat.

Chore coat vs work jacket

"Work jacket" covers a family: the chore coat, the engineer jacket, the coverall, the Type I and II denim jackets and the canvas work jacket with a blanket lining and a corduroy collar. A chore coat is the long, straight, buttoned one with patch pockets. Denim trucker jackets stop at the waist, and coveralls are longer and baggier.

How to wear a chore coat

• With denim. A blue French jacket over a white tee with raw denim is the classic. If the coat is denim too, pick a clearly different shade.
• Over knitwear. Size so it closes over a crewneck or a shawl-collar cardigan; that makes it a three-season coat.
• With chinos and boots. Duck or moleskin with olive or khaki trousers and a pair of welted boots is the American workwear look.
• Fit. The shoulders should sit at your own shoulder, the hem around the base of your seat. Too long and it looks like a lab coat; too short and it is a trucker jacket.

Questions people ask

What is a chore coat called in French?

Veste de travail or bleu de travail, the "work blues". In English it is also called a French work jacket or French chore jacket.

What is the difference between a chore coat and an engineer jacket?

Very little. Engineer jackets come from the American railroad: often denim or hickory and indigo stripes. A chore coat is the general name for the style.

Are chore coats warm?

Unlined twill is a spring jacket. Moleskin, heavy duck and blanket-lined versions are warm enough for autumn, and with a knit underneath, much of a mild winter.

Do chore coats shrink?

Raw denim and unwashed duck can, a little. Most French twill and moleskin jackets are pre-washed. Check each listing.

Compare chore coats across shops

The same jacket often costs different amounts in different shops, and the middle sizes go first. Browse men's jackets on HARDSTOC to compare every shop's price and who has your size, and read what heritage style is for the rest of the wardrobe.