Few items of workwear have so successfully come to symbolise the American working man, indeed, if and when Hollywood attempts to demonstrate the working class credentials of a character they do so by dressing that character in a duck chore coat. The Duck Chore Coat, so-called for the duck material from which it is fabricated, is such an icon. Indeed, watch any Hollywood movie and you are likely to see a character wearing one in order to depict working class credentials.
Chore coats, but particularly those made of brown duck, are highly sought after as their rugged and durable construction makes them extremely hard-wearing and long-lasting. The fabrication process results in a product that holds its shape no-matter what you put it through and has come to be a status symbol of sorts in its own right. It has, over the years, come to be embraced as a coveted piece of Americana finding a home in streetwear, Western wear, countrywear and workwear. It’s no surprise, therefore, that various prolific workwear makers carry such a jacket in their range.
Duck material is both durable and versatile and extremely water and weather repellent making it extremely useful for working men. In addition, once worn-in, it is also extremely comfortable becoming something of a second skin.
Many legendary American workwear brands manufacture a variant of the classic chore coat in the original tan or darker brown duck materials but it is undoubtedly Carhartt who have managed to propel their version – the Detroit Jacket – into iconic, if not essential status. Lamentably, Hollywood is doing its best to simultaneously erode the garment’s credentials as a workwear rather than fashion piece and also driving up, quite substantially, the price of such jackets.
Blue Collar Standard 