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Every guy needs a good chore coat. That feels like a style rule born of the #menswear “Dudes dressing themselves and posting about it in online forums” era, but it’s something I believe in.
And I don’t believe it on trend-chasing grounds. I’m not really interested in every one of y’all pulling on chore jackets, beanies, and Red Wings again. I believe it because there’s not a more versatile piece of menswear out there. Nothing else is as functional, and nothing else looks so good on a wide swath of men.
When I’m tackling the question of which brand of chore coat to get, I default to my usual answer. Go for the classic version. In this case, that’s the French brand Le Mont St Michel, which has been making this jacket since 1913.
It can be many things to many people.
My style leans Americana. I think I’m the Americana nostalgia guy of the Esquire offices. I’m normally wearing Wrangler jeans, Hanes tees, and Lucchese boots. I’m like a wannabe Bruce Springsteen doing his Born in the U.S.A. look of the Most American Guy. My uniform would more likely call for a RRL trucker or a Dickies Eisenhower. But there’s something about that damn Le Mont St Michel chore coat… It just does more.
To keep up the bit with dated Americana references, think of Rowdy Herrington’s original Road House, not the roided-up remake. In black—which Huckberry doesn’t have stocked, have to get it from the source—my look can swing Sam Elliot playing Wade Garrett. (Weirdly, a top-tier style inspiration of mine.) Beat the jacket up, maybe patch a hole or two, and roll up the sleeves. It does that perfectly. But it also can do the #menswear guy thing where you purposely give it a patina. It can do the simple Bill Cunningham “I wear this because it’s functional,” look. It looks good on farmers, strategists, and bikers. It’s a chameleon jacket. In an age when brands are typically tied to trends (Are my sunglasses Brat? Is my Carhartt jacket Blue Collar Stolen Valor?), a Le Mont St Michel chore coat still flies effortlessly under the radar.
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It’s workwear, just a little more buttoned up.
As versatile as this chore coat is, it’s still workwear. It can, and should, still take a beating. The one in this photoshoot is (obviously) brand new, but that’s how I think you should buy it. Normally I love vintage, but here I think it’s fun to transform a garment from cradle to grave. Don’t buy a vintage one that’s beat to hell because some French grape farmer owned it for 20 years. Buy a new one, stimulate the economy, and beat it up doing your own work.
If your work is “creative-directing,” “experiential-marketing,” or “journalist,” it’s great for that, too. Brand new, it’ll be more formal than most things people wear into your office these days. If your workplace is more formal, it’s great for an off-duty look. But I’d really urge y’all to get a real work hobby—gardening, ceramics, woodworking—and wear it for that. It’ll still play the part of an off-duty layer, but the super-tight moleskin fabric is dense, durable, and nearly waterproof. It’s made to take a beating.
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It’s easier to buy than ever.
The thing that tipped me off to writing this story was the fact that Huckberry stocks these jackets now. I know that sounds like a #paid #ad, but it’s absolutely not. Previously, you couldn’t readily buy these jackets in the U.S. Certain small-time retailers had them, but you’d pay a crazy markup. Ever since the late ’90s, the brand has been modernizing, so the Le Mont St Michel website technically worked in America, but the buying experience was just not good. Now? It’s stocked on U.S. shores, and you’re paying about the same price you would if you bought it tax-free on vacation in France. It’s beautiful.
As a Made in U.S.A. diehard type of guy, maybe that’s the biggest endorsement I can give this thing. Instead of looking to my own country for something denim-y, tight fitting, and devil-may-care, here I prefer to buy something French and sophisticated. Does that mean I can only wear it to drink wine and read Proust untranslated? Nope, I’m going to wear it in my garden like a fucking American, and that’s the beauty of this jacket. Whether you’re a real French worker, an American menswear guy, or just some dude looking for a style upgrade, it’ll round out your outfits, every single one of them.
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Photographs by Joe Lingeman. Prop styling by Heather Greene.
