Prince of Wales 70th Birthday Vicuna overcoat.

HRH the Prince of Wales birthday is 14th November 1948. To commemorate HRH 70th birthday he commissioned a single breasted Vicuna overcoat from Steven Hitchcock bespoke. In 2001 HRH commissioned a double breasted Vicuna overcoat from Steven, and has worn it on several public and private occasions throughout the years.

This year is the 70th birthday celebration year. There is certainly no better way than to celebrate with a new single breasted Vicuna overcoat!?!

What is Vicuna?

Firstly, Vicuna is a very rare and luxurious cloth. It is extremely soft. Surprisingly, it is light and above all exceedingly warm. Vicuna is perfect for when HRH is walking outside and meeting the public. The Vicuna overcoating that HRH selected is from the Dormeuil range, Extreme Vicuna.

The Prince of Wales style.

The style of the overcoat is very classic. The overcoat is single breasted and I have cut it with a fly front which has 3 buttons to fasten it. It has a centre vent and a guards back detail. The guards back consists of an inverted pleat, a half belt with darts situated at the back waist. The pleat is placed vertically between the shoulder blades. It allows for extra movement and most importantly, creating comfort for the wearer. The darts give a little more shape to the curve of the back and helps throw fullness over the seat.

I gave a little flair to the overcoat by cutting the sleeves with a turn back cuff. Then, I chose to sew all the way around the cuff, with no buttons. A very stylish detail!

To keep with the classic style, HRH chose a matching colour satin lining for the overcoat. The Prince of Wales decided to have straight cross pockets. In order to keep his hands warm on cold winter days, I chose to line the pockets with Vicuna.

My career highlight.

It has most definitely been a pleasure and a joy to make another overcoat for HRH the Prince of Wales. I am thrilled HRH enjoys wearing the clothes that I have made for him. His continued support for Savile Row gives great encouragement to the bespoke tailoring trade.