The coat dress or coatdress is a type of women’s clothing that looks like an overcoat. Coat dresses usually have a collar, lapels, and front buttons similar to a coat. Women often wear coat dresses over underdresses and waistcoats. These types of clothing are designed to be a dress and a coat at the same time.
People wear this type of clothing during the colder seasons. It is also often the choice of clothing for women in Europe, especially in the UK. These types of clothing existed hundreds of years prior. However, during the 1910s, the famous magazine Vogue introduced the very first modern version of the coat dresses.
After the coat dress’ introduction, it became one of the most popular clothing pieces in many parts of the world. Many recognize the coat dress as a staple in fashion. By the 1960s, the coat dress became even more popular. These types of dresses also became more popular because they were worn by the most influential people in the UK. For instance, Diana, Princess of Wales wore coat dresses during the 1980s to 1990s.
Coat dresses are still trendy and fashionable nowadays. It’s still a go-to item when it comes to fashion. It is still the choice of clothing of many high-profile women. For instance, Kate Middleton wears coat dresses every time she is in public since she became a duchess. Here are some of the notable types of coat dresses today.

Formal Coast Dress
Formal coast dresses are dresses usually worn by people who wish to look professional. The design of these dresses is often plain and simple. Some of the formal coast dresses are designed to look like formal coats, such as tuxedo.
Formal Coast Dress is perfect for business settings. Some formal coast dresses can even be worn daily. It’s a perfect working attire during the colder months. It’s also a good choice of clothing if you are scheduled for a work interview.
Street Style Coast Dresses
Not all coast dresses are made solely for business settings. Some coat dresses feature a more fun and colourful style. They usually have colourful patterns, like flowers. These types of coast dresses are often worn on any informal occasion. There may be times that these types are acceptable in business and formal events.
If you are looking for a coat dress, you can wear for special informal events, and you may want to consider getting a street style coast dress.
Other Styles of Coat Dresses
Aside from their overall style, some details set coat dresses from each other. If you are planning to buy and wear one, you should know some of these features.
Single and Double-Breasted Coat Dresses: Like traditional coats, coat dresses also come in single and double-breasted. Single-breasted coat dresses have a narrow overlap and a single column of buttons. On the other hand, double-breasted coat dresses have two columns of buttons and have a larger fabric overlap.
Coat Dress Material: Coat dresses are made using different materials. These materials can be categorized into three; lightweight, medium-weight, and heavyweight. Lightweight materials include jacquard and thin wool. They are perfect for spring and summer. Some of the medium-weight materials are cashmere and thicker wool, perfect for autumn and spring. Finally, heavyweight materials are made with the thickest materials reserved for colder seasons.
Accessories: Most coat dresses feature buttons of different designs. But aside from buttons, there are coat dresses with other accessories. Some of the coat dresses have ribbons to secure the dress. Others pair the dress with belts and buckles.
Full Button Dress Coats: Aside from single-breasted and double-breasted dress coats, there are also full-button ones. Full-button dress clothes have a column of buttons from the neck line up until the hem of the dress.
Cape Dress Coats: Some of the dress coats also come with a cape. The cape can either be detachable or fixed. Cape dress coats are often worn during the winter seasons for added warmth.