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What’s This About
An Ulster is a long, double-breasted tweed overcoat with broad lapels, a half belt at the back and often turn-back cuffs.
This guide explains how to recognise, choose and wear an Ulster coat, such as:
The lapels, pockets, belt and cloth that define a traditional Ulster
Where the coat came from and why it is named after Ulster
How the Ulster differs from a polo coat and an Inverness cape
What to check at the gorge, back and sleeves when you try one on
Outfits for the office, a cold commute and the weekend
and many more!
A coat with some of these features and not others can still keep you warm for many winters.
Key Points
01Try an Ulster on over the thickest jacket or jumper you plan to wear under it.
02Heavy tweed is the traditional cloth, and other heavy overcoat cloths are also used.
03Belfast outfitter John Getty McGee claimed to have launched the Ulster in 1866.
04The Ulster looks most at home over flannel, tweed and corduroy, and it is warm over a business suit too.
An Ulster is a long, heavy, double-breasted overcoat, traditionally in tweed, with broad lapels, a half belt at the back and often turn-back cuffs.
It began as a hard-wearing travelling and working coat, and it is still one of the warmest tailored coats you can wear in winter.
The Ulster is a classic among traditional wardrobe essentials, and you do not need any particular background or budget to wear one well.
This guide explains how to recognise an Ulster, what to check when you buy one and what to wear it with.
Ulster coat characteristics
Ulsters vary from maker to maker, but most traditional examples share the following features.
A coat with only some of them is still a useful winter coat; these details tell you how close it is to the classic design.
Long and double-breasted
A traditional Ulster is long, usually reaching below the knee, and double-breasted, with two vertical rows of buttons.
Six or eight buttons are common, and the buttons often sit fairly low on the front, which emphasises the length of the coat.
Broad lapels and a collar that turns up
Ulster lapels are usually broad, and many have a peak that points sideways rather than upwards, a style sometimes called an Ulster collar.
Some Ulsters have notch lapels instead.
On most Ulsters the collar can be turned up and the coat buttoned high against wind and rain.
Pockets
Ulsters often have patch pockets, which suit the coat’s country character, and many have flap pockets instead.
Stitching and cuffs
Many Ulsters show a line of stitching set in from the edges of the lapels, pockets and cuffs.
Turn-back cuffs on the sleeves are a common detail, though not every Ulster has them.
Belt and back
The Ulster is cut generously so it fits over a jacket, and a half belt across the back gives the waist some shape.
Many have a pleat running down the back that opens for movement, and some have a full belt that fastens at the front.
Cloth
The traditional cloth is a heavy tweed, such as herringbone or Donegal tweed, which is tough and sheds light rain.
Ulsters are also made in other heavy overcoat cloths, and camel-coloured versions look close to a polo coat.
Heavier cloth is generally warmer, and overcoat cloths often weigh between about 18oz and 25oz per yard.
Cape or hood
Many 19th-century Ulsters had a short cape that reached the elbows, or a hood.
The cape began to disappear in the 1890s, and today a cape or hood is rare on an Ulster.
Where the Ulster coat comes from
The Ulster takes its name from the Irish province of Ulster.
John Getty McGee, a Belfast outfitter, claimed to have launched the coat in 1866, and his firm later opened a shop it called the Ulster Coat Warehouse.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories mention ulsters, and in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle Watson writes that “we drew on our ulsters” on a bitter night.
The long sleeveless cape often seen in later Holmes films is closer to an Inverness cape, which has a much longer cape than the elbow-length cape of a 19th-century Ulster.
Ulster coat utility
With its heavy cloth, roomy cut and large pockets, the Ulster is a good coat for travelling and for long walks in cold weather.
Tweed is hard-wearing, so it copes well with a bag strap across the shoulder.
A mottled or herringbone tweed also hides small marks better than a smooth, plain cloth.
Ulster coat variations
Many modern Ulsters leave out one or more traditional details: some have raglan sleeves, plain cuffs or set-in pockets, and some are shorter.
If a coat has some Ulster features and not others, it can still be a warm and practical coat for many winters.
Ulster vs polo coat
The polo coat is a close relative of the Ulster: it is also double-breasted, often with patch pockets, a half belt and turn-back cuffs.
The polo coat began as a camel hair coat worn by polo players between chukkas, and it is usually camel coloured and softer in finish than a tweed Ulster.
Some menswear writers describe the differences between the two as largely a matter of cloth and colour.
Choosing the right Ulster coat
When you try on an Ulster, wear the thickest jacket or jumper you plan to wear underneath it.
The gorge and collar
The gorge is the seam where the collar meets the lapel.
A gorge set fairly high on the chest and sloping slightly downwards gives a neat line, and a horizontal gorge gives a broader look; choose the one you prefer.
The collar should sit close to your neck both when it is folded down and when it is turned up and buttoned.
The back
Look for enough room across the back to move your arms freely over a jacket.
A back pleat under the half belt adds room for walking and sitting, and the belt should sit at or just above your natural waist.
Pockets and sleeves
Check that the pockets are deep enough for gloves and that the flaps or patches lie flat.
The sleeves should cover your jacket sleeves and shirt cuffs, ending about an inch longer than your jacket sleeve.
If the coat has turn-back cuffs, check that the sleeve length can still be altered, because the cuff makes shortening more complicated.
How to wear an Ulster coat
The Ulster suits heavier cloths underneath, so flannel, tweed and corduroy look at home with it.
Wear: a grey herringbone Ulster over a grey flannel suit, a pale blue poplin shirt, a navy wool tie and dark brown brogues.
For a cold workday in a city office, an Ulster is warm over a business suit, though a smoother overcoat looks more formal.
Wear: a charcoal or navy Ulster over a double-breasted navy pinstripe suit, a white shirt, a burgundy tie and black Oxfords, with a grey scarf in a simple knot and black leather gloves.
For weekends, an Ulster works well over knitwear.
Wear: a brown Donegal tweed Ulster, a cream roll-neck jumper, olive corduroy trousers and brown suede boots, with brown leather gloves.
A camel Ulster sits close to a polo coat in look and pairs well with navy, grey and brown.
Ulster coat modern touches
Many modern Ulsters are shorter, ending around the knee, which suits casual outfits and makes them easier to wear on public transport and when driving.
Lighter wool and cashmere blends are also used for milder climates, though they are less hard-wearing than heavy tweed.
Leather gloves and wool scarves are the usual accessories, and a patterned scarf adds colour to a plain coat.
Conclusion
An Ulster is a long, double-breasted overcoat with broad lapels, a half belt and often turn-back cuffs, traditionally made in heavy tweed.
Choose one that fits over your thickest jacket, wear it with flannel, tweed or a suit, and it can become the warm coat you reach for every winter.
It fits easily into a capsule wardrobe built around navy, grey and brown.
Sources
University of Brighton, The Ulster coat: John G. McGee (McGee’s claim, Belfast, 1866).
Ulster coat and Inverness cape, Wikipedia.
Museum at FIT, Ivy Style: polo coat.
Permanent Style, The styles of overcoat (2020) and The guide to overcoating cloths (2018).
Mandy Meyer’s focus at The VOU is men’s body-shape styling, garment fit and outfit proportions. Her coverage addresses the practical questions behind a wardrobe choice: how a jacket sits across the shoulders, how trousers fall and how different cuts change the silhouette a wearer wants to create.
Her subject areas include the triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, hourglass and diamond labels used in body-shape styling. These provide starting references for comparing visible proportions; they do not capture every body or prescribe one correct way to dress. The focus connects those observations with garment shape, construction, length and the relationship between the upper and lower parts of an outfit.
Mandy’s editorial coverage combines visual comparisons with fit checks for comfort and movement. Readers can consider whether a cut gives them the room they need, where clothing pulls or gathers and which changes might support their preferred look. The aim is to make menswear choices more understandable while keeping personal preferences and the wearer’s own styling goals central.