The Ulster is one of the certifiable big-hitters of traditional British outerwear — a long, double-breasted, large-collared slugger, hailing legend has it from the dockyards of Belfast circa 1850. This one follows and respects true Ulster orthodoxy, but has an updated moveset for everyday usefulness and userfriendliness.
The Ulster has what's known as, yes, an Ulster collar. It is sharply angled at the front, but with points slightly rounded, and is cut to be just as happy standing up, skimming the neck at the sides and back, as it is sitting down — but even then, it is proud, and is never concave or flat or in any way apologetic.
The lapel may be swept across the front and fastened to a small button partially obscured beneath the collar — an instant four layers of tweed gained between man and world. There is then the option to keep the collar up with the help of another tiny button, or to fold it down again over the front.
The buttons on the Ulster are large, and are horn — dark in colour and matte in finish — and each is a little different from one to the next. They are in that regard as if alpha-keratin snowflakes — such is the beauty of being a product of a high-grade natural material, rather than, say, a plastic replica.
The Ulster has four pockets at the front: below the large flap pockets can be found in-seam pockets, stationed at just the right lateral and longitudinal coordinates for the instinctive plunging-in of hands. Two additional pockets — jetted in-breast pockets — are on the inside of the coat.
An innovative sleeve, this, combining the sharp and smart and traditional look of a inset sleeve at the front — such as always on coats of this ilk — with the ease and comfort of a Dolman sleeve at the back. It equals a very soft shoulder, draping smoothly over the lines of the wearer, and great movement.
Round the rear lurks a deep vent which runs from the belt line to the hem. It is constructed in the old-fashioned and faintly over-complicated manner of mid-century British walking coats, and means there's more coat to the coat to expand when the wearer lurches forwards or sideways.
Also at the back is a fixed belt, running between the rear seams. It breaks up what is a fairly long body, and helps pull the situation together, both literally and figuratively, by introducing a sense of shape at the middle.
The coat has turn-back cuffs at the end of its sleeves. A nod to tradition, these, being more typically seen on uniform coats and formal styles of outerwear. The cuff starts at the outer sleeve seam, skims around the sleeve, and its circumnavigation is rewarded with a button in its slightly curved top corner.
The Ulster is lined halfway down the back with a smooth and slinky satin, cut as a single panel. It helps greatly with sliding the coat on and off, being as the outer cloth has the potential for friction. The sleeves, too, are lined with the same cloth.
The cloth is thick, heavy barleycorn tweed, Donegal writ through. The yarn — a warp of dark grey and a weft of brown — is alive with little flecks of unexpected shades. It is merino lambswool, softer than one might assume, and fairs mightily well in the wet and the windy.
