The French chore coat is an icon, worthy of Harry Styles and myriad fashion-world think pieces: “Regular, often intensive, wear meant that each jacket became unique, taking on the imprint of its owner’s life and labour,” said the Guardian. A jacket with its own labor-first philosophy: A jean jacket could never.
Sézane makes a great version of the chore coat in the Will, which carefully walks the line between the traditional, boxy fit and modern desires for trimmer silhouettes and stretchier fabrics. Here, a collection of Sézane Will dupes, in a range of prices. The best bets are at either end of the dupe scale: around $60 for a vintage French chore coat on eBay, or considerably more for a French version made from raw Japanese denim.
#1 EBAY/OTHER VINTAGE
Here it is: the chore coat the Will is based on. Note the boxy frame, the straight pockets, the general air of deep authenticity. Note you can find these in all manner of repair, from the lightly worn to the massively destroyed, along with “vintage style” coats that nail the look without, you know, having been worn by anyone actually doing chores.
#2 QUINCE
Quince does one thing very well, and it’s serve dupes of other brands with just enough pizzazz (and, uh, cost savings) to make it worth it. This is a really cute piece that’s as much jean jacket as chore coat, but it still has that roomy fit and the patch pockets — like The Outsiders set in the South of France.
#3 MADEWELL
Like the Quince version is basically a jean jacket with patch pockets, Madewell repeats the process here, only its recipe called for an army jacket instead. What’s not to like? It’s perfect for late spring days that permit denim shorts and something heavier on top.
#4 FINISTERRE
It feels super appropriate that this version of a chore coat is made by a French-inflected brand in England’s Cornwall — in both Cornwall and Brittany the word “finisterre” indicates “land’s end.” We have the same boxy fit but a lighter, less expected color, and an angled version of the traditional patch pockets.
#5 SAINT JAMES
The one that started it all. The Alize is based on St. James’s Sirocco for guys — the classic French chore coat. It’s a little narrower than the vintage version, and made of a modern cotton-stretch material — if that sounds slightly disappointing to you, like it does to me, check out the men’s version, which might be the better buy and is in fact the same price.
#6 ALEX MILL
Alex Mill has a women’s version of this jacket that is currently available for half off in a particular violet color, but this is the real winner: the men’s garment-dyed version, which has the same rich blue as the original — it come in six colors, but this is the winner.
Atelier Marinière
Atelier Marinière is the brand behind the bleu de travail tribute noted at top. Here’s their verison, in raw Japanese denim. Everything here is made the atelier way — in limited editions (of 99), in Italy, with this gorgeous fabric that’ll wear amazingly over time. The shorties among us might rue the longer length.
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