The Return of the Penny Lane Coat
PENNY LANE COAT IN A FASHION SPOTLIGHT
Those who are following the outerwear fashion trends on the social media platforms for the last two years, have definitely seen the revival of the shearling coats. This is especially true about specific iteration of this style called Penny Lane coat.
THE ORIGINS OF THE NAME
The name comes from the 2000 movie “Almost famous” where a main heroine – a young 70's hippieish girl named Penny Lane – has a a long overcoat with a lush shearling collar and cuffs.
The movie's costume designer Betsy Heimann designed the legendary coat with having two fashion genetics in mind. First the '20s opera coat and the the famous '60s and '70s fashion trend among the counter culture youth – the Afghan coat. Afghan coat that became an outerwear choice for such big names of the era like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and David Bowie was an instant hit among hippies and other young western eccentrics during the '60s and '70s.
Bringing in the Oriental into fashion, food and spirituality was the core facets of the Western underground culture of the time and the Afghan coat with artisan oriental embroidery was an epitome of that zeitgeist.
THE FALL AND RAISE OF THE PENNY LANE COAT
The reign of the culture that birthed the Afghan coat came to an end. The coat went into somwhat an oblivion giving way to new cultural currents that conquered the minds of the rebellious youth. But as it is common in the fashion, the Afghan coat a.k.a. Penny Lane coat has it's comeback in nougties, albeit in shorter styles and bolder colorways.
And the current trends in fashion show that the Penny Lane coat is far from being dead and buried. The Penny Lane coat has seen a recent revival in the nowadays fashion world together with suede jackets, biker jackets and men sheepskin coats.
PENNY LANE COAT IS BACK
The comeback of this coat can be in large measure attributed to the Instagram trend of recapping iconic movie looks from the '90s and '00s. This itself is a form of escapism in the world exhausted by lockdowns and pandemic fashion, that is, a baggy sweatshirts and a practical outerwear. In this sense it is no wonder that Kate Hudson's heroine Penny Lane caught the eye of the women who are longing for some free-spirited bohemian lifestyle and spontaneity in times of alienating mask mandates and other forms of anti-virus measures.
In order to catch up with the trend, such designers as Charlotte Simone, House of the Sunny, Saks Pott have released their own takes on the Penny Lane coat in more daring colour schemes than original ones that were in the shades of brown. However, if you are looking for the option to source your coat in a sustainable way, then buying vintage is the best option.
FIND YOUR PENNY LANE COAT IN OUR SHOP
As it happens, in Northern Grip we have quite a few vintage Penny Lane coats in our stock from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s so you can get one without putting an extra burden on the environment. In our range we have different length classic earth palette (with one pinkish exception) vintage coats with collar and cuff styles that vary from extremely lush to moderate ones. Regular buttons, toggles, zip-up and buttonless – we have it all covered!
