Are duffle coats a bit Marmite?
We’ve talked before about THAT Facebook comment.
(The one where a reader said that duffle coats are ‘homemade’ and ‘warm’ but not fashionable.)
But the whole episode got us thinking…are duffle coats really the Marmite of the winter coat world?
If you’re not from around these parts, first a little background on Marmite:
Put simply, the UK divides into two camps. You either love Marmite or you hate it. That’s largely due to some clever, funny marketing, but it’s true that Marmite does have a distinctive taste.
It’s a dark, yeast-based paste and is usually spread on toast. Or crackers. Or you can find it on crisps, nuts or even, EVEN, in chocolate. Marmite chocolate. Bleurgh.
Marmite has its own Wikipedia page, entire articles are devoted to discussing secret recipe changes, and British culinary goddess, Nigella Lawson, has even included Marmite in one of her recipes.
And Marmite has such a distinctive taste that saying something is ‘Marmite’ is code for saying that it creates very strong opinion.
So, do duffle coats evoke this extreme reaction? Are duffle coats a bit ‘Marmite’?
We did some digging.
Obviously there’s THAT Facebook comment, but that’s just a sample of one.
But then there was the Daily Mail article berating Taylor Swift for being seen in public in a duffle coat. They even used the word ‘frumpy’.
And the Guardian once referred to duffle coats as the ‘Peter Pan of coats, for boys and girls who don’t want to grow up.’
What is this trash talk we’re hearing?
But then, we found it. The Sartorialist published a photo montage of duffle coat wearers, and 60 comments later, the verdict was out. Something along the lines of ‘Oooo, yes, love these duffle coats!’
We also found a Mumsnet forum where they were LOVING the idea of duffle coats. And one very talented lady in Canada made her own duffle coat, and described it as her, ‘cold-weather life partner’. Brilliant.
The verdict on duffle coats
So although we are clear duffle coat lovers and many share our view, we concede that there are duffle coat haters out there.
We don’t understand them.
We can never agree.
But we respect their right to a duffle coat-hating opinion. (Even though they’re wrong.)
So it turns out that duffle coats ARE a bit ‘marmite’. Which side of the Marmite jar are you on? Do you love duffle coats or hate them?