How should a chore coat fit?
A chore coat should leave room for your usual layers and let you button the front, sit down and reach forward comfortably. A boxy body is part of the shape. Tight fabric across the chest or sleeves that get in your way are reasons to check another size or cut.
Chore coats are also called chore jackets. Their shoulder shapes and lengths vary, so a rule such as putting every shoulder seam on your shoulder bone can lead you to the wrong size. The two Maden coats in our range show why.
A quick fit check
- Button the coat over your usual layer. The front should close without pulling tightly between the buttons.
- Reach forward and sit down. Check that the chest, upper back and hem still feel comfortable.
- Look at the shoulder construction before judging where a seam sits.
- Check the cuffs and body length with your arms relaxed, then repeat while moving.
Check the chest and room for layers
Try the coat over the kind of clothing you will wear underneath it. Button the front and move your arms forward. Look for enough room through the chest and upper back without the front pulling tightly between the buttons.
A T-shirt needs less room than a sweatshirt. If you are buying online, compare the coat's chest measurement with a jacket that already works over your chosen layer. Use the same measuring method on both garments.
Understand the shoulder shape
A dropped shoulder seam is meant to sit beyond the natural shoulder. The Maden canvas coat uses this shape, which gives it a wide shoulder measurement and a shorter sleeve measurement from seam to cuff. Read those two figures together.
A raglan sleeve has a seam that runs from the collar towards the underarm. The natural cotton Maden coat uses this construction. Its sleeve measurement starts from a different point, so do not compare the two coats' sleeve numbers as though they measure the same thing.
The shoulder should let you move comfortably. Its seam position only makes sense alongside the cut of the coat.
What the same size label can hide
Here is the S (US) row from each coat's current size guide. These are garment measurements, not the body measurements of the person who should wear it.
| Published measurement | Canvas coat, S (US) | Natural cotton coat, S (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Sewn garment label | L | S |
| Chest, around the garment | 116 cm / 45.7 in | 114 cm / 44.9 in |
| Body length as listed | 67 cm / 26.4 in | 67.5 cm / 26.6 in back length |
| Shoulder width | 52 cm / 20.5 in | Raglan construction; no shoulder-width figure listed |
| Sleeve as listed | 58 cm / 22.8 in, from shoulder seam | 74.5 cm / 29.3 in, raglan sleeve |
The sleeve figures start from different measuring points. They do not mean that the natural coat's cuff will sit 16.5 cm farther down your arm. Compare like-for-like measurements, and ask us if you are unsure which points to use.
Both guides allow 1–2 cm for manual measurement variation. The half-centimetre difference between these listed body lengths is too small to choose one coat over the other on that number alone. Their shoulder shapes and the way they sit on you matter too.
Open the canvas coat size guide and the natural cotton coat size guide for the full size ranges.
Check sleeve and body length
For everyday wear, I would start with cuffs around the wrist when your arms hang naturally. Then bend your elbows and reach forward. Check that the sleeves still feel comfortable and that excess fabric does not cover your hands or get in your way.
I would look for a body that covers the waistband without making it awkward to sit down. Some chore coats are longer and others have a shorter jacket shape. Compare the back length with a coat you like and think about whether you want it to cover the shirt underneath. There is no fixed hem position that suits every design.
Measure a jacket you already like
Button the jacket and lay it flat without stretching it. Use a jacket that is comfortable over the layers you expect to wear, then compare chest width, body length and sleeves using the same measuring points as the coat you are considering.
Check whether a chart gives the chest all the way around or the flat width from armpit to armpit. For example, a flat width of 58 cm is approximately 116 cm around the garment. Comparing 58 directly with a 116 cm chest figure would give you the wrong impression of its size. Neither number is a body-chest recommendation.
The HSS measuring guide explains how to take garment measurements. Keep shoulder construction in mind when comparing sleeves: a dropped-shoulder jacket and a raglan coat do not have an equivalent shoulder seam.
Chore-coat fit for shorter men
Start with the length of a jacket you already enjoy wearing. A shorter body can suit your preferred proportions, but sizing down only to shorten the hem may also remove room you need through the chest or arms.
I am 173 cm, or 5 feet 8 inches, and about 73 kg (161 lb). In the photograph below I am wearing the canvas coat in S (US), which comes with an L label. Its guide lists a 67 cm / 26.4 in body length. Use the photograph as a reference for this coat on me, alongside your own jacket measurements.
The canvas guide also lists 64 cm / 25.2 in length in XXS (US) and 65 cm / 25.6 in in XS (US), with smaller chest measurements of 108 cm / 42.5 in and 112 cm / 44.1 in respectively. These are specific size-chart options to compare, rather than a recommendation based on height.
The natural coat starts at S (US), with 67.5 cm / 26.6 in back length. Its raglan shoulders and sleeve measurement need their own comparison. Choose around your chest, torso and arm proportions, as well as the layers you want underneath.
Compare the two Maden chore coats
Both Maden coats have boxy bodies and four patch pockets. The golden-tan canvas coat has a brown corduroy collar and adjustable cuff tabs. The natural cotton coat has off-white twill, visible cottonseed flecks and raglan sleeves. Both use substantial cotton cloth; the pale colour does not make the natural coat a lightweight summer layer.
| Detail | Maden Canvas Chore Coat | Maden Natural Cotton Chore Coat |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | 13 oz / 440 gsm cotton canvas | 13.5 oz / 458 gsm cotton left-hand twill |
| Colour | Golden tan with a brown collar | Warm off-white with cottonseed flecks |
| Shoulders | Dropped shoulder seams | Raglan seams from collar to underarm |
| Body | Roomy, straight and boxy | Boxy, with room for a shirt or light knit |
| Cuffs | Corduroy tabs with two button positions | Metal jean-style button fastening |
| Label example | S (US) arrives with an L label | S (US) arrives with an S label |
Choose canvas for the colour and corduroy
The Maden 13 oz Canvas Chore Coat has dense golden-tan cloth with a washed surface. It holds its shape, while the soft corduroy collar feels comfortable around the neck.
The collar gives you a clear contrast in colour and texture. The same corduroy appears on the cuff tabs, where two button positions let you adjust the opening. Metal reinforcements sit at the pocket corners.
I would wear this colour with dark blue jeans and a plain white or grey T-shirt. A blue shirt would also work under it. The coat already has enough detail in the collar, cuffs and pockets that the rest of the outfit can be simple.
Check the sleeves if your arms are long for your torso. The shoulders are deliberately wide, with the seam sitting beyond the natural shoulder. That comes with a shorter sleeve measurement from the seam to the cuff. Read the shoulder and sleeve figures together in the size guide.
The canvas chore-coat review shows more of the details and proportions.
Choose natural cotton for a pale layer over denim
The Maden 13.5 oz Natural Cotton Chore Coat uses undyed, off-white cotton with small cottonseed flecks. The twill weave gives the cloth diagonal lines, and a tan leather patch sits on one chest pocket.
It is a good option if you want a lighter colour over dark jeans. I would keep the first outfit simple: indigo denim, a navy T-shirt and the coat worn open. Olive trousers would give you another way to wear it without adding a strong pattern.
The raglan sleeves join the body along seams that run from the collar towards the underarm. They give the coat a different shoulder shape from the canvas version. There is no dropped shoulder seam to use as the same measuring point, so compare the measurements using this coat's own guide.
Off-white cloth will make some marks more obvious than a darker colour. If keeping a pale jacket clean would stop you wearing it, the golden-tan coat may be the easier choice for your wardrobe.
Should you size up in a chore coat
Not automatically. A boxy coat may already have the room you need. Check its measurements and intended fit before choosing a larger size for layering. If the chest fits but the sleeves do not, a different cut may suit you better. A roomy chest will not make a sleeve longer.
The two coats also use different size-label mappings. S (US) in the canvas coat comes labelled L. S (US) in the natural coat comes labelled S. Order from the website size and the relevant garment measurements. Do not apply one coat's label change to the other.
Our Chinese versus Western sizing guide uses these two coats to explain why a fixed rule such as going up two sizes does not work across the range.
Make the choice around your wardrobe
Choose the canvas coat if you want golden-tan cloth, a soft corduroy collar and adjustable cuff tabs. Choose the natural coat if you want an off-white layer, flecked cotton and raglan shoulders. Their fabric weights are close, so colour, cut and the details are more useful starting points than the half-ounce difference.
You can compare both in Chore Coats. Open each product's size guide before ordering, and use the history of chore coats if you would like more background on the design.