005 // What Is a Balmacaan Coat?
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With Supermoon I was thinking about a coat you could put on over almost anything: a shirt, knit, casual jacket or a few layers on a cold day.
I wanted to keep the recognisable ease of the Balmacaan without making a period reproduction. It should feel familiar, but not old fashioned.
For me, the attraction is that it solves a simple problem very well. A good overcoat should protect you, sit comfortably over your clothes and look right without demanding too much attention.
The Cloth
I selected a wool blend cloth with a yarn dyed dogtooth design, softened by a bouclé effect yarn.
I liked the way it gave the surface more depth and texture without making the pattern feel too obvious. It sits particularly well alongside the bolder check of the Sack Jacket, which was deliberate.
I often wear the two together, layered up. The patterns are different in scale and character, but the colours and textures are close enough that they work naturally together without feeling matched.
Keeping the Front Simple, but Not Empty
Traditionally, the Balmacaan is a very clean coat, and I wanted to preserve that simplicity. But I also felt the front needed something to break it up visually.
Rather than hiding the fastening, I chose to expose the buttons. It gives the coat a little more character and rhythm through the front without adding unnecessary decoration.
The collar was another area where I wanted to introduce detail. I added a corduroy undercollar, which brings in a different texture and gives the coat a slightly more utilitarian feel.
There is also a practical throat tab, so the collar can be closed up properly when the weather turns. I like details that have a reason for being there.
Giving the Inside Its Own Personality
I spend almost as much time thinking about the inside of a garment as I do the outside.
A coat like this should feel considered when you put it on, not just when someone else sees it.
For the sleeves I used a traditional striped jacquard lining, a detail that feels familiar and slightly formal. But for the body lining I wanted something more contemporary.
The idea came from a beautiful soft tailored Japanese jacket I own, which uses cotton internally rather than a conventional shiny lining. I’ve always liked the way it changes the character of the garment. It feels softer, quieter and somehow less precious.
That became the starting point for the inside of the Balmacaan.
The body is lined in cotton, with a corduroy internal pocket and contrast cotton grosgrain used where a little extra practicality is needed.
None of these details are particularly loud, and that is the point.
They are things you notice through wearing the coat rather than things designed simply to be seen.
The Supermoon Interpretation
The Balmacaan is one of those garments that has lasted because the original idea was already very good.
I wasn’t interested in reinventing it for the sake of it.
Instead, I wanted to keep the ease, protection and simplicity that make the coat useful, while adding just enough detail to give it a Supermoon identity.
Exposed buttons, corduroy, striped jacquard, cotton lining and practical internal finishes all shift the character slightly, but the coat still does what a Balmacaan should do.
You put it on over almost anything, and it works.
Supermoon / / Edition 01