Looking for the coat I had in high school

May 22, 2007 1:08 AM

Looking for a robe coat like I had in high school...

In the early 90s, there was a shop in downtown Spokane called Rock Bottom. The shop was owned by the designer of the clothes that were sold there, Terry Higgins. All the clothes had a small label that said "Higgins".

One of the things that they sold was called a "robe coat". It was made of cottony cloth, about the weight of a bedsheet. When open, the coat would hang almost like an overcoat, with long "flaps" that hung down from the shoulders. The left-side flap had a metal snap at the end of it, with the corresponding piece at the back of the neck.

To close it, you brought the right-side flap across your chest and tucked it underneath the coat behind your left shoulder. You then brought the left-side flap around and snapped it to the back of your neck. The coat would basically wrap around you. I described it to someone who told me it sounded like a circle cape or circle cloak, but I think the wings/flaps gave it a non-circlish shape.

I had a black one in high school that I wore everywhere, and it was extremely comfortable and lightweight. Is anyone aware of a similar garment? Even a pattern would be nice if not a source for the actual coat.

Incidentally, does anyone remember the shop? They had lots of other really nice clothes that were a bit more mainstream. I'd love to find out if the designer is still doing anything now. The shop closed in or about 1993.

posted by tkolstee to clothing, beauty, & fashion (3 comments total)

Fellow (former) Spokanite here -- unfortunately, it sounds like it was a tad before my time (born in 87). For what it's worth, I do remember hearing about the place (later on, after it had closed), but I don't know anything else.
posted by rossination at 1:14 AM on May 22, 2007

I had a similar coat in high school and into college. I favored it for the extra length, as most coats of that style stopped at the upper calf, and this one nearly met the ground, while keeping to the right size for my shoulders and arms.

My wife later in formed me that it was the style of a western duster. (random shop page I found on Google for it)
posted by thanotopsis at 9:40 AM on May 22, 2007

I wore overcoats for a while, one a London Fog that went down to my ankles and a Navy-issue coat that went to mid-calf.

The one in question, though, wasn't really tailored or fitted. It literally looked like a twin bedsheet with no shape to it when tossed aside. No collar or other cut pieces, just one single blob of fabric and a seam down each side.
posted by tkolstee at 11:52 PM on May 25, 2007