Duster Coats – Western, Leather and Linen Duster Coats
It may sound like a garment you wear when performing household chores, but a durable duster coat is strictly outdoor wear.
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Oil-Skin Dusters for the Open Range
The duster coat has a long history of use on the Australian Outback, but its earliest origins are on the docks in Sydney early in the 19th Century.
A Scotsman, Andrew LeRoy, came up with the idea of recycling boat sails by soaking them in linseed oil to create waterproof capes, and then sold them back to the sailors. As tough as iron, those early caped-coats easily repelled the harshest winds and saltiest sea spray. In later years, when steamboats replaced the sailing vessels, many Aussie sailors swapped the boat deck for a trusty horse, and turned to the vast Outback to make their new livelihoods. Their oilskin coats became known as "dusters," or "drover coats" and proved just as a reliable on land as on sea.
The classic Outback duster coat became a staple for American cowboys and ranchers of the Wild West as well, as it was as rugged and tough as they were!Over the years, improvements in the methods of waterproofing were made (since coats treated in linseed oil would eventually crack or rot after a time). New oil and wax processes were developed to create resilient coats that could almost last a lifetime.
The classically-styled outback coat, single-breasted mid-calf length garment, often featuring a short cape about the shoulders, remains a popular fashion and work style, available online through Austrailian-based retailers and western outfitters. Most often dusters are fabricated in canvas or denim for a traditional working style, but for country casual or urban professional wear, look for leather and micro fiber dusters to make a fashion statement.
Linen Dusters for Motoring
Early in the 20 th century, when the first "horseless carriages" were introduced into American life, well-dressed ladies and gentlemen faced a dressing dilemma: How were they to protect their fine, fancy apparel from the grime and grit that spewed up while motoring in the open automobile? The solution was to wear an unlined, loose fitting, single-breasted full-length coat, with a soft collar and large patch pockets, fittingly called a "duster," since it protected clothing from dirt and dust. New duster coats are of this nature can be found online, as they are still a popular light covering for spring and summer wear; and in local vintage clothing shops and costume retailers.
Whether your duster coat has its roots on the open range or the open road, whether you wear it for fashion or function – its serviceable style is a dust buster!
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