Twee Magazine

 

A classic anorak.

If there are two overcoats most associated with twee, and there are, they would have to be anoraks and duffle coats. Each became a de facto uniform for a specific expression of British twee, and, as a result, have jumped the pond to America, or, in one case, jumped the pond back to America.

The anorak, after all, originated with the Caribou Inuit of the Northwest Territories, and the modern version of the parka looks very much like the ones they created from caribou or sealskin, even if they are now made with synthetic fabrics. They're immediately recognizable for their frequent fur-lined hoods, and were widely used by the British military, leading them to become common in surplus stores, which, in turn, lead to their adoption by everyday citizens who thought they might have to spend extended time in the cold.

Two early examples: Trainspotters, or obsessive railway enthusiasts, who might spend hours at a station, watching trains roll by in the hopes of spotting an obscure locomotive or example of train equipment, which could them be ticked off from a data book, much in the way birders spend hours in the wild hoping to catch site of a rare bird. Anoraks were also popular among fans of offshore pirate radio stations in the 1970s, who would wait at port or charter boats to visit the pirate radio ships in the hopes of meeting their favorite deejays.

As a result of this, "anorak" became a popular expression for an obsessive hobbyist or fan; in the 90s, it was especially applied to indie music fans, who would often show up at shows wearing the fur-lined parkas, which was sometimes also worn by the bands onstage.

The signature duffle coat from the movie "Submarine."

The duffle coat is probably more correctly called the duffel coat, as it was originally made from a coarse wool called duffel in a Belgian municipality called Duffel, and may have been popularized by a family named Duffel. The long, hooded coat with horn toggle-fastenings was originally popular with the British Navy, and then, as with the anorak, became popular with the larger population via surplus stores.

The coat became a sort of signature look for British lefties in the 50s and 60s, but was also widely adopted by students, giving it a sort of moddish, young, counter-cultural look. Paddington Bear famously wore a duffle coat, as did twee superstars Belle and Sebastian and every single member of Oasis on the cover for their single "Roll With It." It was also the uniform of the two vaguely malfunctional teens in the movie "Submarine" and the schoolgirl played by Carey Mulligan in "An Education," so it's association with twee British independent films continues.