I've been wearing chore coats for over 20 years now (which is insane) and I think about this a lot. The answer is there's no great replacement, however to Max's point, I think the four-pocket field jacket is right for some (think Tom Hardy in Mobland). Also a light Maremmana.
@daweiner agreed re: no replacement for a chore coat HOWEVER a good harrington could do the trick (should you want an option). and lots of fancy designers are making simplified field jackets (auralee, the row) ... might "fix" the busy-pocket problem ...
An exciting week on my Substack!!!! Someone wrote in with a QUESTION: what’s a good alternative for the omnipresent chore coat. I did the work and found OPTIONS https://t.co/tP9Co0y4xP