The Pea Coat, rolling like Dean

You’re probably wondering, what exactly is a pea coat?

It’s something a man can wear to keep himself feeling warm and looking hot.  Fun fact – the word “pea coat” comes from a Dutch word referring to the kind of cloth (“pilot cloth”, shortened to “P cloth”) used to make the coat.  These coats were thick, warm topcoats worn by sailors while they were working.

 The whole sailor/officer history of the pea coat gives this coat an added sense of authority, which every man wants.  Early depictions of the pea coat come from the early 1700s.  Men have been wearing these coats for three hundred years, so you know they look good.  Getting yourself a good pea coat this winter will take you from shabby, freezing popsicle stick to snazzy, warm sexy beast in no time.

Styles

Pea coats come in all kind of styles, which means there is the perfect pea coat style for you that will make you look both masculine and stylish.  Plus, they’re super classy, which means that you’ll look like you’re rolling in the dough.  Generally, pea coats have broad lapels (to make your shoulders appear even more wide set so that you look like an imposing, powerful linebacker with killer style).  Most of them nowadays have double breasted fronts and large buttons, either wooden or metal.  The double breasted coat keeps you extra warm while the buttons give it personality to keep it interesting.  Sometimes the buttons have a navy symbol like an anchor on the front – just more fuel for your reputation as a stud. They come in three lengths, regular jacket length, 3quarters length to about the knees, and the full length version, while all can look amazing we are mostly talking about the regular one here,  as its the most versatile, and then when you get a full length coat you have more bases covered.

Rolling like Bond

Cuts

If you don’t love the shorter cut you can always get a longer pea coat, sometimes called a bridge coat, that goes all the way down to your thighs.  These longer ones are also a little more business-like if you have a lot of business occasions where you would wear a pea coat.  For more casual use, stick with the shorter waist pea coats.  If you’ve got hips like a woman, one of these longer babies can hide those suckers and make you look taller and leaner.  Long coats also give added warmth.  But any good pea coat will keep you warm and dry in wet, cold weather.  You can even turn up the high collar to use as a guard against the wind if you’re not a fan of scarves.

Pockets

It’s all about the pockets, right?   So you want a coat with good pockets, and the pea coat won’t disappoint.  This coat can have pockets on the inside for your wallet or keys.  On the outside you’ll often find a small pocket perfect for fitting your cell phone, plus two pockets at a natural height for you to use to keep your hands warm.  Perfectly functional.

Color

Dark blue or black are the best colors to go with for a pea coat.  Black is classic but has a little less personality, while dark blue can still be dark and brooding and draw a little more attention.  A dark grey can also be acceptable, though dark blue is really the best color for most men and has been one of the most popular colors for men’s pea coats for hundreds of  years.  And the nice thing is that you can wear a pea coat with almost any other color.  Of course, never wear your black pea coat with a brown suit.  But you can wear a dark blue one with brown or black slacks.  A tasteful scarf can add some more color if you feel like you look boring and monochromatic.

How to Wear it

WITH JEANS

GRAY SLACKS AND TIE

CHINOS AND DRESS SHIRT

As with all your clothing, the pea coat should fit nicely on your athletic, manly physique.  Make sure your pea coat is not overly baggy or you will look like a little boy in his mom’s coat.  One of the best ways to check sizing is to measure your chest then check the jackets true chest measurements before you buy.  Of course, don’t get a pea coat that is so tight you can’t wear a sweater or jacket underneath it if it. Modern pea coats are a bit lighter than the traditional ones made for the navy, I personally prefer a 70 percent wool with mix thrown in to keep it a bit lighter in weight.

The Pea Coat Rules

The awesome thing about the pea coat is that it’s super versatile.  You don’t have to get multiple coats for casual or formal settings because the pea coat can go either way.  It’s way more masculine than a puffy down coat or parka.  Serviceable, sturdy, snug, sexy, and stylish – what more could one coat offer?  (It may even add to your social agenda if you know what I mean…)

Whats it Cost

A nice pea coat is not super cheap, J Crew/Banana Republic type vendors will run you $150-250 bucks, Step up to Ralph Lauren or Calvin klein and you start to see $300-600 type ranges.

Whats it Cost Ebay

Prices range from $10 bucks to $150 for high end mint condition stuff. As our regular readers know I am going to prove you can put togather a 20k dollar wardrobe on Ebay for around 2k. So what did I buy, well I rocked it… I paid $8 bucks for a MINT Tommy Hilfigr dark blue pea coat!!  But that was a score, expect to drop about $30-$80 bucks on average for a nice example.