Pea Coat

Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search

A peacoat or peajacket is an outer coat, generally of a navy-coloured heavy wool, first worn by sailors of European navies. Peacoats are characterised by broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, and vertical or slash pockets. The United States Navy pattern is a double-breasted, navy blue worsted wool overcoat designed in the early twentieth century, called a pea coat from its material: the wool was referred to as pilot cloth, which became known as P-cloth, hence pea coat. Anchor buttons and wide, rounded lapels make the pattern recognisable, and the style is now a civilian classic.

A peacoat or peajacket is a outer coat, generally of a navy-colored heavy wool, originally worn by sailors of European navies. Peacoats are characterized by broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, and vertical or slash pockets.

P Coat Commonly referred to as "Pea Coat". Double-breasted, navy blue worsted wool overcoat originally designed in the early 20th century for use by US Navy personnel. Called a "Pea Coat" due to the material that the coats are made from. The wool was referred to as "Pilot Cloth", but then became known as P-Cloth, hence the name "Pea Coat." They are recognizable by the characteristic "anchor" buttons and wide, rounded lapels. The style is considered a classic, and P coats are now worn in the United States by all manner of individuals. Note that few of the jackets seen on the street are genuine United States Navy surplus; being a classic garment, it is frequently available from retailers in the USA, though often with small design changes that reflect the current tendencies of the day.

Single Breasted

Double Breasted

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Clothing Definitions

Pilot Cloth and the Sailor's Coat

Pilot cloth explains both the name and the performance. It is a heavy, densely woven worsted wool, made to stand up to wind and spray on deck, warm even in sea air and hard-wearing enough for a garment issued to be lived in. A double-breasted front doubles that cloth across the chest and lets the coat be buttoned either way, useful as wind shifts, and the broad lapels turn up and close at the throat. Vertical or slash pockets sit where cold hands naturally fall, and their position keeps them clear of ropes, rails and gear. The short length, by overcoat standards, is shipboard logic too: a sailor working aloft or hauling lines needs his legs free and no coat tails to snag, so the pea coat ends at the hip or mid-thigh where a landsman's overcoat continues to the knee.

As a civilian garment the pea coat kept that whole specification because each part of it works off ship as well. Retail versions vary the cloth, from true melton and pilot-cloth wools to lighter blends, vary the buttons, though the anchor motif remains the recognised detail, and adjust the fit, slimmer for fashion wear than the roomy service cut that had to fit over a jumper. Fit should still allow a sweater beneath, with the shoulders easy and the double-breasted front closing without strain. Care is overcoat care: brush the wool, rest it on a broad hanger, dry-clean when needed, and store it clean against moths. The coat's two-century run from European navies through the United States Navy pattern of the early twentieth century to the modern high street rests on that rare combination, a working garment whose every feature also happens to look right.