A Guide to Men’s Pea Coats

What is a pea coat?

Pea coats are, essentially, short, double-breasted, woolen or cotton twill jackets, and they’re generally navy blue. You’re familiar with pea coats — if you were a self-respecting British guitar pop/rock band in the swinging sixties and you weren’t wearing a pea coat, well… There’s no end to that sentence, because you simply were wearing a pea coat.

When to wear a pea coat?

Autumn and spring are pea coat high season. When there’s a perceivable nip in the air but no more than a nip. Not, like, a perceivable horse-bite of cold in the air — just a little chill or a merciful thawing that says the seasons, they are a-changing. That’s your pea coat window.

Should pea coats be buttoned or unbuttoned?

You do you. Don’t let us—or anyone else—tell you what to do with your buttons. It all depends on the outfit and the weather, and personal preference, doesn’t it?

Are pea coats warm?

That thick cotton twill or wool is going to keep you plenty warm, especially with the double-breasted action in the front, and the collar you can flip up against the wind if needs be. As you’ll find out later, pea coats were originally created for the Dutch navy and later adapted by the British navy — those sailors needed to stay warm on roof seas.

That’s actually the reason for the pea coat’s short length, too. Sailors needed to be warm but also able to move freely as they went about their duties. Leaving the legs exposed allowed for free movement, making the pea coat practical and bloody stylish.

Are pea coats waterproof?

Whilst not strictly waterproof, unless you hurl yourself into the Atlantic (or any body of water, really), no water is making its way through that lush melton wool of the Percival Pea Coat in olive. And it if it does take on a little moisture, it’s still going to keep you nice and toasty — that’s one of the many reasons the pea coat was so popular with sailors.