The Peacoat

The peacoat is a  sporty, on the go, no nonsense piece of outerwear.  Somewhere between jacket and three quarter length coat.  J Crew has this timeless classic perfectly recreated and it's been in their collection since 2006.  

​Blue J Crew peacoat, red peacoat similar here and here II Zara leggings II J Crew Shoes similar II Cloche hat similar II Tom Ford Sunnies II Vince Camuto Clutch similar

Blue J Crew peacoat, red peacoat similar here and here II Zara leggings II Tom Ford Sunnies II Ugg Bailey boot II Mulberry Bag (old) similar here

The peacoat stems from a military and naval background in the 1800s.  First worn by the Dutch, the name "pea" originates from the cloth it was made from - a course wool fabric for which the Dutch word is "pije".  However, it was the British who made the coat famous (of course), as they made it a uniform for Naval petty officers.  The coat was then adopted by the US Navy and thus made it's way here!

Today the style is cut to fit much more snug.  This J Crew version runs quite small to give it a fitted silhouette.  I have a size up from my usual size, and still can only wear a thin base layer underneath which is fine for Arizona!  The coat is particuarly warm as it was originally designed to be.  J Crew are using a stadium-cloth wool which comes from Italy's Nello Gori mill.  It's warm but not bulky.   It's double breasted and you can button the jacket all the way up to the neckline.  The authentic brass buttons are etched with a  royal crest coat of arms.  Plus there's a hidden tab under the collar to fasten the collar to stand completely up-right around the neck - all of which are features reminiscent of the original peacoat.

Whilst the traditional color is navy (who'd have thought!) peacoats come in many colors today.  J Crew has a number of different colors on-line and each year they seem to add new vibrant colors to their collection.  The peacoat looks best with pants or jeans.  I've created both a dressy and casual look in the photos above, and there are plenty of other possibilities.  It's particularly cute paired with jeans and loafers, very preppy! Also  smart pants and heels, as well as boots from ankle to  thigh high. It's a very useful and stylish coat - both the British and the US Navy would agree!
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Thanks for reading!
Love
Karen xox