The peacoat has been recognizable around the world for nearly three centuries now with very few changes from its original design. Starting as a hard wearing seaman’s jacket in northern Europe the coat quickly gained in popularity among laborers in cold climates as it moved from port to port. The actual word peacoat was derived from the name of the original 30-ounce wool cloth, pij, that the Dutch used to construct the hearty jacket. The Dutch called their jackets “pijjjakker” or “pijjecker,” which in English means roughly “jacket of pij.” Like most things of the sea, the jacket evolved and moved along trade routes through out the 18th century and was adopted by the British Royal Navy in the early years of the 1800s in turn spreading to the newly formed navy of the United States of America, which took much of its inspiration for its royal parentage throughout the 19th century.

(L) US Navy, c. 1870 ® British Royal Navy officer c.1900

Eventual the English pronunciation of the Dutch pijjjakker took hold with the “pea jacket” becoming one of the most popular coats in history. When it was finally adopted into the official uniforms of the US Navy toward the end of the 19th century they were being made from melton wool. Melton wool is tightly woven and then treated with heat and high pressure to create a very dense, wind proof fabric perfect for uniforms. This 32-ounce melton wool jacket would be standard issue for all US Navy enlistees all the way through to the 1970’s. All though there have been some minor changes to the design, most notably two less buttons, lighter fabric, only two pockets, and more relaxed fit, over the years the basic look of the coat as endured. A stout, double breasted jacket, with a large collar to block the wind and big buttons that can be worked with gloves goes all the way back to the original pijjjaker.

Lone Sailor Statue. modeled on then Petty Officer 1st class Dan Maloney, the ‘typical’ sailor

Although the build quality of the Navy issue jackets has definitely gone down since the early days of the American peacoat, it has slowly but surely made its way into the main stream and can be found in almost every designer label’s collection around the world. Today peacoats can be found in just about every fabric, color, and price but, for my money, I dont understand paying hundreds of dollars for something of inferior quality that was intended to be cheap and durable when there are hundreds of thousands of military surplus peacoats at very reasonable prices to be had. Plus, one of the beauties of the peacoat is its simplicity. Its all about the silhouette, not some crazy fabric. You might say, “but, you just told us Navy issue build quality has gone down.” To that I would respond, “true, but, here in lies the beauty of vintage.” The original Navy issue peacoats were built so tough and became so popular during the war years that there are still many good quality very lightly used originals to be found at good prices. Check out this post at the Fedora Lounge forum about shopping vintage peacoats for the details but, just a teaser, one highlight, corduroy lined pockets and nipped waists on the WWII era jackets.

WWII era Navy recruitment poster with a girl in an officers peacoat

One last thing to remember. Peacoats are nice warm but, they are not formal in anyway. Actually, they are the opposite. Some designers are trying to dress up the peacoat but, I think it has its place and its perfect there. With a pair of jeans and a dixie cup hat its right at home. There is no need to throw it on over a suit. Thats what your top coats for. So, get yourself a simple original, flip up your collar, and explore late fall in comfort and style.

PS if your interested in any US Navy uniform history there is a great write up here