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[eloithered-blog]

the “P” coat

Thanks to its simple aesthetic look, durable build, and practical design, it’s not at all surprising that the peacoat hasn’t changed much in the past 300 years. Today it’s an iconic piece of winter outerwear sported by both men and women looking for a practical yet stylish way to weather the elements. One could definitely argue the peacoat is worn even more by women than men because of its inherent modern-day fashion statement. Despite the varying styles, colors, and embellishments, the peacoat often stays true to its origins: to be a functional and durable outwear for sailors. 

Ironically, the origin of the term peacoat is not as clear. The two main schools of thought have compelling evidence to claim the origin of the term so here’s a bit of both and you be the judge. 

The Dutch often lay claim to the peacoat’s inception 300 hundred years ago. Back then, it was already designed with a double-breasted front for warmth, large buttons of wood or metal to easily handle with clumsy frozen fingers, wide lapels to protect your neck from the cold wind, and a heavy cloth build for durability and insulation. This heavy cloth is called “pije” in Dutch or “pijjakker” in West Frisian which specifically refers to “coarse wool”. Since the Dutch dominated the naval battle ground at the time it could very well be why the world was eager to adopt the peacoat.

The contending theory speculates that the origin of the peacoat refers to sailor coats made from a heavy twilled blue cloth commonly called “p-cloth”. Subsequently “p-cloth” turned into a “p-cloth coat” or simply a “p-coat”. Many speculate this is an English version of the story but further scrutiny shows that military peacoats were officially black thus weakening this theory a bit. 

In any case, I will be forever grateful that a certain unspecified naval fleet 300 years ago developed this timelessly functional and visually pleasing winter coat.

1. http://blog.sterlingwear.com/history-of-the-peacoat/

2. http://apartmentnumber9.com/blogs/issue-14/10582249-menswear-classics-the-peacoat