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Fashion For Men—Overcoats & Jackets

By Douglas James Scammell

Published 10:34 PST, Fri January 17, 2025

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If you’re just starting out choosing a wardrobe for business or casual, Douglas’ experience will help with your wardrobe choices.

A very big part of a gentlemen’s fashion during winter months in Vancouver is finding the right overcoat that is the most versatile for both dressy and casual wear that functions like a jacket that keeps you warm and dry as well as looking great whether it’s going to the office, holiday parties, or to the grocery store…

There are many different overcoat styles—single breasted, double breasted and a variety of fabrics to choose from tweed, wool and cashmere. Whether you are buying off the rack, made to measure, or bespoke. The key is to find the one that fits you just right. Second, pick a color that can go with the majority of your existing wardrobe. Navy, grey, and brown are your most versatile colors.

PEA COAT/JACKET

One of the most versatile of these overcoats is the Peacoat. This jacket was made famous in the movie The Sand Pebbles worn by actor Steve McQueen, and worn by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Skyfall. This jacket goes great with a suit. But also casual everyday wear with a pair of jeans. Men could wear the Pea Jacket almost every day during the fall and winter months.

The history of the Peacoat is deeply rooted in military and naval backgrounds. A Pea coat or Pea jacket is an outer coat, in a navy-colour-heavy wool worn by sailors in the European and American navy.

Pea coats are characterized by short length, broad lapels, double breasted fronts, large wooden, metal or plastic buttons, three or four in two rows, and vertical or slash pockets dating back to 1720s, tailored from “pilot cloth”—a heavy, coarse, kind of twilled blue cloth. This was sometimes called P-cloth and the garment made from it was called a P-jacket a term that has been used since 1723.

Today, the style is considered a classic. While some of the jackets seen on the street are genuine navy surplus, most are designs inspired by the classic uniform and available from retailers with a variation of designs that reflect current fashion trends, including a variety of fabrics and colours. The standard US Navy-issued Pea coat uses Navy blue wool and sports buttons (brass for officers, black plastic for enlisted) decorated with an anchor motif. The standard fabric for historical Pea coats in the 20th century was a smooth and heavy, dark navy-blue Kersey wool, which was dense enough to repel wind and rain, and able to contain body heat without further insulation. This wool was lightly treated after being sheared to retain much of the natural lanolin oil from sheep, to increase water-repelling and insulating properties.

Kersey wool was gradually replaced in the U.S. Navy through the 1970s by the rougher black Melton cloth (also lightly treated), a lighter wool that requires a quilted lining to match the warmth of the original Kersey. Wikipedia.org

TRENCH COAT

The other type of overcoat that is very important for a gentleman especially in Vancouver is the trench coat, otherwise known as the rain coat. This is the perfect jacket to wear when it is raining and when the weather is still mild and warm. This jacket’s function is to keep you dry.

It is a timeless piece that every gentleman should have in their closet. There are many different versions of this trench coat worn by cinema icons like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, to Michael Caine in Get Carter. It will never go out of style and will give you an edgy sharp look.

A trench coat is a variety coat made of waterproof, heavy-duty fabric originally developed for British army officers before the First World War and becoming popular while used in the trenches, hence the name trench coat.