Contemporary British-Made Men's Pea Coats — Voted by the Community

The pea coat comes from seafaring dress. The English word 'pea jacket' dates from the early eighteenth century and is usually traced to the Dutch 'pijjekker', from 'pij', a coarse woollen cloth, and 'jekker', a jacket. The US Navy favours another explanation that links the name to 'pilot cloth'. Early pea jackets were longer than today's. A London cutter's guide of 1825 describes a double-breasted jacket reaching below the knee, made from a coarse wool called Flushing and lined with baize. For many seamen it was the only foul-weather garment they owned. The officers' version, with gold buttons, is known as the reefer jacket. In the twentieth century, naval pea coats were usually made from heavy, dark navy Kersey wool. The wool was lightly treated so it kept its natural lanolin, which helped it shed water and hold warmth. The double-breasted front and broad collar remain the coat's defining features. Surplus coats and civilian copies brought the style into everyday wear, and it is now a classic. British makers continue to produce pea coats in dense wool cloth for cold, wet weather.