A couple of days ago, I was brainstorming ideas for this week's column with a friend late at night. She, a very fresh and clean-cut wearer of clothing, brought up the idea of sweaters and coats, which was then specified to just pea coats.
In her eyes, "pea coats are very sexy on men," although there does exist a very fine line between looking manly and looking effeminate when wearing one. So I did some thinking about the topic and decided that it would make for an interesting column.
Many years ago, when I was still na've to the world of fashion, I had one go-to person for advice on things related to clothes: my mom.
Just like your mom used to dress you, my mom dressed me. For the longest time I didn't really think much of it (except for those awkward trips to the mall).
However, I did eventually grow out of this phase and now dress myself. I must admit, though, that I still bounce ideas off my mom when we do go shopping together (which is nice because it gives us something to connect over in this day and age).
Nonetheless, when I was younger I was in need of a coat to keep me alive through the Canadian winter - so my mom suggested that I invest in a pea coat.
The pea coat, as it was worn originally by sailors in the nineteenth century, is double-breasted and has over-sized lapels. Made of heavy wool, it also contains slash pockets for your hands and is cut to your mid-thigh. The simplicity of the coat garners it a lot of respect and sophistication. The classic pea coat is a navy color and the coat is standard issue for the men and women serving in the U.S. Navy.
Whether modern or trendy, all renditions of the pea coat keep the structure and form remarkably consistent with that of the classic, but come in different patterns and colors. These might include gray, camel or plaid.
The collar of the pea coat is designed to be flipped up to protect you (and sailors) from the wind and rain that you so often encounter on your morning walk to class. This is unlike the collar on your polo shirt, the popping of which serves no purpose other than to make you look like a tool.
GQ Magazine (that's Gentlemen's Quarterly for those of you who don't know) recently did a big spread on the pea coat, using actual U.S. Navy men to model the coats.
It serves to show that you don't need to be rich or have a flamboyant style to wear a pea coat, you just need to be confident and maybe a little bit of a badass.
Where and when do you wear a pea coat, you ask? Well, though it may be woven out of wool, the pea coat may not be ideal for the snowy months. It is better to don your pea coat in autumn and spring when it's chilly enough to constitute adding an outer layer.
Wear your pea coat over a nice sweater of some sort and pair it with jeans, corduroy pants or any other decent-looking slacks.
Throw on a little beanie or sailor's hat and you will have pretty much mastered the style.
But what say you? You don't have any money to spend on a brand new, spiffy pea coat? Well don't worry about it, because if you hit up an Army surplus store, I promise you will find a dozen or so pea coats.
The interesting thing here is that if you manage to find one that was issued by the Navy, you'd be hard pressed to find a better quality pea coat anywhere else.
Since they're meant to last forever, the Navy coats are incredibly well-made. That means buying a second-hand one is just as good as buying a new one, except it's a hell of a lot cheaper. Just send it to the cleaners and it'll be good as new.
As for me, I never did buy that pea coat my mom suggested, probably because I couldn't find one that fit me just right.
But I still always keep a keen eye out, for the day when that perfect pea coat comes along.
