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{{short description|Outer coat originally worn by sailors}}
[[Image:US Navy p coat wiki.jpg|thumb|upright|Military surplus coat, produced for the [[US Navy]]]]

A '''pea coat''' is an outer [[coat]], generally of a [[Navy blue|navy-coloured]] heavy [[wool]], originally worn by [[sailor]]s of European<ref name="history">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.tailsclothing.com/clothing/coats/pavois-peacoat.html
 |title=The History of the Pea Coat
 |access-date=2014-01-07
 |author=Josh Williams
 |year=2013 |work=Tails
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107155927/http://www.tailsclothing.com/clothing/coats/pavois-peacoat.html
 |archive-date=2014-01-07
 |url-status=dead}}</ref>  and later American [[navy|navies]].<ref name="USN">{{cite web |url=http://www.uswings.com/peacoat.asp |title=US Navy-style Pea ("P") Coat |access-date=2007-12-31 |year=2008 |work=US Wings Inc. |archive-date=2007-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017031054/http://www.uswings.com/peacoat.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Better source|reason=a sales website, no author, no references|date=January 2025}} Pea coats are characterized by short length, broad [[Jacket lapel|lapels]], [[double-breasted]] fronts, often large wooden, metal or plastic buttons, three or four in two rows, and vertical or slash pockets.<ref name="soko">{{cite web |url=http://thesoko.com/thesoko/article1262.html |title=The Perfection Of The Pea Coat |access-date=2007-12-31 |author=Stilson, Sam |year=2007 |work=The Soko }}</ref> References to the pea jacket appear in American newspapers at least as early as the 1720s,<ref>{{cite news |journal=Boston Gazette |issue=22 |date=May 9–16, 1720 |title=untitled|page=3}}</ref> and modern renditions still maintain the original design and composition.<ref name="USN" />

A '''reefer jacket''' is an [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]]'s or [[chief petty officer]]'s pea coat, with the same design but bearing gold buttons and [[epaulettes]].<ref name="history" />  A '''bridge coat''' is a reefer jacket which extends to the [[thighs]], giving greater protection to an officer who does not need agility to climb the rigging.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.dufflecoatsuk.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-a-reefer-jacket| title=What is a Reefer Jacket?| date=2015-04-22| access-date=2019-11-11| archive-date=2019-11-12| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112043447/https://www.dufflecoatsuk.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-a-reefer-jacket| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Terminology==
It may also be called a '''peacoat''', '''pea jacket''', or  '''pilot jacket'''.

==Etymology==
According to a 1975 edition of ''[[The Mariner's Mirror]]'', the term "pea coat" originated from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] or [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] word {{lang|nl|pijjekker}} or {{lang|nl|pijjakker}}, in which {{lang|nl|[[wikt:pij|pij]]}} referred to the type of cloth used, a coarse kind of [[twill]]ed blue cloth with a [[Nap (textile)|nap]] on one side. {{lang|nl|Jakker}} designates a man’s short, heavy coat.<ref>{{cite journal | title=The Mariner's Mirror |author1=Leonard George Carr Laughton |author2=Roger Charles Anderson |author3=William Gordon Perrin | journal=The Mariner's Mirror | year=1975 | volume=61 | pages=26}}</ref>

Another theory, favoured by the US Navy, is that the heavy [[Overcoat|topcoat]] worn in cold, miserable weather by seafaring men was once tailored from "pilot cloth" {{em dash}} a heavy, coarse, stout kind of twilled blue cloth with the nap on one side. This was sometimes called P-cloth from the initial letter of [[Maritime pilot|pilot]], and the garment made from it was called a P-jacket {{em dash}} later a pea coat. The term has been used since 1723 to denote coats made from that cloth.<ref>{{citation |title=Origin of Navy Terminology |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/origin.htm#pea |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060810182820/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/origin.htm#pea |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 10, 2006 |publisher=Navy Internal Relations Activity, Office of the Chief of Information |others=LT John W. Alexander, Director}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==
Today, the style is considered a classic, and pea coats are worn by all manner of individuals. The style has evolved to the addition of hoods.

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 design variations 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 (cloth)|Kersey]] wool, which was dense enough to repel wind and rain, and able to contain body heat without further insulation. This wool was left lightly treated after being sheared to retain much of the natural lanolin oil from sheep, thus increasing its water-repelling and insulating properties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ask.metafilter.com/233297/Waterproofing-a-wool-coat|title = Waterproofing a wool coat}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=PEACOAT DATING|url=https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/peacoat-dating.35824/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=The Fedora Lounge|date=23 January 2009 |language=en-US}}</ref> Kersey was gradually replaced in the U.S. Navy through the 1970s by the rougher black [[Melton Mowbray#Melton cloth|Melton cloth]] (also lightly treated), a lighter wool that requires a quilted lining to match the warmth of the original Kersey.<ref name="usnavy">{{cite web |url=http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/uniforms/uniformregulations/uniformcomponents/Pages/3501_41.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610003324/http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/uniforms/uniformregulations/uniformcomponents/Pages/3501_41.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |title=§5 Article 3501.41 Peacoat (E6 and Below) |work=U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations |access-date=2009-10-16 }}</ref>

[[File:Matrose der Kaiserlichen Marine im Überzieher um 1910.jpg|thumb|right|Navy Pea Coat illustrated ca. 1910]]

==See also==
*[[Chesterfield coat]]
*[[Covert coat]]
*[[Duffle coat]]
*[[Greatcoat]]
*[[Paletot]]
*[[Polo coat]]
*[[Trench coat]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Clothing}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pea Coat}}
[[Category:2010s fashion]]
[[Category:Coats (clothing)]]
[[Category:Jackets]]
[[Category:Military uniforms]]