So far, I’ve taught you what a peacoat is and how you can rock the look. Now, seeing that autumn/fall is once again upon us, I thought I’d take a look at how to wear a peacoat in bit more detail.

Follow these steps and you’ll find yourself wearing the perfect fitting pea-coat in no time:

The four steps to wearing a peacoat

Step One: Layering
A pea coat is an outer layer, so always treat it as such. The only elements that should ever feature over a pea coat are accessories, and even these can be obtrusive at times. Try tucking any extras, such as scarves, beneath the jacket to maintain the clean line.

Step Two: Length
Your peacoat should ‘hit’ at the bottom of the hips and, ideally, caress your rear. The only real exception to this is the naval jacket, which should end slightly lower. If your pea coat is too long, the figure-defining shape will be lost – too short and you’ll appear as if you’ve gained forty pound over night!

Step Three: Buttoning
There are two important factors when it comes to peacoats and buttons. Firstly, it’s important you keep the jacket sealed if you want that iconic look: remember, these jackets were traditionally worn on the high-seas not the high-street; they’re built to be buttoned.

Secondly, the buttons are the secret to a great shape. The rows should be spaced evenly down the length of the torso and trunk. This creates the classic cinching effect that looks so good on thinner men; larger, rotund men will have a problem creating this corseted look, so should avoid the peacoat all-together – there are plenty of three-quarter length jackets that’ll suit you much better!

Step Four: Sizing
A baggy peacoat is a whale-blanket – in other words, wearing an incorrectly sized peacoat will make you seem ten times larger than you actually are! You want the smallest size you can possibly get away with. Always try on the jacket in-store – you may find a ‘small’ fits much better on your ‘medium’ frame or vice versa.

How to wear a peacoat: The Wrong Way!

how not to wear a peacoat

Notice how our man here refuses to follow the rules and suffers for it! Firstly, the jacket is too big and puffy; look at all the fabric piling underneath the armpits – this is simply the wrong size jacket for the model.

Secondly, those buttons are everywhere – they aren’t pulling or aligning the jacket at all and seeing that it’s the wrong size, the bottom row of buttons are neither use nor ornament.

Lastly, whilst you can see the garment is a pea coat, it’s being used by the model as a makeshift naval jacket. A pea coat should end at the top of the groin, not the mid thighs. It’s far too long and inelegant to be worn in this way.

How to wear a peacoat: The Right Way!

how to wear a peacoat correctly

You should notice the differences instantly.

To begin with, the pea coat ends at the correct length. Secondly, the buttons are pulling and tightening around the midriff – look at that chic hourglass silhouette it’s created. Finally, see how there’s not an extra pound of fabric around the model: if you look closely, you can see how there’s light creasing around the biceps attesting to the good fit.

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