"New" 1967 Peacoat - return it or keep it?

[ButteMT61]

Jeez, I don't think you could have a coat made that fits/looks any better. Great job.

 

[too much coffee]

Hey Cole;

Your quest for a perfect fitting vintage real Navy pea coat is over my friend! It just doesn't get any better than that. Congratulations!

Best regards,
coffee

 

[Kristofer]

Hi

First of all, that's a really nice looking pea coat. I'm about to buy one myself but I'm a bit unsure what size I should get. My chest measures 39" (99cm). I live in Sweden and the winters are rather cold so I will need room for a sweater under it. Gary from vintagetrends.com suggested me to go for a size 40. But I have seen several threads on this forum where people seems to go down in size rather than up. Should I do the same? I am 5 foot 9 (175cm) and weigh 154 lbs (70kg). I usually wear size medium and I am normal built, somewhat broad over my shoulders. Will a size 39 be to tight for me, like a suit with no room for a sweater? or will a size 40 look to big?

Thanks a million in advance / Kristofer

 

[Cole]

Hi

First of all, that's a really nice looking pea coat. I'm about to buy one myself but I'm a bit unsure what size I should get. My chest measures 39" (99cm). I live in Sweden and the winters are rather cold so I will need room for a sweater under it. Gary from vintagetrends.com suggested me to go for a size 40. But I have seen several threads on this forum where people seems to go down in size rather than up. Should I do the same? I am 5 foot 9 (175cm) and weigh 154 lbs (70kg). I usually wear size medium and I am normal built, somewhat broad over my shoulders. Will a size 39 be to tight for me, like a suit with no room for a sweater? or will a size 40 look to big?

Thanks a million in advance / Kristofer

I would recomend that you study the sticky about peacoat dating in this forum. It includes a part about the proper sizing and helped me a lot. With a 39" chest size I guess a size 38 peacoat would fit much better than a size 40. I have a 44" chest, my peacoat is size 42 and leaves enough room to wear a heavy sweatshirt or pullover underneath.

Best regards
Oliver

 

[Kristofer]

thank's for your reply. That sticky note was indeed interesting reading. Since you got a size 42 for a chest size of 44 I guess I could go for a size 38. But in that sticky it says I should subtract 2". That would leave me with a size 36, and that sound a bit small to me?. However a size 40 would end up at 38 after the subtraction, and if the theory is correct, giving me a good fit. Well it seems like I have a 50/50 chance of getting this right, so I might just have to follow my instinct.

By the way, I really like the lenght of your pea coat. Is it a "regular" or a "long"?

/ Kristofer

 

[Peacoat]

Kristopher, I think you have misread some of the information in the section on sizing. Subtracting 2" only applies to the coat to find its true size. A size 40 will always be a size 40; there is no reason to subtract 2". That is only done when given the pit to pit measurement. Subtracting 2" from the p2p x2 will give the true size of the peacoat, irrespective of what is stated on the label. Sorry that was confusing in the sticky.

If your actual chest measurement is 39" then a size 38 would be a better fit than a size 40, which would swallow you. There is no size 39 in issue peacoats. A size 38 should have a pit to pit of about 20.25 to 20.50. That is the measurement you will be looking for. Always have the seller give you the actual p2p of the coat he is selling. Some are oversized and not the actual size as stated on the label--ask Cooperson. Some sellers will get lazy and when you ask for the p2p, they take 1/2 of the stated coat size. That isn't what you want. You want them to actually take the measurements as explained in the sizing section.

If you have any questions, I will be glad to answer them.

 

[Cicero]

If you don't feel comfortable, you most likely will not wear it.
Simple as that.

 

[Kristofer]

thank you for taking the time to help me. After reading some threads here I was actually set to go for a size 38. Then, all of a sudden I got second thoughts and started thinking of a size 40 instead. But when you say a 40 is to big for me I do feel more comfortable sticking to my original plan. So what would you advice me to do next? Pick out a 38 pea coat and then ask for pit-to-pit measurements just to be sure before ordering? (I'm buying from Gary at vintagetrends.com)

With all your knowledge in this subject I do have a good feeling choosing a perfect size. I once bought a coat which made me look like a toothpick in a tent so hopefully I can avoid that this time.

Regards / Kristofer

 

[JanSolo]

Hi Kristofer,

at your given measurements you will have to buy a 38.

Here's my vintage '68 Dale, size 38. My measurements 6ft/ 184cm, 160lbs/78kg (at the time, now less), 39 inch chest.

Enough room for layering:

Close fit when buttoned up:

Make sure that yours is free of moth bites and that the nap is in perfect condition. Vintage Kersey Peacoats rule!!

 

[Kristofer]

Thanks for the input Jan. That is a really nice looking pea coat you got. I will also go for a size 38 and I have now limited my selection to these two pea coats from vintagetrends. I don't really know if there are any significant differences between them (apart from 1" in arm length). Which one would you guys suggest?

Pembroke Inc.

or

Dale Fashions

 

[JanSolo]

The choice is up to you. Both no longer have the tan corduroy pockets but cream coloured flanel pockets. There shouldn't be much difference in construction. My Dale is very well put together with a lot of attention to detail. A coat constructed the way this baby is would cost a couple of hundred of EUR today.

Send Gary of VT a message and ask him to inspect both jackets carefully. Yours HAS to be free of moth bites! A loose button can be easily fixed but a damaged shell cannot be fixed although some claim that it can be repaired by reweaving it.
Good luck and keep us updated! (If possible in a new thread as I don't want to hijack Cole's thread)

 

[Peacoat]

I agree with Jan. The maker is not as important as is the condition of the coat. Ask Gary which one is free of not only moth bites, but of moth tracking as well.

Now keep in mind that until you fill out, the peacoat may be a bit big on you as they are made for someone with standard measurements.

 

[Kristofer]

thanks a lot for this highly valuable information. I'll ask Gary right away. I never would have guessed there is so much to learn about pea coats. Thanks to you I feel wiser but I do think they should make a serie about this on Discovery channel. I'll get back to you as soon as I have the coat in my hand... in a new thread of course - pardon me Cole.