The 10 Best Menโ€™s Peacoat Options This Winter
โ€” 27 June 2023

The 10 Best Menโ€™s Peacoat Options This Winter

โ€” 27 June 2023
Randy Lai
WORDS BY
Randy Lai

Warm, stylish, and not beholden to the vagaries of fashion, thereโ€™s never really a bad time to consider buying a classic peacoat.

First created in the early 1800s by Dutch mariners, as with much of menโ€™s fashion over the past two centuries, the style really took off once it was issued across European and American navies.

Regardless of regional variations, most fashion historians concur that all pea coats broadly share a number of common features. These include: an exterior fashioned from heavyweight and densely woven wool; a front closure that is double-breasted; and a length that ends just above the thigh โ€” all characteristics heavily inspired by the needs of navy officers.

Despite the general imperviousness of the menโ€™s peacoat to trends, this isnโ€™t to say that the style has not ebbed and flowed in popularity. Its origins in tailored clothing have inspired dozens (if not hundreds) of classic menswear brands to riff on the basic format.

The style has been reimagined in luxe bolts of cashmere or leather; decorated with all manner of bold patterns and increasingly shorn of its military association in a world where science can produce effective (and often more affordable) performance fabrics.

(Image Credit: BAMF Style)

That said, for men who are particularly keen on classic style, the peacoat is always going to carry a certain allure. Its versatility and maritime pedigree have made it a hero in numerous cinematic wardrobes over the years, particularly in the espionage/technothriller genre where it is a ubiquitous staple among fictional spies such as Daniel Craigโ€™s 007 or Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor (1975).

Naturally, in the latest addition to our Buyerโ€™s Guide series, it is that classic incarnation of the peacoat that weโ€™ll be most focused on. From seasonal bargains to lifelong investment pieces from iconic heritage brands, these are all the pea coats worth wrapping up in for 2023.

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The Best Menโ€™s Peacoats You Can Buy In Australia (2023) โ€“ Table of Contents


Billy Reid โ€˜Bondโ€™ Peacoat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 75% melton wool, 25% polyamide
  • Handwarmer chest pockets
  • Leather striping under collar
  • Made in Ukraine

Arguably the coat with which award-winning Kentucky designer Billy Reid is most closely associated. Famously worn by Daniel Craig during his Skyfall era. A modern Americanised take on military pea coats of yore; complete with a slim, cropped fit, and collar lined with embossed calfskin leather.

โ€œLicence to Killโ€ not included.


Hugo Boss Wool-Blend Coat With Double-Breasted Closure

DETAILS

  • 78% wool, 22% polyamide
  • Welted chest pockets
  • Cut to a slim, contemporary fit
  • Made in Ukraine

Conspicuously never referred to as a โ€œpeacoatโ€ on the BOSS e-store, this fully lined โ€œdouble-breastedโ€ coat is as classic as they come.

Like most contemporary pea coats, BOSS makes theirs with a substantial proportion of polyamide โ€” a thermostable polymer that boosts the (already robust) warmth of melton wool.


Burberry Wool Blend Peacoat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 80% wool, 20% polyamide
  • Button-through rear vent
  • Signature checked undercollar
  • Made in Italy

One of the few staple outerwear silhouettes that remains untouched by new Creative Director Daniel Leeโ€™s vision (for the moment), this Burberry peacoat is a great weather-resistant alternative to the English luxury brandโ€™s array of popular trench coats.

Pop the oversized collar โ€” decorated on the under-side with the iconic Burberry check โ€” every time youโ€™re feeling flexy.


Dunhill โ€˜2 In 1โ€™ Peacoat

DETAILS

  • 65% polyester, 35% cotton
  • Adjustable cuffs
  • Detachable quilted liner
  • Made in Italy

If we gave out innovation in design awards as part of these guides, then Dunhillโ€™s tech-y take on the traditional peacoat would certainly be the primary contender. As the name implies, this design incorporates a removable liner capable of being worn separately, in the style of a puffer vest.

Mated with its larger outerwear silhouette, this is a versatile layer that excels in a variety of cold weather situations โ€” especially where packing space is at a premium.


Mackintosh โ€˜Daltonโ€™ Wool/Cashmere Peacoat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 90% wool, 10% cashmere
  • Front slash pockets
  • Single vent
  • Made in United Kingdom

Definitely one for lovers of noble fibres. Scottish heritage label Mackintoshโ€™s โ€˜Daltonโ€™ is the only option on our list to benefit from the addition of cashmere โ€” a material cost that isnโ€™t even that egregiously reflected in its final price tag.

Made in a slightly boxy fit (with squared-off shoulders and an elevated buttoning point) this is the epitome of a wardrobe staple. With bluchers and oversized denim, we can really see this being a fantastic go-to all winter long.


M.J. Bale โ€˜Tanaroโ€™ Check Peacoat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 63% recycled wool, 25% lyocell, 11% wool, 1% elastane
  • โ€˜Prince of Walesโ€™ check fabric
  • Martingale half-belt-style back
  • Made in PRC

Designed right here in Sydney, yet inexplicably named for an Italian river bordering the French Alps, the Tanaro clearly embodies twinned notions of new tech and old soul.

Aesthetically, the oversized Prince of Wales check evokes hunting, morning mist and life on the moors; even though its methods of production are essentially the polar opposite.

Recycled wool melton is blended together with lyocell and elastane, making for one of the most comfortable peacoats to grace our shortlist. Of course, all of those classic sartorial details โ€” like the Martingala half-belted back โ€” certainly donโ€™t hurt either.


Private White V.C. โ€˜The Peacoatโ€™

DETAILS

  • 100% melton wool, woven in Manchester
  • Etched copper rivets on the undercollar
  • Adjustable back belt
  • Made in England

Manchester-based Private White knew what they were doing when they dubbed this the peacoat โ€” a garment of definitive quality, built to last through the ages.

Part of the brandโ€™s best-selling โ€˜Heroesโ€™ range, this thing has been made with a frankly impressive amount of historical attention to detail.

Essentially, as close as one can get to the mil-spec peacoats of the post-war era minus the explicitly 21st century addition of tablet-friendly zip pockets (which we love).


Polo Ralph Lauren Wool-Blend Melton Peacoat

DETAILS

  • Italian wool blend
  • Buttoned shoulder epaulets
  • โ€˜RLโ€™ engraved corozo buttons

Available this season in a small run of sizes at a rather hefty discount, this Polo-fied take on the classic peacoat is an appropriately preppy riff.

Cut from a blend of Italian-woven melton wool, this even takes a number of small details from the reefer jacket โ€” a historic pea coat variation well known for its ornate buttons and shoulder epaulettes.

Given Laurenโ€™s own well-documented passion for vintage military clothing, weโ€™d expect nothing less.


REISS โ€˜Windโ€™ Shearling Pea Coat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 78% wool, 22% nylon
  • Front slip pockets
  • Detachable sheepskin collar

More Superfly than able seaman, British high street label REISSโ€™ โ€˜Windโ€™ bears the distinction of being the only white peacoat on our list.

Beyond its non-navy credentials, it also sports a detachable shearling liner โ€” largely a cosmetic addition. Albeit one that looks great with Chelsea boots and slim denim.


Ted Baker โ€˜Flasbyโ€™ Italian Wool Blend Peacoat

mens peacoat

DETAILS

  • 64% wool, 26% polyamide, 10% acrylic
  • Exterior shell made with 30% recycled wool
  • Single rear vent

Cat nip for mods. The roped shoulder and high buttoning point of Ted Bakerโ€™s โ€˜Flasbyโ€™ make it a choice addition to wardrobes modelled around the London aesthetic of the Swinging Sixties.

That said, much like M.J. Bale, the brand has approached the production of this style with a decidedly sustainable mindset, crafting the external shell with a sizable percentage of recycled wool.

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Randy Lai
WORDS by
Following 6 years in the trenches covering consumer luxury across East Asia, Randy joins Boss Hunting as the team's Commercial Editor. His work has been featured in A Collected Man, M.J. Bale, Soho Home, and the BurdaLuxury portfolio of lifestyle media titles. An ardent watch enthusiast, boozehound and sometimes-menswear dork, drop Randy a line at randy@luxity.com.au.