A pictorial review of my new (vintage) Navy peacoat…(Yes, that tree is also in it!)

[Terry6164]

Hello everybody,

Today I’d like to show you some pics of my recently acquired Navy peacoat.

Here it is:

Before I go into further detail I would like to thank Peacoat for sharing his knowledge and expertise with me. He was always willing to answer PMs and emails and without him I would have probably bought an inferior and over sized civilian coat. Thanks a lot!!
I would also like to thank Gary Wallace of www.vintagetrends.com for recommending a superbly preserved ’68 peacoat. When the parcel got lost and slipped off the tracking radar he even answered emails during Christmas holidays. The coat was safely packed and absolutely as described – in mint condition! Thanks Gary!

The coat itself is a 1968 model in size 38R, manufactured by Dale Fashions Inc.. I don’t know that brand and I have no idea if they are still in business or if they were a major/minor contractor to the US Navy.

Label

The outer shell is made from midnight blue Kersey wool which is really thick and heavy but surprisingly soft with a velvet like surface. The pockets are lined with light grey moleskin. I would have preferred the earlier model with corduroy pockets but those are much more expensive if you want a decent one.
The fit is almost like if the jacket was custom made. It’s a trim military fit with high armholes, narrow torso and medium slim sleeves.

Trim torso

Not for the faint of heart! Upon arrival I carefully removed ALL anchor buttons (for the reason that they are anchor buttons) :eeek:. The were replaced by a full set of dark brown vintage NOS horn buttons. They are 1-2 mm smaller in diameter but considerably thicker. They work very well and I think that they are gorgeous. For a bit of contrast I’ve used Aero’s heavy duty olive drab thread.

Horn button, contrasting thread

When the coat arrived it was quite wrinkled as it had stayed in a small box for almost two weeks. The wool felt a little dry due to the chemical cleaning process prior to shipping. I put it on a broad hanger and filled a spray bottle with hot water and two table spoons of fabric conditioner. I evenly misted the entire jacket, even the rayon lining and the result is absolutely remarkable. The wool is much softer now (with a fresh scent) and all wrinkles on the shell and the lining are gone. As you can see the jacket looks virtually brand new.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking.

Fantastic looking coat. Unfortunately it never gets cold enough to wear this sort of coat down our way.[/QUOTE

 

[Terry6164]

Hello , I am new to this forum and what caught my eye was you are wearing a pea coat that was manufactured by my grandfathers factory . I was bored and started researching info on the factory and came across you and the jacket . Unfortunately we are no longer in business but majority of our work was for the navy .