My new Peacoat advice. Too big ?

[simmo]

Just received my 1949 peacoat .Snagged it on Ebay in the U.S. I live in the UK so took a few weeks to arrive and then got stung on import tax for £25. The jacket is in amazing condition for its age. Looks almost new, so heres the problem. Its stamped up as a 42 on the label but this thing in my opinion is too big on me. It fits my fairly broad shoulders fine. I have long arms and the arm length seems fine but i think theres too much excess going on in the body. I'm a 42" chest, 32" waist and 6.0 ft tall but even with a sweater on this feels too big in the body and i think maybe a few inches too long also. Whats everyones opinion on the fit ? Do i let such a lovely specimen go or do i risk having it altered, although not sure how that would affect the shoulder fit etc afterwards. I'm really gutted as its such a clean coat .

In this last pic you can see the excess that i'm on about .

 

[wdw]

I'm no peacoat expert, but that looks fine to me. I wouldn't change it.

 

[plain old dave]

You have got to understand the peacoat is intended to be worn over the Service Dress Blue uniform and is sized accordingly. Only thing I notice is according to Navy Regs the sleeves are just slightly too short for you.

 

[simmo]

I was under the impression that the navy peacoat was supposed to be a fairly snug fitting coat to keep the heat in.

 

[schitzo]

sure, there is room for you to gain a pretty hefty beer gut there but I wouldn't say it looks 'too' big. Is it comfortable on? It looks like it is and I reckon, though not a perfect stremlined fit for your slimline torso, it's fine as it is

 

[simmo]

Noticed another problem.Looks like theres been some kind of botch job on the collar.Looks like its been removed for whatever reason then stitched back on pretty bad and not even straight ! There was a mention on the ebay page of armhole linings being professionally repaired many years ago.Would you need to remove the collar to repair the lining as this looks like a pretty crappy repair job. :eusa_doh:

 

[Heiko]

It appears to be a bit too large in the shoulders, no? And it is a little long. Sleeves could be let out a bit. It's not quite perfect, but looks like it can be altered pretty easily--although since a peacoat is a casual piece of clothing, I wouldn't bother (I'm lax when it comes to casual wear although maybe I shouldn't be).

 

[Edward]

Looks fine to me, fit-wise. I wouldn't want a peacoat that was too neat fitting, as it would run the risk of being only wearable a very short time in the year. If you couldn't fit a big sweater under it you run the risk of it not being enough for the depths of Winter while also being too warm for 'jacket-over-shirt' weather. To my mind, a good peacoat should be sized to go over a submariner-style sweater - like an Irvin. As to the collar, I don't think it's a big enough deal to be worth the hassle of a repair (nor compromising its originality, if that's your thing).

 

[3onaMatch]

Coat fits exactly as it's supposed to. Stop obsessing.

 

[plain old dave]

I was under the impression that the navy peacoat was supposed to be a fairly snug fitting coat to keep the heat in.

Nope, designed as an outer garment and sized accordingly.

Noticed another problem.Looks like theres been some kind of botch job on the collar.Looks like its been removed for whatever reason then stitched back on pretty bad and not even straight ! There was a mention on the ebay page of armhole linings being professionally repaired many years ago.Would you need to remove the collar to repair the lining as this looks like a pretty crappy repair job. :eusa_doh:

Wouldn't worry too highly much about that. Lot of times you will see that, as according to Regs the collar is never worn up.

 

[Monte]

That coat looks right on to me. Looks great in fact. That is a darn good find all in all. I would be happy to find a coat that fit me that closely as you
do have a very small waist size. I usually have a sport coat on underneath mine and it gets tight in a hurry!
Mine's a 42XL and it is a roomy overcoat and that's fine by me. The back side of the collar is tidy enough.

 

[Peacoat]

There's noting wrong with the size of the coat, you just need to gain a few pounds. I can give you some pointers if you like. Also, that 32" waist is entirely too small. We need to get that beefed up some. Mine was 34" until my latest orthopedic injury that limited my activity. I am well beefed up now.

Navy regs call for the cuff to come to 3/4 of the way to the knuckles (from the wrist joint). I don't worry about that. If the cuff comes to 1" below the wrist joint, I am happy with it. That way it will cover my shirt sleeve and a sweater (jumper) sleeve. Your sleeves are fine.

With a chest size of 42", you should be able to wear a size 42 peacoat with room for a sweater, but not much more. I would expect to see a p2p of 22.25" on a size 42 peacoat. Yours may be just a bit larger than standard. To find out how to measure the p2p and find the actual chest size of your coat (irrespective of the stated tag size), see my sticky at the top of the Outerwear first page.

If you sized down to a size 40 (standard p2p of 21.25"), the sleeves may be too short for you. There is normally enough material inside the cuff to lengthen the sleeves by at least an inch.

You don't want to send this coat back. It is a nice coat. My 1949 peacoat has the nicest finish of any of my pea coats. If you follow some of the weight gain pointers I give you, you will stay warmer in those UK Winters, and the peacoat will have a snugger fit.

EDIT NOTE: I wouldn't worry about the collar. As the other poster noted, the collar is never worn up, so sometimes not a lot of attention was paid to how it looked underneath. If you wear the collar up, and it does bother you, a seamstress or a tailor can trim that up for you lickety split.

 

[ButteMT61]

Looks good on you. Phooey what it's "supposed to look like".
Enjoy it!

 

[schitzo]

If you follow some of the weight gain pointers I give you, you will stay warmer in those UK Winters, and the peacoat will have a snugger fit.
.

haha this has made me smile. Peacoat seems to know his onions, but if you like I can also send you a weight gain recipe. It's for a smoothie packed with healthy calories

 

[Doctor Damage]

That coat looks right on to me. Looks great in fact. That is a darn good find all in all. I would be happy to find a coat that fit me that closely as you.

Agree with this - the original poster got lucky!

As for the possibly modified collar: as long as it looks fine when being worn, don't worry about it.

As for navy regulations, unless you're in the navy...

 

[simmo]

LOL . I eat like a pig but being a postie i am continually burning it off ! I'm just curious as to why the collar would have been removed in the first place. I think i might have to try and get it sorted at a tailor/seamstress. Looks like someone took a pair of scissors, closed their eyes and tried to cut a straight line then closed their eyes and stitched it back on overlapping the back of the coat rather than the 2 seams meeting if that makes sense, or are you saying it could have been like this from day one ? I personally prefer them with the collar up even if its against the regs

 

[Peacoat]

I think it was like that from day one. Easily remedied.

Did you read the instructions in the sticky on measuring the p2p? What did you get when measuring the proper way?

 

[Monte]

You are the owner so have at it. That wool should hold up I hope. I keep my alteration place on speed dial for my long arms as well.

 

[simmo]

I think it was like that from day one. Easily remedied.

Did you read the instructions in the sticky on measuring the p2p? What did you get when measuring the proper way?

Comes to around 22.5 " pit to pit

 

[Peacoat]

Well, that is a standard size 42, so it is size tagged properly.