Questions About the United States Navy Peacoat

[born113]

I was thinking about where to look for information about nautical pea coats. And now I saw this thread. Now I have to study 112 pages. I wish I hadn't found this thread...

 

[Peacoat]

I was thinking about where to look for information about nautical pea coats. And now I saw this thread. Now I have to study 112 pages. I wish I hadn't found this thread...

To simplify, go the the Lounge Guides section at the top of the main menu. Click and then scroll down until you see the section on Dating the US Navy Peacoat. 90% of the sum of human knowledge on Navy peacoats is contained in that Guide. The other 10% is still in my head.

If you can't find it, let me know and I will find it and post the link.

EDIT: As I knew exactly where it is, I went ahead and found it for you:

The Fedora Lounge Guide to Dating the United States Navy Peacoat

PEACOAT DATING I first became interested in vintage Navy peacoats while trying to replace a coat my brother-in-law had given me in about 1971 when he got out of the Navy. Initially, I bought two of them, one at an Army Navy surplus store and one on EBay. Neither had the same...

www.thefedoralounge.com

 

[born113]

Dating the US Navy Peacoat. 90% of the sum of human knowledge on Navy peacoats is contained in that Guide. The other 10% is still in my head

Thanks a lot. I found.
Well, now I'll re-read all the guides Thanks again.

 

[Doctor Damage]

from that LIFE magazine feature on US military personnel, the date was 1941 as I recall, too bad the quality is poor

 

[PeterRocco]

Just bought this made in 2016 Schott Pea Coat Style as per Tag 762N in Brown Wool and In Perfect New Condition. Not as heavy as my Regular 740N but still a nice weight. I think the Wool is 32oz. More Trim Fitting.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

from that LIFE magazine feature on US military personnel, the date was 1941 as I recall, too bad the quality is poor

View attachment 402032

Begs the question....what is the story on the bell bottoms??
Surely some sailors out there know.
I know it’s not for walking ease, memory recalls you can trip on them.

 

[Grayland]

Begs the question....what is the story on the bell bottoms??
Surely some sailors out there know.
I know it’s not for walking ease, memory recalls you can trip on them.

I thought it was to make them easier to remove if they fell overboard - as wet clothing adds a lot of weight. I recall some Army water survival training I did where we were taught to remove our pants, tie the legs near the cuffs, hold the pants by the waist and "throw" the pants over our head to gather air - basically making a floatation device.

 

[Edward]

Interesting thread. Sort of considering a Schott 740N in navy as a potential casual jacket for next Winter. Back when I was fifteen my 'good' coat was a West German naval peacoat in a hefty, still boiled(?) wool. Beautiful coat; the inner lining was the same stuff as the shell, not quilted. One, big inner-pocket that could fit a novel (or an A-Z, handy when I first moved to London in 1999). That first one was about in 1989/90. I grew out of it two years later, but then in 1997/8 my local surplus place got another batch of them. I dearly wish I could find one again. The ones I see now are all quilt-lined, not quite as special. I'm considering one of the Schott US options as a replacement now, though I wish I could still find one of those German ones now. I'm guessing the spec was probably 1960s, definitely post-war. Real quality stuff, though. Might even pick up some of those German fouled anchor buttons to go on it if I do go the Schott route.

 

[Peacoat]

Interesting thread. Sort of considering a Schott 740N in navy as a potential casual jacket for next Winter. Back when I was fifteen my 'good' coat was a West German naval peacoat in a hefty, still boiled(?) wool. Beautiful coat; the inner lining was the same stuff as the shell, not quilted. One, big inner-pocket that could fit a novel (or an A-Z, handy when I first moved to London in 1999). That first one was about in 1989/90. I grew out of it two years later, but then in 1997/8 my local surplus place got another batch of them. I dearly wish I could find one again. The ones I see now are all quilt-lined, not quite as special. I'm considering one of the Schott US options as a replacement now, though I wish I could still find one of those German ones now. I'm guessing the spec was probably 1960s, definitely post-war. Real quality stuff, though. Might even pick up some of those German fouled anchor buttons to go on it if I do go the Schott route.

I looked at the Schott website the other day. Appears they have upgraded the quality of the shell in the 740N peacoat. Might be worth getting. I like the navy as well.

 

[Edward]

I looked at the Schott website the other day. Appears they have upgraded the quality of the shell in the 740N peacoat. Might be worth getting. I like the navy as well.

It's defintely the navy colour that appeals most to me. Though the black is nice as well; I had a much cheaper, wool mix version of the six button style in black about twenty years ago.

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[eclipse7309]

Hey All. Got a question, maybe for @Peacoat ...So I've had my early 40's peacoat for a few months now. It's gonna be almost time to give it a rest as it seems to be warming up a bit early here in NYC. Anyway, When I got it, I took it to a local tailor (Who I'd done previously successful business with) to fix up a few of the buttons. But they keep coming loose every couple weeks. I don't think that could be the coat, it must be the method used to sew the buttons.

Could anyone explain or even possibly illustrate (can't find anything on youtube etc!) the REAL/CORRECT way to sew on a peacoat button? Isn't there a specific pattern the thread is supposed to go in through the holes, and how to make the stem so there's some distance between the coat and the back of the button? All that stuff...
I know NOTHING about sewing, but my intuition tells me those are just a few of the things to consider to do this correctly etc.

Thanks for reading,

Dave

 

[O'DubhGhaill]

Hey All. Got a question, maybe for @Peacoat ...So I've had my early 40's peacoat for a few months now. It's gonna be almost time to give it a rest as it seems to be warming up a bit early here in NYC. Anyway, When I got it, I took it to a local tailor (Who I'd done previously successful business with) to fix up a few of the buttons. But they keep coming loose every couple weeks. I don't think that could be the coat, it must be the method used to sew the buttons.

Could anyone explain or even possibly illustrate (can't find anything on youtube etc!) the REAL/CORRECT way to sew on a peacoat button? Isn't there a specific pattern the thread is supposed to go in through the holes, and how to make the stem so there's some distance between the coat and the back of the button? All that stuff...
I know NOTHING about sewing, but my intuition tells me those are just a few of the things to consider to do this correctly etc.

Thanks for reading,

Dave

Greetings Dave. Because of this universal peacoat problem of the buttons, and having acquired a few, I have become very proficient at re-sewing peacoat buttons! Whenever I attempt this on a peacoat, I first take measurements of the button holes vertically from each other. I don't have my list in front of me, but the spacing can be different depending on the era. Ten buttons are closer spaced than eight button. Horizontally, the buttons from center of a left button to center of the corresponding right button is generally five inches. I have found that original sewing of the buttons to the corresponding button hole, vertically and horizontally, were not always accurate, resulting in mismatch when button resulting in some puckering, especially with the very top button(s).

As for actual sewing, I use about 40" of black thicker nylon thread. Once I locate the precise position of the button, I insert the threaded needle into the center of the place where the button is going to be sewn. I then ensure that I am not piercing through the inner lining, and then push the needle about 1/8" below the entry point and back out the surface of the 6 o'clock button thread hole. I place a circular piece of wood about 1/8" thick beneath the center of the button as I do this to create space for a shank. I then place the 6 o'clock hole of the button over the needle and wood dowel, pull through, up and over to the 3'oclock hole, down through the fabric and inner liner, then up through the 12 o'clock hole, up and over and down the 9 o'clock hole, through the fabric and inner liner and up and out the 6 o'clock hole, then up and over to the 12 o'clock hole, down and through the fabric and inner liner to the 6 o'clock hole and repeat the process one more time. At the end of this, I come up through the fabric liner as though I was going to go through the 6 o'clock hole again, but instead, come through under then button, pull the thread all the way through, and then loop the thread around the four points under the button creating a shank, remove the wood piece, tighten the loop-around, pierce the shank with the needle and thread to lock it, loop around the shank again in the opposite direction about four times, pierce through the shank again to lock it, tie off under the button, trim and done. I only wish I could provide you photos of the process. Somewhere on this site a poster did just that and I modified his method only slightly. What I really like is the shank, as the fabric is quite thick and the shank really helps lock the button in place. Also, if you loop it tight, the button will not rotate, keeping the anchors nice and straight.

 

[Peacoat]

Another thing that works well is to use a backing button on the back side of the fabric of the regular button.

 

[eclipse7309]

Thanks folks! I will keep this handy and let you know how a first attempt goes at some point soon.

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[nickv]

About 5 years ago i came across @Peacoat thread about vintage Us Navy peacoats and the dating on them. I subsequently began my hunt for one. Well.... buying one wasnt enough (just like the leather jackets bug), i ended up purchasing 3, all from Ebay, as that was my only option here down under. I have to say that the build quality of these coats is second to none. These would cost well over a thousand dolllars if they were made like this in todays market. My wife is very upset that she cannot even buy a quality 100% wool coat that comes close to my coats. I have enjoyed wearing these the last few winters here along with my leather jackets. Accoding to the tags on the inside jackets, i have 2 with identical tags which i believe would indicate from 1966, and the other one from world war 2 era, but not sure what year, hoping @Peacoat would take a look.

I have the same looking tag on 2 coats (1966) have the tag below with pics of me wearing one of them.

The tag below from world war 2 era? and pics of me wearing.

 

[Peacoat]

Yes, those are 1966 tags. They are easy.

The WWII tag dates between 1943 to 1944, as best I can tell.

Congratulations on joining the wool jacket corps. I have about 15 nice leather jackets, but the last few years I have transferred over to wool. If it is raining or snowing, I may still wear a leather jacket, but otherwise it's wool.

 

[EarlGrey]

I looked at the Schott website the other day. Appears they have upgraded the quality of the shell in the 740N peacoat. Might be worth getting. I like the navy as well.

What was the upgrade? I have a recent copy of Schott's 714US (the knee length peacoat), and the wool seems to have a noticeably smoother hand than my memory of a Schott 740N from college. I wasn't sure if my memory was playing tricks on me...

Like many others on FL, so many years ago I benefited from Peacoat's knowledge and scored a pristine vintage Kersey wool peacoat. It's a great peacoat, and I still wear it, but the thought of exposing the Kersey wool to possible beer and food stains was just too much (and it's the one of the few wool coats the wife likes the look and feel of!), so I got the 714US. It's a good coat! But it's not a peacoat, and my heart now yearns for something a little more hip-length, a little more... commercial, for the rare night out with the guys. I just need to explain to the wife why I need yet another wool coat jammed into the closet along with the 714US, the duffle coat, the post-WWII era UK greatcoats, and the Fidelity bridge coat...

For anybody curious, the 714US is a very respectable coat! A very close analogue of Fidelity's bridge coat, except with black instead of gold buttons, no epauletts, no half-belt, better slash pocket liners (corduroy lining instead of whatever Fidelity used that wore through quite quickly in the example I had), and two flap pockets along with two interior pockets. However, I suspect it won't be as warm as the 740N since the quilted lining is replaced by a poly-twill. Still, for a naval-inspired coat, it's a good coat. Since Fidelity is no more, the acquirer Sterlingwear seems to be in trouble if not already gone, and Cockpit USA's bridge coat has some... odd design choices, the 714US isn't a bad alternative.

 

[Peacoat]

What was the upgrade? I have a recent copy of Schott's 714US (the knee length peacoat), and the wool seems to have a noticeably smoother hand than my memory of a Schott 740N from college. I wasn't sure if my memory was playing tricks on me...

Like many others on FL, so many years ago I benefited from Peacoat's knowledge and scored a pristine vintage Kersey wool peacoat. It's a great peacoat, and I still wear it, but the thought of exposing the Kersey wool to possible beer and food stains was just too much (and it's the one of the few wool coats the wife likes the look and feel of!), so I got the 714US. It's a good coat! But it's not a peacoat, and my heart now yearns for something a little more hip-length, a little more... commercial, for the rare night out with the guys. I just need to explain to the wife why I need yet another wool coat jammed into the closet along with the 714US, the duffle coat, the post-WWII era UK greatcoats, and the Fidelity bridge coat...

For anybody curious, the 714US is a very respectable coat! A very close analogue of Fidelity's bridge coat, except with black instead of gold buttons, no epauletts, no half-belt, better slash pocket liners (corduroy lining instead of whatever Fidelity used that wore through quite quickly in the example I had), and two flap pockets along with two interior pockets. However, I suspect it won't be as warm as the 740N since the quilted lining is replaced by a poly-twill. Still, for a naval-inspired coat, it's a good coat. Since Fidelity is no more, the acquirer Sterlingwear seems to be in trouble if not already gone, and Cockpit USA's bridge coat has some... odd design choices, the 714US isn't a bad alternative.

Please disregard that post. I just looked at the Schott website again and noticed several discrepancies in the description of the 740N. Over the years I have noticed so many discrepancies, and omissions, in the Schott description of its civilian "peacoats," that I no longer trust anything the company says.

Their fashion "peacoats" are not the Issue Navy peacoats we have come to respect and love.

When looking for a second peacaoat to use as a drinking coat, just get another vintage US Navy peacoat. Taking them to the cleaners only improves the finish of these coats.