There is one pea coat that stands above the rest. Hold onto your hats though, gents, because it isn’t cheap, but oh my God is it worth it if you have the best part of a grand (although currently on sale at the much more reasonable £500 mark – check them out at: http://www.crombie.co.uk/coats/mens.html ) to spare: the Crombie classic pea coat is the stand-out example of this timeless fashion staple.
Churchill himself wore the Crombie version, albeit a slightly longer cut in those days, and many other movie stars and political luminaries have sported the coat that screams serious style.
Given that the price tag reflects the heritage and luxury of the brand, you might be unable to afford or justify such an extravagance, but fear not: there are plenty of decent brands that offer a cheaper and perfectly acceptable alternative.
The traditional style calls for a knee-length cut, but waist-length, bomber hybrids have become popular over the last 5 years, with H&M releasing a particularly tasty number in their Paolo Maldini modelled range of 2006.
There are also a couple of nice jackets – especially the navy blue of this style – circulating from Calvin Klein Jeans; the more affordable end of the CK range. This season’s offering comes in at about £280 unless you snap-up a TK Maxx bargain for £100 as I had the opportunity to do over Christmas.
But really it’s all about Crombie. Founded in 1805, this long-standing British tailoring outfit has experienced some highs and lows, most recently sinking into a brief administration prior to a buy-out and re-float. There were fears that the new owners would attempt to ‘re-brand’ the label and move away from the company’s roots/. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened, and in a rare move for times dominated by an ability to shed ones industrial skin at the speed of a snake, Crombie have chosen to stand fast and have railed against the flippancy of lesser brands, believing in their heritage and product that has, in the past, been championed by a list of great men such as King George VI, Winston Churchill, Cary Grant, Dwight D Eisenhower and John F Kennedy, Gorbachev and the Prince of Wales.
If that’s not a roll of honour, I don’t know what it.
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