Item: Pea Coats

Ray Ban Aviators - Banana Republic Pea Coat - Ralph Lauren V-Neck - Zara Faded Grey Jeans - Diesel Sneakers

History: Made popular by European sailors since the nineteenth century, Pea coats are characterized by broad lapels, double breasted fronts, often large wooden or metal buttons, and vertical or slash pockets.

The term "pea coat" originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of cloth used, which was called "Pilot cloth", a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side. The cloth was sometimes called P-cloth for the initial letter of the word and the garment made from it was called a p-jacket - later a pea coat.

Style: They are also probably one of the most versatile coats out there. With the ability to be dressed up with a shirt and tie or thrown together with some jeans and a T-shirt, either way one looks at it, the coat epitomizes cooler weather fashion. Another redeeming quality about the pea coat is that they can be found almost anywhere, from cheaper stores such as Old Navy to higher end brands such as Banana Republic or JCrew.

I personally chose one from Banana Republic simply based on the overall fit. The coat itself isn't too flashy, with military straps on the shoulders, and the buttons are not overdone with pictures of anchors and etc. It stands as a black, classic, coat that could just as easily be fitted to work for a formal event as it would to a typical day at school.