In Person: The Schott Slim Fit Peacoat

Schott Slim Fit Wool Peacoat – $250.00

Despite apparently finding the portal in which they enter this dimension, no skinny jeans wearing, moustache sprouting, clove cigarette smoking hipsters were seen during the taking of these photos.

Schott is an all-American type of company.  Founded in the early 20th century by the sons of Russian Immigrants, Schott was the first to put a zipper on outerwear, they created the first modern leather motorcycle jacket, and they were commissioned by the military to make bomber jackets during WWII.  The leather jacket that Bruce Springsteen wears on the cover of Born To Run?  Made by Schott.

So yes, they’ve got plenty of history when it comes to making leather jackets.  The same can be said for their wool coats.  They were one of the contractors the Navy used during WWII to supply their peacoats, and their slim fit version has all the warmth and solid feel of the original, with less of the square shape.

This one is actually more of a rectangle.

It just doesn’t contour much at the sides.  It does fit closer to the body for sure, but my 5’9″ / 165lb frame wasn’t constricted at all, even while wearing a blazer.  The made in Canada label is nice (their original peacoat is still made in the USA), the fabric feels second to none, and the metal buttons are just one small indestructible-feeling detail that makes up a coat you could potentially have for the rest of your life.

The sides of this thing are hard to explain, but at first glance, J. Crew’s peacoat has a better shape to it.  Maybe the arm holes on the Schott could be raised a little, or the bottom flap pockets could be done away with and the chest high pockets moved down.  Speaking of, sticking your hands in those high pockets isn’t real easy.  Not just because of location, but also because the interior of the pocket doesn’t go in all that far horizontally.  It instead makes an abrupt turn South to travel down the inside of the coat.

It’s long enough to cover a suit jacket or blazer, but not by a lot.  It’s more of a true peacoat and could benefit from a little more length in the drop.  A fantastic coat for sure that’s a worthy investment, but best suited for truly skinny to slim guys that will be swimming in all other outerwear options.