Coats & Raincoats

Complete your elegant women's outfit with a pea coat or a women's coat. As an expert in wool, SAINT JAMES offers robust, comfortable and refined wool cloth coats. Discover a wide selection of pea coats, coats and duffle coats for women, manufactured to high standards in keeping with maritime tradition.

The origins of the pea coat

Before being adopted by the French Navy in the 19th century as a uniform piece, the pea coat already had a long maritime history.

Its name comes from the Arabic "qaba", which referred to a small cape worn as early as the 15th century in North Africa by Barbary pirates. Based in Mediterranean ports such as Salé, Tripoli, Algiers and Tunis, their path crossed that of early European sailors, who gradually adopted the qaba and brought it back to the Old Continent, where it was transformed into the pea coat we know today.

This short wool cloth coat entered the ranks of the British Royal Navy at the very beginning of the 19th century, before being adopted by the French Navy in 1848, and later by the US Navy. The pea coat has been so closely associated with this world that its navy blue colour is now commonly called "navy blue".

Featuring a large collar and double-breasted fastening, this coat allows the wearer to choose the closing direction according to the wind. Its length varied by rank: shorter for petty officers to facilitate movement during manoeuvres, and longer for officers, covering the thighs. In all cases, its fitted cut aimed to limit wind resistance and ensure comfort and efficiency at sea.

Subsequently, the pea coat retained its identity while becoming more accessible. Women's pea coats appeared, and models were developed in various fitted, straight or adjusted cuts and varying lengths, either stopping at the hips or covering the upper thighs. Today, the pea coat pairs with all styles, from the most classic to the most "rock". It is an essential part of a casual-chic wardrobe, alongside raw denim jeans and leather ankle boots.

The women's duffle coat, a timeless piece

Also made of wool cloth, the duffle coat shares not only the same raw material as the women's pea coat but also the same maritime heritage.

The duffle coat owes its name to a thick black wool originating from the town of Duffel in Belgium. As early as the 15th century, this town was distinguished by the robustness and quality of its fabrics, which it exported throughout Europe. The word "Duffel" was later anglicised to "duffle" at the end of the 19th century, when the first duffle coats—still quite different from the models we know today—were marketed by John Partridge, a British supplier.

The first models were looser and longer than they are today, as they were initially intended to be worn over another coat. From their inception, duffle coats were manufactured to dress sailors, and they were worn by the Royal Navy from the 19th century onwards. They were already recognisable by their original fastening system: conical wood or horn toggles were, and still are, held by leather loops (which could be rope at the time), with all these elements fixed to the fabric by small pieces of leather.

The fastenings are called brandebourgs (toggles) in reference to the German town of Brandenburg an der Havel, located near Berlin. They are inspired by those used on Prussian army uniforms, and it is said they were designed to allow soldiers and sailors to open and close their duffle coat without having to remove their gloves.

Subsequently, the duffle coat, like the pea coat, left the military for the civilian world and gradually carved out a place among timeless fashion pieces. SAINT JAMES women's duffle coats have preserved the specificities of this nautical garment while offering regularly updated cuts.

Like the pea coat, the duffle coat is a casual-chic essential and can be worn with a relaxed outfit, consisting for example of a sweatshirt, slim jeans and a pair of trainers, or with a smarter ensemble, paired with a pencil skirt and heels. It is also perfect over a 100% wool sailor jumper to stay warm all winter. SAINT JAMES women's pea coats, coats and duffle coats are high-quality garments, carefully and rigorously crafted by artisans with renowned expertise.