Neil Hatt
Thanks to this great website, I was able to find and order my Billy Reid peacoat. On backorder, it has taken around a month and a half to arrive – and has been more than worth the wait!

The Billy Reid Peacoat
Worn for the first time yesterday, I found myself walking a little bit taller and straighter – it’s amazing the confidence boost a coat can give you – but then as it makes you feel like Bond, I guess it’s not all that surprising.
This will be perfect for my upcoming weekend in Berlin (wife’s birthday). Where better to wear this beautiful coat (other than Shanghai of course!) than somewhere that still has such visible echoes of the cold war?
I’ll see if I can muster up some suitably Bondian photos whilst I’m there!
Please keep up the fantastic work on this site – it’s a pleasure to browse and is a great help to all us Bond fans!
P.S. My Orlebar Brown Setter’s also arrived today and will be perfect for Dubai this March – but don’t expect any pictures of that – my Bond collection is starting to grow, but my Bond body still needs a bit of work 😉
What size is that? Medium? 🙂 Looks great
Thanks Pleco! It is a medium, and there is plenty of room there – I thought at first that I would have preferred it a touch more snug, but I can get a decent jumper under here and so it suits winter wear much better.
I’m strolling around Berlin in it at the moment and it feels like old Bond / new Bond 😉
Great, glad I ordered medium too. I’ve tried on a load of peacoats and the small is always too snug for me. The medium will be slightly too big, but I prefer my coats that way. Mine arrives within the next week or so 😀
Great stuff! You’ll love it 😉
So I know that choosing the size is always a moment of anxiety when placing an order, esp online. So would you mind mentioning your chest measurement and if Medium is your usual order? I know this has been posted about elsewhere, I’m still a bit unclear about whether to believe the US size charts, the EU size charts, or shoot for the middle! Thanks and enjoy your coat!
Hi Langford – I have a 39″ / 40″ chest and in most cases take a medium (my Barbour, Hugo Boss and Superdry jackets are all medium and fit snugly).
This Billy Reid medium is much roomier than the above brands, but the arms are an ideal fit (the small would have arms too short) and it does allow for a decent shirt/jumper to be worn without issue underneath.
Matt at Billy Reid did advise that a decent tailor could take the body in a touch if required, but after having worn it for a while now I wouldn’t change it – we just got back from Berlin (where it was bl**dy cold) and it was perfect as I could wear a shirt and a thick jumper underneath and not feel constricted at all – whereas a shirt and jumper under the Barbour meant a slight lack of arm movement! 😉
Curious to see if yours comes out at the same measurements as mine… Perhaps you’d indulge us with the measurements according to http://askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/style-tips/how-to-measure-a-jacket ?
My chest is actually 37.5″ so if yours is 39.5 I may need to get my friend in the states to exchange mine for a small after all…
That said, I imagine the sleeve length would be good for me on the medium, so I wonder how tall you are/what sleeve length you’d normally take on shirts or jackets if you know it…
I have exactly the same questions. I am not sure whether I should order “S” or “M”. I am 5′ 11″ tall. I measured my body (while wearing only a shirt). My chest is 37.5″-38″, waist is 33.5″, and my shoulder is 17.5″. I own a lot of jackets in “S” (Woolrich parka, Ralph Lauren jackets, etc.) and according to the official Billy Reid information (http://www.billyreid.com/product/peacoat-navy-7.html), I should order “S”, but I am still not sure. Neil you wrote that Billy Reid’s peacoat would be roomier than other brands. Could you please give us a little bit more information about it (e.g. waist area) and maybe tell us how tall you are? Thank you so much!
I hope that someone of you can help me.
Hello Pleco, David
Sorry for the delay!
As soon I get back home tonight I’ll measure and advise on the above questions – I’ll measure current jackets as well as myself to try and give you as complete a picture as possible.
I’m similar measurements to you David, though an inch shorter. I chose the medium for the extra half inch length as it means it covers my ass a little better!
Though I probably will have to get the chest taken in a touch, I think the other measurements will work great
Hello all
Sorry again for the delay – here we go:
Chest 39″/40″
Waist 32″
Height 5’11
According to the directions in: http://askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/style-tips/how-to-measure-a-jacket
Then measurements are:
Chest 21.2″
Waist 17.7″
Shoulder 18.5″
Length 27.1″
Sleeve 23.6″
The shoulders, sleeves and general length of this coat fit me perfectly – but there is room around the chest and waist. Not so much that I am looking to change, but certainly more than in my other jackets. That said, when I have a shirt and jumper on (a la Shanghai!) the coat is still comfortable when using the ‘chest pockets’ (sorry for the crude term – no idea what they are called). I think that the small jacket, whilst perhaps more of what I’m used to in a fit around the body, would lose out on sleeve length, and this comfort of using the top pockets when attired underneath for winter.
I really hope this helps – and that you love your coats as much as I 🙂
Thank you kindly. Just a tip, I believe you mid measured the length, I and most people make it 29″ for the medium. My coat arrived by the way, a touch too large but overall feels great with a chunky knit! I will wear it for a season and get it tailored once it’s moulded to my body more. Wouldn’t have liked the body any shorter so I made the right choice. Beautiful coat.
Thanks Pleco – I’ll re-check the length measurement. I’m with you on the feel / size – just a touch tighter on the torso is all that is required; the sleeve length and overall length is perfect. I’ve found a tailor local to me – I just need to check up on them and make sure that they can do the job properly and then as it warms up I’ll get them to reduce it slightly.
I’ll make sure to post on the results of the tailoring 🙂
Hello Pleco, David, Langford
Hope you get to see this message – I dropped my Reid to my tailor earlier this week and pick it up later today…
I was really happy with the overall length and the sleeve length, but the torso just felt too roomy and it was bothering me. My tailor showed me the fit with it reduced via pins and it felt much better so I took the plunge and left it with him. However he did say that due to the design and make it would be easy for him to do, and would retain the shape etc without issue (my Billy Reid contact said the same). Cost? £45…
If you would like to see the difference it has made, let me know and I’ll get some pictures sent over.
All being well it might mean that you guys might be happy to make some slight alterations too if you feel it is needed…
Neil
Nice job Neil
I’m a 40 inch chest but a 30 inch waist – I like my clothes very fitted. How tapered is the jacket? Would I be better going for a Small?
Thank You
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