Dior Cashmere Pea coat
As mentioned in my denim shirt article, I was swayed by a junior colleague’s comment: ‘Wouldn’t it be splendid to effortlessly wear Dior at sixty?’ Consequently, I purchased several Dior pieces this year. The main item is the cashmere peacoat featured here.
Peacoats and duffle coats are items I favour, but finding one that truly suits me these days has proven rather difficult. This Dior cashmere peacoat, however, stands out. Compared to standard melton peacoats, it’s crafted from cashmere melton. The fabric is substantial yet not overly thick, making it exceptionally light and warm – a piece that will prove invaluable during the depths of winter.
Introduction.
The peacoat is an iconic piece in men’s fashion, exceptionally easy to wear and effortlessly put together without much thought. The Dior cashmere peacoat featured here, however, reveals several distinctive characteristics when actually worn, making it a slightly more challenging piece to style with sophistication. Nevertheless, it is an excellent peacoat that, when key points are mastered, can be worn with remarkable refinement. I therefore wish to introduce it, including discussion of these aspects.
Dior’s World
To truly wear Dior, rather than simply donning what society generally perceives as high-end designer clothing, one must possess a slim physique suited to Dior’s very stoic, minimalist garments. It requires aligning one’s sensibilities with this pared-back aesthetic.
As I wrote in the denim shirt article, there’s the anecdote of Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion emperor who led Chanel and Fendi, losing a staggering 40 kilograms. Similarly, as one approaches one’s sixtieth year, it becomes imperative to first address a deteriorating physique.
Personally, I’ve cleared the first hurdle of being physically able to wear such clothes. What remains is to hone the sense required to truly carry them off. This sense of style isn’t so much about being good or bad, but rather whether I can accept things different from what I traditionally liked.
I doubt many people besides myself would find a pea coat impossible to wear, even in a slim fit. Similarly, slim-fit black denim, which looks quite narrow, isn’t as tight as it appears. I usually wear jeans with a 30-inch waist, and I wear Dior’s black denim in a 30-inch waist too.
Compared to the straight-leg Levi’s or Lee jeans I usually wear, they are indeed more fitted. However, the waist feels slightly roomy, the thigh area is comfortable, and it’s only around the calf that I notice a slimmer feel. I don’t find them too tight or uncomfortable to wear.
The reason these jeans appear slim yet don’t feel overly tight when worn is largely due to the depth of the rise. This attention to detail is characteristic of a top maison’s meticulous craftsmanship.
As mentioned regarding Dior’s denim shirt, the slim silhouettes of Dior garments possess a delicate, naive, boyish quality that expresses eternal youth and resonates with Karl Lagerfeld’s sensibility. (This is purely my personal view.)
I’ve never personally desired eternal youth, but looking at photos of myself wearing the slim-fit black denim I bought alongside the Dior peacoat, I do feel a more youthful image than my natural self.
Admittedly, the boyish or naive qualities weren’t discernible in my photos, but purely considering the silhouette, I can sense the delicate image evoked by Dior’s aesthetic.
Slim and tight?
The pea coat and slim-fit denim I purchased this time carry forward the aesthetic established during the Edie Slimane era. Consequently, they are cut quite narrowly, meaning some people may find them difficult to wear or feel they don’t suit them.
Personally, while I am slimmer than the average for my generation, my shoulders and chest are slightly larger than average. So, if you’re asking whether I fit the delicate, naive impression Dior proposes, the answer is no.
Dior’s image often conjures up the impression of slim, tight silhouettes, suggesting one must endure wearing constricting garments. In reality, while the fit is snug, there is no sense of restricted movement or the feeling of forcing oneself into something too narrow.
As you will see in the later examples of wear in this article, even the slim-fit black denim, which carries a decidedly slender image, shows a silhouette with just the right amount of creasing. (The calculated, exquisite placement of these creases creates a clean, streamlined look for the legs.)
How to wear Dior peacoat
This style, with its black pea coat and slim-fit black denim, has a distinctly fashion-forward feel in terms of colour and styling – quite unlike my usual look. As such, I feel a slight hesitation about wearing it.
When I tried them on at the Dior Ginza store, I thought the slim-fit black jeans looked a bit too tight in the mirror. However, I wondered if my eye, accustomed to vintage pieces, might be creating a certain bias towards the style. To get a more objective view, I asked the staff and a friend for their opinions. They both said the style looked better than the combination of the Lee 101Z jeans and peacoat I was wearing at the time.
Personally, I felt at the time that this level of slimness might be a bit embarrassing? However, respecting their opinions, I decided to try this style.
This year, the temperatures dropped later than usual, so I rarely wore winter clothes. It wasn’t until December that I finally started wearing them. I had a chance to meet a junior colleague in Omotesando and asked him his thoughts on the black peacoat and black slim-fit denim combo I was wearing that day. This junior colleague has exceptional taste, effortlessly pulling off Tom Ford to showcase his tall, lean and muscular build with a masculine coolness that’s both understated and classy.
He said he fully understood my love for vintage pieces, but honestly felt this style was more refined and sophisticated, and suited me better. He noted that today’s outfit complemented my physique perfectly, and that the inner aura naturally emanating from me didn’t get lost beneath the clothes. He added that even the challenging, stoic Dior style looked effortlessly worn.
This is my personal take, but the junior’s reasoning – that the Omotesando to Aoyama area is a fashion-forward neighbourhood frequented by stylish individuals – makes sense. This Dior ensemble seems perfectly suited to the streetscape there, so their opinion could also be seen as influenced by the environment.
Considering the area, Harajuku tends to attract those who stylishly wear vintage clothing, so vintage might be appropriate there. For instance, if we shift the location to Ginza, I feel Brunello Cucinelli garments from my own wardrobe would be well-suited. This also speaks to how one perceives the social context inherent in clothing.
Dior’s sense of style possesses a worldview that transcends my personal preferences; it means that an outfit I might feel slightly embarrassed about wearing can appear highly sophisticated to the discerning eye. Accepting this sense of discrepancy between a third party’s opinion and my own perception is also an element that refines one’s personal sense of style.
To experience a perfected worldview that transcends sensibilities and personal preferences
One reason I favour vintage and Americana is the way of dressing that isn’t overly preoccupied with fashion (you could call it natural). Once you’ve built up a decent collection, you can simply pick up whatever’s in front of you and put it on without thinking, and a style just comes together.
This approach to dressing has remained unchanged since my youth; it’s also a highly rational and efficient way to wear clothes. This fundamental approach applies not only to vintage and Americana-style items, but also when wearing Brunello Cucinelli or other top maison pieces I own.
Because I interact with clothes in this way, I’ve rarely worn an entire outfit from a single specific brand. While I might wear a set-up style combination, there’s always something else mixed in.
My basic approach to dressing involves naturally incorporating pieces I’m particularly attached to or fond of into these combinations. (It’s rather like a high schooler’s favourite outfit, isn’t it?) This might be a vintage piece.
I wear Brunello Cucinelli without consciously thinking “I’m wearing Brunello Cucinelli”. What I felt wearing Dior this time was that there was a sense of “I’m wearing Dior” somewhere in my mind, and perhaps I was subconsciously avoiding that awareness. This might be a matter of getting used to it, something that fades with time, but it was a sensation I experienced for the first time.
What struck me about this combination of Dior’s pea coat and slim-fit denim was that it transcends the usual approach of selecting clothes without much thought about how to wear them, or the tendency to dismiss garments based purely on image. It possesses a unique worldview of its own.
This experience transcended my previous preconceptions about Dior’s aesthetic – that while stylish, it wasn’t something I would wear. In a sense, I felt that wearing Dior this time allowed me to step into the world they’ve constructed.
Taking photos of myself wearing the items for the article, I began to grasp what my junior colleague had meant. It was an experience that made me realise this was the essence of the world of men’s fashion that Dior has inherited from the past and continues to embody today.
The worldview Edie Slimane built, introduced in this article, is still carried forward by Dior today. However, contemporary Dior incorporates other elements too, expressing its own distinct universe. Even when appearing casual, it still constructs its own distinct world view – truly befitting a top Parisian maison. Even if slim, minimalist clothing isn’t your preference, you can still appreciate Dior’s world view, so if you’re interested, do try wearing it.
Below are a few photos of me wearing the pieces. I don’t have the model-like looks, so they may not be very helpful as references, but I hope you can get a sense of the atmosphere.
Wearing example.
Details.
- Notch lapel
- Side welt pocket
- Inner welt pocket
- Horn buttons with Dior engraving
- Dior jacquard back lining and sleeve lining
- Back vent
- 100% cashmere, lining: 100% cupro
- Made in Italy
Combinations.
- Peacoat: Dior cashmere peacoat (black)
- Knitwear (grey): Brunello Cucinelli sweatshirt-style cashmere knit
- Knitwear (green): Tom Ford cashmere knit
- Denim: Dior slim fit denim
- Five-pocket cotton trousers: Visvim
- Hat (grey): LEUCHTFEUE
- Watch: Rolex Day Date (1803 1969)
- Sunglasses: Tom Ford
- Belt: Hender Scheme
- Shoes: Black suede work boots: Visvim
- Shoes: Brown U-tip: John Lobb Barros
Conclusion.
This time, prompted by a junior colleague remarking, ‘Wouldn’t it be splendid to effortlessly wear Dior at sixty?’, I purchased and tried on a Dior piece. It possessed a worldview transcending my personal taste and sensibilities, proving a profoundly impactful experience that significantly altered my perspective on clothing. This worldview was presented to the world in an avant-garde form twenty years ago, yet it could be said that only now, two decades later, have I finally grasped its essence. One could say it took me twenty years to grasp the brilliance of Hedi Slimane.
I recall reading an interview where Chuck Berry mentioned it took him forty years to master a particular phrase or piece from a song by his revered Charlie Christian (a jazz guitarist, or rather the progenitor of bebop. He’s also a legend in jazz history, as bebop is said to have emerged from these musicians’ after-hours sessions). I feel a similar sense of time and effort required. (I believe this was part of an interview conducted by an American guitar magazine for the Chuck Berry film produced by Keith Richards.)
While this article focuses on aesthetics and conceptual aspects, the Dior cashmere peacoat featured here is an exceptional piece in its own right. Beyond its styling potential, the quality of its fabric and tailoring is truly first-rate, making its comfort and lightness a given. However, Dior’s unique aesthetic is woven into it, giving it a distinct styling compared to other standard pea coats. When pairing it meticulously, the difference between suitable and unsuitable items becomes starkly apparent. Depending on what you combine it with, you might get a sense that it’s not bad, but just not quite right. (This is my pairing with the Lee 101Z)
This experience made me realise how I myself had become entrenched in my favourite pieces, not actively seeking to incorporate novelty or freshness into my personal style.
In terms of past innovation, Carpe Diem, Carol Christian Poell, and early Margiera were indeed avant-garde, yet they were reconstructions of past icons. That is precisely why I favoured and cherished their garments.
However, reflecting on why Dior never suited me, it was because those aforementioned brands strongly emphasised vintage elements or reinterpretations of timeless classics—elements I felt no resistance towards. Conversely, Dior’s all-black, minimalist aesthetic—a unified worldview that seemed to reject pairing with other items—simply didn’t resonate with my sensibilities.
This experience taught me the importance of approaching fashion without preconceptions and actually trying things on.
Now, having worn Dior garments, experienced its worldview, and sensed the underlying power of Parisian haute couture sensibility that reaches its zenith during Paris Fashion Week, I understand its merits. Consequently, I intend to try other pieces when the opportunity arises.
Shop
I purchase my Dior items at the House of Dior Ginza in Ginza SIX.
The staff are exceptionally kind, highly experienced, and offer spot-on styling advice. They also provide precise suggestions for items of interest or related pieces, proposing a complete look that embodies Dior’s vision of sophisticated dressing.
The selection is comprehensive, covering both menswear and womenswear, and they coordinate everything from bags and accessories to cosmetics. Why not pop along with your wife on a day off?
From the 2026 Spring/Summer season, a new designer presented the collection. It felt like a return to the fundamentals of men’s fashion, masterfully infused with Dior’s unique aesthetic. While top fashion houses over the last decade have largely imitated very casual, relaxed styles, this collection feels like a return to the essence of timeless menswear, which I find very exciting.
Regarding the store, I’ve also explained it in detail in the denim shirt article, so please refer to that as well.
