Thank the stars: Tucson’s finally about to cool down this weekend.

With a projected twenty-degree drop over the next 24 hours, it’s time to dust off your winter gear and get ready for the relatively mild cold that Tucson has to offer.

Your hoodie isn’t going to cut it though, and your North Face looks just as unique on you as it does every other kid who bursar’d one at the beginning of the semester. Take a slightly alternative route for the winter season and invest in a pea coat.

While they’re a bit on the expensive side, pea coats, like leather jackets and tailored sport coats, are a perennial classic. It’s hard for a piece of clothing that iconic to ever be anything less than functional and flattering.

They may seem simple, but pea coats, like their business-class sport coat counterparts, are comprised of a number of elements that speak volumes of your personal style. The folded lapel of a peacoat is nothing to be overlooked, as pieces such as Billy Reid’s peak-lapeled double-breasted version is both elegant and fashion-forward, instead of the more traditional notch lapeled standard.

Don’t be afraid to go rugged either. Pea coats were initially reserved for military use, and like all good street wear, they should stand up to the rigors and abuse of daily wear. Army surplus stores are a great place to find a pea coat that’s meant to be rough-and-tumbled, but be sure to watch for length. A bridge coat is a slightly longer variation on the pea coat that was typically reserved for naval officers and ends at the thighs, offering a slimming alternative to the traditional pea coat’s bulkiness.

But it’s really the bridge coat’s casual brother, the reefer coat, that’s the better option for most of us. Typically cut from milled twill fabric, the reefer coat is what you’re more likely to find hanging on racks at the mall, such as Brooks Brothers’ relatively cheap navy canvas option. But don’t be afraid to splurge on your pea coat as well: treat this purchase like an investment, as you would a fine leather jacket. A pea coat isn’t just a piece that should last you through a few seasons — they’re made to get better with age.

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