An ode to the trench coat
The trench coat will forever be one of our wardrobe essentials – it’s a no-brainer and a piece we rely on.
When the weather is in between climates, having a light-weight and versatile trench is essential.
We’ve long sung the trench’s praises but it’s the one garment we’re always looking to update.
The History
Dating back to the 1820s, the trench evolved from waterproof coats designed by inventors Charles Macintosh and Thomas Hancock.
It was purchased as part of the uniform for officers and above, becoming a big marker of class distinction and a necessity for a well-dressed man.
Over time its quality improved. Thomas Burberry famously creating the gabardine fabric in 1879, meaning the lining of the trench was just as good quality as the outside.
During World War One the trench still had a large military identity. By World War Two, it had started to shift and become romanticised in Hollywood. The film industry drastically changed the trench and entered it into a new fashionable realm, worn in some of the most famous movies including Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair.
Now the trench has been re-worked and re-designed by many different fashion players but remains an enduring signature available in all colours and for all budgets. It may have lost its military identity, but it has not lost its iconic status.
The trench is back and it’s at the top of our list of wardrobe essentials.
The Transitional Trench: The Only Question Is Which Colour?
neutral palette
london fog seamed || london fog with hood || club monaco mandarin collar || sandro long trench || burberry kensington
dark all the way
london fog with hood || burberry kensington heritage
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images, julia von os, sebastian sebal-bruce for porter edit, 2018
