In the early nineteen hundreds, Thomas Burberry developed the fabric known as gabardine and proceeded to build on designs by himself and others to develop a water proof coat. He presented it to the British Army for the soldiers as a work coat. It began being used by front line soldiers in the “trenches”, hence the name. Many brought them home after WW l and it soon after became a fashionable piece. Some identifiable parts that are still included on most of today’s traditional coats are sleeve straps, a topstitched belt with D rings, and shoulder straps or epaulets. A back shoulder flap or yoke, and a wide notched collar are also desirable details. When designed long ago, these details all had a function. Today, it is a beautiful piece of clothing and a real classic.
Fashion wisdom from Chanel to Tim Gunn and every stylist in between declare it a “must have” for a woman’s wardrobe. I have trouble with “must haves” but I am becoming a bigger fan of this coat every year. I think I like a bit of a twist to the traditional tan or khaki trench. Although, if someone gave me one like the coat below, I’d have to take it! Burberry makes several trench coats with a variation on each. Truly, there is not a more fashionable look than this. Add a beautiful scarf and you can almost go anywhere.
trench coat/ Burberry
I have one almost just like the one below. The red is my little twist to the classic. A removable lining is a real plus to these coats also. I like linings that button out.
DKNY trench/ Bluefly.com/ $149.00
If you are looking for a true water repellent trench, you’ll want to make sure it has some nylon or a nylon (or some other like fabric) blend of some sort. 100% cotton will obviously not repel and likely absorb water. Very uncomfortable! I like the short version shown here and the zippers give it an edgy look. Really cool and hip looking. Really big picture too!
Brema trench/ Nifyfits.com/ $330
I don’t think you can beat the cute factor on the one below. Plus, the price is fabulous. Black and white will look great with jeans, khakis, or try a black pencil skirt, bright yellow scarf, and black platform peep toes. Can’t beat that for spring.
Black and white floral trench/ Charlotte Russe/ $38.99
February might be a really great time to find a traditional tan trench on sale. The new pieces retailers are receiving will most likely be prints, florals, heavy linings, and spring colors. A true water-resistant trench coat will be a great functional piece to have and will look fantastic with almost any outfit you choose to pull together. If you’ll wear it, I’d say you could safely invest in a coat like this. But, if you are just going for a great looking trench imposter, then don’t hesitate to go for cotton blends in cute prints and don’t worry about being water-resistant. I just left TJ Maxx in Brentwood and they had a handful of really cute ones. I hope you decide to give this icon a try!!
Tags: Brem, Burberry, Charlotte Russe, DKNY, fashion classic, TJ Maxx, trench coat, water resistant
February 8, 2010 at 8:39 am |
We have a great sale going on at Pastiche – three for one- that includes lots of trenches:>)
February 8, 2010 at 10:58 am |
Great info, leave your address in case anyone wants it! Thanks…