Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[PADDY]

Just to add to Ferauds 'reference pics' of WW1 trenchcoats

Feraud kindly posted the first link to original photos of trenchcoats during the Great War (few Bogie ones too!) and this is the second one (both are found as a stickie at the TOP of the Jacket Room.


PADDY'S TRENCH COAT REFERENCE PICS (2)

 

[carebear]

Looking again (thanks Wiki), the Mill's Bomb (the quintissential British grenade of WWI) didn't even have a striker spoon, just a pin with ring. I can't see how you'd hook a grenade to it.

Also, if you look at Carter's picture, in order for the belt tail to go correctly to the left the rings have to be up, not down.

At this point it may be more an affectation than a serious replica effort.

"Say Jim, didn't the old ones have d-rings?"
"Yeah Bob, stitch some on."

 

[Alan Eardley]

Mills bombs

Thinking about it, I have never heard of, read about or seen photographs of a British Army officer in WW1 carrying or using hand grenades. I contacted a professional researcher in the WW1 Research Centre at Birmingham University and neither had he, so I think we can rule out that purpose. Anyway, as Matthew points out, a WW1 Mills Bomb doesn't lend itself to attchment in this way as well as a WW2 grenade does.

You will find that the rings on the belt of a WW1 trench coat replicate more or less the rings on the officer's Sam Browne belt of that period, so I think it is probable that the manufacturers at least intended the belt to be used by detaching the cross-belt(s) from the leather belt and attaching it to the trench coat belt - it's hard to tell in the B&W photos and drawings of the period. Modern trench coats have the rings in a different position, reversing them and often deleting the front rings.

In any case, WW1 photographs of trench coats show that many lacked rings at all, so they may have been an option on the original coats.

Alan

 

[carter]

The Trench arrived today. Well-packed and super-fast shipping. Amazing since the shipping charges were included in the auction.

The d-rings are definitely on the bottom of the belt.

Here's the sad news, the coat is a 48Reg and it's too small. Looks like a new coat but it's off to another auction.

I was sure this would fit since I wear a 50Reg suit coat and my 52Long Stanley Blacker single-breasted overcoat is just slightly too large.

Back to the search engine.

 

[Feraud]

Carter - sorry to read your trench did not work out. Keep looking and you will eventually find the right one.

 

[carter]

Thanks Feraud,

I just won another auction on ebay for a trench that I don't want but it is the same size and has a button-in wool liner and a detachable wool collar. It went for $51.00.

For a grand total of $140.00 plus whatever the shipping is on the trench with liner, I'll have a very nice trench with liner and collar but it won't fit.

This is pretty humorous. lol

 

[cookie]

Thanks Feraud,

I just won another auction on ebay for a trench that I don't want but it is the same size and has a button-in wool liner and a detachable wool collar. It went for $51.00.

For a grand total of $140.00 plus whatever the shipping is on the trench with liner, I'll have a very nice trench with liner and collar but it won't fit.

This is pretty humorous. lol

so you have a Burberry trench for sale m'lud? Please advise...:eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

 

[Edward]

The Trench arrived today. Well-packed and super-fast shipping. Amazing since the shipping charges were included in the auction.

The d-rings are definitely on the bottom of the belt.

Here's the sad news, the coat is a 48Reg and it's too small. Looks like a new coat but it's off to another auction.

I was sure this would fit since I wear a 50Reg suit coat and my 52Long Stanley Blacker single-breasted overcoat is just slightly too large.

Back to the search engine.

Yeah, I wouldn't go a size down if you intend to wear it over a suit. I'm not sure whether same size as your suit would work or no - I went with one a size up from my suit jacket (as I usually would do in an overcoat I want to wear more than a shirt / light sweater under) and it's just about right for me.

 

[carter]

Originally posted by Cookie
so you have a Burberry trench for sale m'lud? Please advise

I sent you a PM.

 

[cookie]

Some Great Points

You seem to think I'm supporting Burberry's selling price. I'm not - I simply wouldn't buy their products (at least not until they come down to around 30 - 40 GBP in charity shops).

Speaking as ex work-study in the clothing industry I think you are not far off with your cost estimates. The labour and distribution costs in the UK would about double the material costs. The high-end store about doubles what it pays the manufacturer. That still leave a lot for Burberry. Burberry uses the Vertex production control system by Ceres Systems, by the way.

Go back to my original post. I still don't see the difference between Burberry getting a huge mark-up on a trench coat made in Rotherham (which seems to be OK with most people) and Ralph Lauren getting a similar mark-up on a leather jacket made in China (which doesn't). In many cases the saving in costs of outsourcing to cheaper manufacturing bases is not being passed on to the buyer - it stays with the corporation or the design house. as profit.

I think it is equally obvious from my post that I hold UK politicians responsible for the demise of our manufacturing base. The anti-manufacture policies of success governments cost me three jobs - you think I wouldn't notice?

I'm not praising Burberry for its excessive margin. I'm giving a 'positive' to Burberry for sticking with manufacture in the UK. Sadly, the main reason it has chosen to do this the high margin it can make on its 'exclusive' lines. The other is fear of losing its royal warrant. If Burberry was involved in price competition or any other form of realistic VFM, it would have done with its coats like it did with its polo shirts - off to China. I'm sure you'll see that the people who buy a Burberry coat want to pay a lot, because it shows they can.

You may also see that there are many sole proprietor and small businesses in the UK and elsewhere in the EU that produce clothing that is both better quality, cheaper and more exclusive than any of the big label manufacturers, here or in the US or China. That's what the people who really know what they are doing buy. If I don't want to contibute to a company's excessive products, I don't buy its goods, and neither do many people. Some companies faced with that situation go out of business, others just become 'exclusive'.

Alan

Ignoring the nationalism vs foreign argument for a minute....does anyone here have a PRC made item (whether its Italian imported cloth or not) that has ever been as well made or rugged as the stuff produced in the sweat shops of Western Sydney by migrant workers? That's my point it's all about profit ripoff! This "can't afford to produce locally thing" is crap.

 

[Ecuador Jim]

That's a scary thought...

Jovan,

I have no idea. So I called the Burberry store in Dallas. The information they gave me is from The Little Black Book of Style.

When Thos. Burberry created the Trenchcoat for British troops in WWI, The D Rings were for carrying hand grenades.

Now I'm going to go buy the book.

I can't imagine hand grenades "flouncing around" on the D-rings of a Burberry Trench! Imagine the potential for the ruination of such a fine garment.

 

[carter]

Originally posted by Ecuador Jim
I can't imagine hand grenades "flouncing around" on the D-rings of a Burberry Trench! Imagine the potential for the ruination of such a fine garment.

Considering the original purpose for which Thos. Burberry created this garment, it was utilitarian rather than a 'fine garment'. Whether for hand grenades (which doesn't seem too plausible based on earlier posts) or other British officer's gear during WWI, the d-rings had a military purpose.

Today they're a holdover from an earlier time on this iconic garment. Which, BTW, is a fine garment.

 

[carebear]

My trench, courtesy of your tax dollars...

And one for Major Strasser... lol

Marine Corps issue All-Weather Coat (with liner), size 38L (too small, I need a 43/44L now :eusa_doh: )

 

[Alan Eardley]

My trench, courtesy of your tax dollars...


Marine Corps issue All-Weather Coat (with liner), size 38L (too small, I need a 43/44L now :eusa_doh: )

I'll buy it!

Alan

 

[carebear]

Alan,

PM sent

 

[Jovan]

38L...

 

[carter]

OK, now I'm a bit confused.

Earlier I posted that I received a Men's 48R Burberry Trench bought for an unbelievably low price on OFAS.
When it arrived, in excellent condition, it was way to small.

Today I received a Men's 46R Burberry Trench without belt, epaulets, or cuff adjusters. It does have the button-in woold liner and collar. This sold for $51.00.

The 46R is much larger than the 48R. Does this mean that the 48R is a European (not US/UK) size? This would make it a 38R for US/UK sizing.

I think I'm going to take all the missing bits from the 48R and put them on the 46R.

Anyone interested in a stripped-down 38R US/UK Burberry Trench?

 

[MK]

FYI

There is a nice article about trench coats in the Fall issue of Classic Style.

http://www.classicstylemag.com/thisissue.html

 

[carter]

The information on this thread has been invaluable as has the information posted by Paddy. :eusa_clap

I can't wait to read the article.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Classic Style

I wrote the article "An Eternal Classic" on the trench coat in the Fall issue of Classic Style.

It is the finest piece of writing I have ever done and I encourage you all to run out and get it.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.