Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[Doctor Damage]

^ Great looking coats, friend. In the past I was never a fan of short trenchcoats, but nowadays I can see the advantages. My grandfather called them "car coats" and they were short so you could get into and out of a car easier, since here in N America we go everywhere in cars.

 

[Trenchfriend]

^ Great looking coats, friend. In the past I was never a fan of short trenchcoats, but nowadays I can see the advantages. My grandfather called them "car coats" and they were short so you could get into and out of a car easier, since here in N America we go everywhere in cars.

Thank you.
On the photos, the length seems a little shorter than it is in real. The length is 91cm, so it is in Germany called "half-long", could be "2/4". But to me a length 90cm and above is also a real coat, I think.
What I don't like, are, for example, the very short actual Trenchcoats from Hugo Boss or similar. They are length 88cm oder less, so they are more "Trenchjackets"! Thats not, what I want.

But this "Sergio"-Trenchcoats are nice and similar to the vintage cinema-ones, like Jef Costello or this whole melancholic gangster-thing.

 

[Fastuni]

An early 1950's East German trenchcoat "Wetterlin".

Super-lightweight... could be cotton, but possibly cellulose.

Buttons galore. Looks like a multi-eyed spider... probably appropriate for some StaSi agent.

It is meant for a size 38 and will go to a friend who collects East German stuff.

 

[esteban68]

That's a great find Fastuni!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Oh, fantastic!

Until today, I don't know the name "Wetterlin" on east-german trenchcoats!

How effective ist the weather-resistance? Effective to drizzle or even heavy rain?

 

[Dinerman]

H. Nakashima army trench

 

[Trenchfriend]

Great, authentic trenchcoat, I think!!

 

[Hal]

Coats of this kind were very frequent in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Britain - some had detachable winter linings. Navy-blue versions were worn by very many schoolboys from about 1930 to about 1970. The label doesn't say that the fabric is shower-resistant, but coats of this fabric (without detachable linings) are an excellent weight for cool days when one needs an outer coat but an overcoat would be too much.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Great Information, thanks!

 

[Tiki Tom]

Glad to see this thread has come back to life. I like my leather jacket, but my trench coat is my real favorite.
At one point I found myself without a trench coat in my life. I became a bit obsessive about it. However, I am tall and did not want just any coat. I wanted one that would reach to just below my knees. Anything higher and it looks like I'm a giant in an undersized coat that doesn't fit. Or at least that's my view. It was proving hard to find. Anyway, I was poking around in a vintage shop here in old Vienna and I found the perfect coat. A Hugo Boss from (I'm guessing) the late 1980s. Classic Humphrey Boggart coat in every way. And it was in near perfect condition. So I whip out my plastic. Sorry, cash only. Hang on while I go to the bank! We are closing in 10 minutes. O.K.! I'll run! Don't let anyone buy that coat! And I did in fact run. I think she thought I was a little bit crazy... and I probably was. Paid about 100 Euros for it. Anyway, I'm very happy with the coat and wear it frequently. Get a lot of compliments on it. One guy said "Oh, I see you have a detective coat." Mildly annoyed me, because I feel that half the enjoyment of all these articles of classic apparel is knowing the history and where they come from. Oh well. Also see a lot of young guys these days wearing strange (to me) hybrid coats that can't decide if they want to be a safari jacket or a trench coat and manage to make a hash of both. I'm probably sounding way too picky and opinionated. Don't mean to be. In most things I'm extremely easy going. There are just certain classics that shouldn't be messed with. Love the coat! Love the thread! (One day I'll figure out how to post a picture and do so.) Carry on, fellow trench wearers.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Thanks!

 

[Trenchfriend]

I always liked Richard Crenna as Col. Trautman, with his simple military trenchcoat. I think, he could played every higher military-rank, with this appearence.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Is anyone else here annoyed as I am when people these days refer to any longish coat as a "trench coat"? I first became aware of it with the infamous "Trench Coat Mafia" of Columbine infamy. Now I even hear those Aussie drover's coats with the shoulder doubling called trench coats. They are fine coats in themselves, but certainly not trench coats. I've tried to explain to people that a true trench coat has a belt and epaulets and lapels and all sorts of semi-military doodads about them, but I just get blank stares. I've even seen reference o "Columbo's trench coat" in the Smithsonian. It was just a raincoat.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Is anyone else here annoyed as I am when people these days refer to any longish coat as a "trench coat"? I first became aware of it with the infamous "Trench Coat Mafia" of Columbine infamy. Now I even hear those Aussie drover's coats with the shoulder doubling called trench coats. They are fine coats in themselves, but certainly not trench coats. I've tried to explain to people that a true trench coat has a belt and epaulets and lapels and all sorts of semi-military doodads about them, but I just get blank stares. I've even seen reference o "Columbo's trench coat" in the Smithsonian. It was just a raincoat.

It's one of those ways in which language changes. Another good example is the term "blazer" which is almost always mis-used!

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a coat currently offered by H&M which has a nice simple design.

 

[Trenchfriend]

@Doctor Damage

It hasn't epaulettes. Without epaulettes, it's incomplete and not the (military)officers-"greatcoat", so it's no trenchcoat, too me. It's just a raincoat with belt, too me, like the most female trenchcoats without epaulettes.

 

[Trenchfriend]

The H&M-coat is made of cheap twill, polyester mainly and wool, so I don't think, it's water repellent.

I would look on water-repellent trenchcoats. The real thing!

In Europe (I think worldwide) it's the paradoxon, that the most todays available trenchcoats aren't water-repellent, but women still like trenchcoats and buy more of them, than men, year after year. It becomes a renaissance female fashion-thing.

But against, the most todays available classic simple raincoats (like 50's/60's) ARE real water-repellent and available at an mind-blowing price-value! But I recognize, that these classic raincoats are way forgotten in times of short "functional-jackets" (Jack-Wolfskin/Northface...) oder mass-market field-jackets.

So, in Germany you have to decide. If you like the more stylish way, you have to look exactly on authentic trenchcoats, which are water-reppellent or even breathable and not too short, too!
If yout want just a simple classic single-breasted raincoat (like Columbo!), you mustn't think long about and you can easily just walk to the next fashion store and got one, to really low prices with A-quality!

Example (Hugo Boss):
-partly authentic (and all water-repellent) trenchcoats (especially Boss Black), priced 450 to 499 Euro, on sale still 399 Euro and so on!
-real (heavy water-repellent) classic raincoats of very well A-quality, too. Normal priced 299 Euro. On sale 199 Euro!!

The perfect raincoat to me is the Boss "The Fern2"-raincoat. I own one.
-heavy water repellent (self-tested on heavy rains!)
-longer than average todays (short) trenchcoats
-breathable textile!
-semi-lined, so it's even nearly a wintercoat!
-great buttoned neck-clasp! (better than the metall-ones on trenchcoats!)
-amazing price-value

"The Fern1" and the "The Fern3" aren't semi-lined.

PS:
Against, my three fairly-priced housebrand-trenchcoats are good looking, authentic to the old Burberry-making. But they are non-breathable and, at least, two of them are just ligthly water-repellent.

But my allround is the Boss "Fern2".

 

[Tiki Tom]

Is anyone else here annoyed as I am when people these days refer to any longish coat as a "trench coat"? I first became aware of it with the infamous "Trench Coat Mafia" of Columbine infamy. Now I even hear those Aussie drover's coats with the shoulder doubling called trench coats. They are fine coats in themselves, but certainly not trench coats. I've tried to explain to people that a true trench coat has a belt and epaulets and lapels and all sorts of semi-military doodads about them, but I just get blank stares. I've even seen reference o "Columbo's trench coat" in the Smithsonian. It was just a raincoat.

Exactly. To me a "trench coat" has very specific characteristics and a history rooted in WWI. It mildly annoys me when people are incapable of putting things in historical context or ---usually--- don't even know the history. Small thing, but annoying. One of my faults, to be sure. And don't get me started on people referring to fedoras as cowboy hats!

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Exactly. To me a "trench coat" has very specific characteristics and a history rooted in WWI. It mildly annoys me when people are incapable of putting things in historical context or ---usually--- don't even know the history. Small thing, but annoying. One of my faults, to be sure. And don't get me started on people referring to fedoras as cowboy hats!

Cowboy hats? Hahahahahahaha! Everybody knows those are Indiana Jones hats!

 

[Trenchfriend]

But, I think, there´s a difference between the cowboy-hat, which seems to be started as the classic Stetson and goes on, to the modern versions, and the traveller-hats of felt or leather (Indiana Jones).