Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[Big J]

BTW, didn't the title of this thread used to include something about 'daring to wear Rick's coat' or something? I could be mistaken, but I thought that it did. When and why did that change?

 

[Edward]

@Edward, I bought a WPG trench coat about 7 years ago. Excellent value for money. Very well made indeed, with great attention to detail. More of a tan color than a greener khaki, looks great with my Penman hats (I detest umbrellas). Very warm wool lining that buttons in/out, has another cotton lining beneath that, and between that and the outer shell has a waxed (or oiled?) interlining. Smelt terrible when I received it due to the waterproofing on the interling (very strong linseed type smell). Two weeks hanging on my veranda fixed that.
It's never leaked at the seams even in typhoons. It's quite heavy even without the woolen liner. The only criticism I have is that the leather on the metal fittings is extremely thin (although it's never ripped or failed), and the metal part of the buckle that goes through the belt holes was a little rough at the end.
Amazing for the price.

Thanks, that's worth knowing. They certainly look great on paper, good to hear they live up to it in reality. I'm in the process of clearing out a *lot* of old stuff; once that's gone, one of these is on my hitlist. I've had good experience of both Grenfell and Burberry on the used market, but I could never justify the new prices.

As for Burberry, they are big in Japan (were massive 15 years ago), and due to Japan's protectionist trade practices, Burberry offers a 'black label' line in Japan, which is effectively a Japanese majority owned subsidiary, using Japanese designers and manufacturing in China (my wife used to design for them, and Paul Smith Japan). These products are offered at 'regular' Burberry prices, whist 'regular' items are marked up as much as 50% above U.K. prices.
In light of that, I was blown away to get my wife's trench coat for her at such a good price.

Sounds even better a deal in that context. Burberry have been very clever at how thy turned their fortunes around in the UK from the days when the brand went downmarket and the phrase "Burberry scum" was used.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Front and back views of the USMC all-weather coat. I think the Army uses the same coat, but minus the gold buttons.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Recently I picked up used a couple more trench coats. The first is a London Fog coat, all the trimmings except epaulets, made from a nice twill (not London Fog's usual poplin). This is a fine quality coat and nearly as good as my circa-2000 Burberry (no joke). This was one of those late-night, low-price, "drunk" e-bay purchases that luckily turned to be a winner.



The second is a Joseph Banks coat, also great quality, probably made by London Fog since it's very similar in key details to the one above and the cloth is the same. This coat has only 8 buttons on the front, which is rather vintage in flair (see some of the photos of Bogart wearing an 8 button coat).

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Further to my post above... the London Fog fits BIG and I have listed it for sale. The Jos Bank is also biggish, but it's a much better fit, and the detailing is just right. I'll be keeping it and probably wearing it next winter instead of my Burberry, which frankly is no better (and in fact in some ways is markedly inferior). This really is an excellent coat.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a vintage Grenfell... what a spectacular coat!

 

[Gamma68]

Any trench coat fans here familiar with the book "The Trench Book" by Nick Foulkes?

http://www.nicholasfoulkes.com/books/the-trench-book/

It looks interesting but am not sure about the value of the content (i.e. is it mostly photos or is there accompanying text about the history of the trench coat, its sartorial legacy, various manufacturers, etc.).

 

[Doctor Damage]

Any trench coat fans here familiar with the book "The Trench Book" by Nick Foulkes?

http://www.nicholasfoulkes.com/books/the-trench-book/

It looks interesting but am not sure about the value of the content (i.e. is it mostly photos or is there accompanying text about the history of the trench coat, its sartorial legacy, various manufacturers, etc.).

Don't buy it, it's very thin on content. Some good photos. No worthwhile text. If you see it in a used bookstore for a few bucks then okay, since it's nice to flip through once in a while.

 

[Gamma68]

Don't buy it, it's very thin on content. Some good photos. No worthwhile text. If you see it in a used bookstore for a few bucks then okay, since it's nice to flip through once in a while.

Thanks for the feedback. Are there any better books out there specifically about trench coats?

 

[Doctor Damage]

Thanks for the feedback. Are there any better books out there specifically about trench coats?

None that I've found, and there's a reason for that: the topic is really small, and there's not much to know. One could summarize trench coats -- their history, their details, their evolution, their cultural/style impact -- in a few paragraphs, or a single page. Seriously. The best way to learn about them it to look at tons of photos and movies, and if you have an "eye" for seeing details, seeing cut, seeing fit, and seeing cloth then you'll teach yourself. And of course, collect them and wear them.

 

[Gamma68]

None that I've found, and there's a reason for that: the topic is really small, and there's not much to know. One could summarize trench coats -- their history, their details, their evolution, their cultural/style impact -- in a few paragraphs, or a single page. Seriously. The best way to learn about them it to look at tons of photos and movies, and if you have an "eye" for seeing details, seeing cut, seeing fit, and seeing cloth then you'll teach yourself. And of course, collect them.

...and maybe read all 84 pages of this thread.

I have an old Brooks Brothers trench with the detachable wool collar. Had a very nice Aquascutum once that I flipped because it was too large for me.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Hubert de Givenchy, who just died age 91, in a Burberry in 1979.

 

[The Shooman]

Got my vintage Burberry trench coat today and my vintage new London Fog rain hat. A fantastic coat and a great look with the hat, makes a statement.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Got my vintage Burberry trench coat today and my vintage new London Fog rain hat. A fantastic coat and a great look with the hat, makes a statement

With that type of hat it's definitely a New England look.

 

[The Shooman]

With that type of hat it's definitely a New England look.

Good to know. Here is exactly what l bought:

 

[Gamma68]

My vintage (circa 1970s) Brooks Brothers trench coat has all the bells and whistles, including a zip-in wool lining and detachable wool collar. Yesterday's rain/ice storm made it a perfect occasion to wear it.

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Looks great, Gamma! Having a winter liner & overcollar is really useful for colder days. It's nice to see your coat buttons quite a long way down the front, also useful for colder days.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Bill Cosby in a Burberry coat. (Please, no comments please about his 'situation', let the courts decide.) It looks like a barely used coat, but not a new/recent one, to judge by the pockets... the coats from the last several years have pockets with the leading edge sewn in, not on top like on Cosby's coat.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And you can see again the quality-level of todays Burberry trenchcoats. There's just no big difference to my (german) 199 EUR-storebrand-trenchcoat, which is basically the same massmarket-cutaway modell, of course not made from genuine Gabardine, but rather solid 59% cotton/41% Nylon-Gabardine weave.

 

[Edward]

One of the best Trenchcoats I've ever handled is my US Army AG44. Beautiful coats, plenty heavy to wear in Winter, removable liner... Vietnam era issue, though as with many such military coats they can pass for a much earlier civilian design. Green, so it won't be mistaken for Bogie's, but hey...