Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[The Mad Hatter]

I wear a 48R suit jacket. I figure I need something like a 52 or 54 to fit it over a sport jacket, since a trench is supposed to be worn a little on the big size.

No, you need a 48R. Burberry's are sized to fit over sport jackets, suit jackets, etc..


Just search Ebay regularly with the terms "Burberry Trench 48" "Burberry Trench 48R" "Burberry's Trench 48" and "Burberry's Trench 48R"; and you should rapidly come across coats for sale in your size.

Similar searches for Aquascutum are also good.

 

[Robert Conway]

No, you need a 48R. Burberry's are sized to fit over sport jackets, suit jackets, etc..

I didn't know that. I think I'll head down to the Burberry store and try one on.


thanks,

Robert Conway

 

[Fu Manchu]

Please advise on an old leather trench

Hello all,

Would someone have a second to help a newbie assess a really old-looking leather trench that's currently for sale? I won't post pics, 'cause I know someone else might be eyeing it. If someone has a second, please pm me and I'll forward a link.

Thanks,

Fu Manchu

 

[Baron Kurtz]

You can't receive PMs. Only ten more posts to go !!!!

bk

 

[Fu Manchu]

no?

I'm not? I'm able to send 'em - the sending limit was dropped to 15. Perhaps you could try to send me one (or, if I may, I could send you the link I was describing?)

Fu Manchu

 

[matei]

Trench coat/Overcoat advice

Hello all,

I know that this subject has been touched upon in the past, but I'm hoping our knowledgeable members can give me a more definitive answer…

How do modern overcoats/trench coats differ from those from the 30s/40s? I'm in the market for a trench coat, as spring has sprung here in the UK and it will soon be too warm to wear my wool overcoat.

I've seen some nice coats at some of the "big names" (Burberry, Aquascutum etc), but I'm curious to know what the deal is with them. I've heard people say that they're of dubious quality or made from inferior materials… please elaborate!

Yeah, I know… they are expensive compared to getting one off of everyone's fave auction site, but to be honest - I've been looking for a while and I haven't seen anything that I liked.

Also - while on this subject… I know that Bogey's trench coats are the ideal, but who else was sporting a cool coat "back in the day"?

Thanks

 

[matei]

Anyone?

 

[scotrace]

Watching The Maltese Falcon again last night... wow, so MANY beautiful overcoats. Especially Bogarts.
Modern overcoats lack shape, and a breast pocket. They're also made of weird, thick, spongey fabric.
One of the nicest I've seen (my boss has one so I'm not going to copy) is this one at Overstock.I t's quite soft and drapey. But not a trenchcoat...

Other than that, I'm not much help - kind of in the same boat.

 

[herringbonekid]

M, please try and find a 1940s trench coat in a vintage shop before you go and buy a new one and have a good look at it.... hopefully you will SEE and FEEL the difference (actual contact with vintage clothing explains much more about quality than words can). the english wartime trenchcoats often have a unique greyed-brown colour which is so evocative of that time, and thicker, more deeply grooved gabardine than you will find today.

 

[BellyTank]

That Coat in the image above-

look at how the hip pockets and the bottom buttons collide, visually.

Disaster!

Very, very true about the Gab., HerringboneKid.

And the modern overcoats, as Scott says. lank, spongey 'Melton', somehow manages to both pil and go bald with only minimal use.

Bugger them!


B
T

 

[herringbonekid]

incidentally thomas burberry, the founder, invented the fabric gabardine* in 1880. the current young head-designer at burberry, christopher bailey, collects vintage gab burberry raincoats from the 20s and 30s and indeed waxes lyrical about their superior nature. he's not as daft as he looks.



* "gabardine is a tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, overcoats and trousers, or a garment made from the material. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally worsted (a woolen yarn), but may also be cotton, synthetic or mixed. The fabric is smooth on one side and has a diagonally ribbed surface on the other. Gabardine is a form of twill weave."
(wikipedia)

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

"She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said 'be careful, his bow tie is really a camera'"

 

[Senator Jack]

I've given up on finding a newly manufactured topcoat that fits, is well-constructed, and is of real winterweight which is what I assume you'll want in the UK.

First, armhole (here we go again) construction is worse on topcoats than it is on suits, because manufacturers are compensating for the low armhole jackets. Second, because of modern insulated quilting, the coats are thinner and feel more like driving coats than top coats. I believe it's this thinness that doesn't allow the coat to envelop the body, and therefore psychologically you don't feel warm, snug, and cozy. (Just try on a true 30s-50s winterweight and you'll see what I mean.)

Good news for you is that you have an easier time bidding on the German ebay than we do here in the U.S. Marc Chevalier sent me over to it when I was looking for a replacement grey topcoat. I saw a lot that I wanted to bid on, but as I can't read German...ach du lieber!

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[scotrace]

Look what Thomas is making

At English Cut. Wonderful eh?

 

[scotrace]

Bump

Surely no one has seen the pics above?

No comment? Not a nice coat?

 

[herringbonekid]

it looks good. interesting back.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Very nice indeed!

 

[matei]

Burberry Trench

I was in the market for a new trench coat. I scoured eBay, the local second-hand shops, and could find nothing in my size or that suited my taste. So... we trekked into town to see what the shops had to offer. Nothing that I liked. Many of the coats I tried looked like bad memories from the seventies or had that slimmed down "modern" look.

While trying on various coats, I came to the realisation that a beige/tan trench just doesn't look good on me. I grew up with that classic image of Bogey indelibly etched in my mind... I'm no Bogey. I'm probably twice his size, and while the light colour helped him look bigger - I don't need any help myself in that department!

My wife recently picked up a very nice Aquascutum, so I figured I'd drop by their shop here in London to see what they had for men. Nice, but I looked like an inverted beige funnel. Too "blousy", and the colour didn't look good on me.

On to Burberry. Yes, I've heard it before - overpriced, dubious quality. However, I was very pleased with what they had to offer. I ended up picking up a navy blue trench coat, with all the assorted pockets, belts, buckles and chav-magnet print (on the inside thank goodness). It is a sharp looking coat, well cut, lightweight but not too much so... I am thrilled with it. Thanks to the crummy weather yesterday morning I even got to try it out.

Interesting thing with Burberry... All the other coats I tried were 44 Regular or Long. I ended up with a 52 at Burberry. Odd...
I'll post a pic of this fine coat later on... the camera is with my wife and Burberry doesn't seem to have this coat on its website.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Interesting thing with Burberry... All the other coats I tried were 44 Regular or Long. I ended up with a 52 at Burberry. Odd...

Maybe this is a continental 52, corresponding to a British 42. A lot of foreign visitors to the city drop in there.

 

[matei]

Do they ever! When we were there a group of Korean tourists took over the shop. They were in and out in a flash, buying loads of stuff.

When we were in the Aquascutum shop there were about 30 Japanese tourists, doing the same. These brands must be very big in the Far East!