Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[Doctor Damage]

Is the the "Get Carter" trench coat?

http://www.aquascutum.co.uk/images/products/C52000100100/C52000100100-cutout-zoom.jpg

Found here: http://www.aquascutum.co.uk/index.cfm?page=1013&productid=C520001&productvarid=C520001-00100-42R&refpage=mens-rainwear&pagesize=12&productpage=1&viewall=false

Very nice, but a tad pricey!

Tony

The Corby is actually a summer-weight coat and really really short. The Bladen, which is now discontinued, was a bit longer and resembled Jack Carter's coat more closely. I have one on order from an eBay seller in the UK, although in tan, not black. There are still a lot of Bladens for sale on eBay in NWT condition for about 30%-40% of full retail price, including in black, which would be just perfect if you need to travel to a northern coat mining town to exact revenge on your brother's murderers...

 

[TM]

Thanks Doctor Damage! I'll keep an eye out for one of those Bladen coats. You never know when you will have to exact revenge while being properly dressed.

And as an aside, to those who have never read "Jack Comes Home", by Ted Lewis, or seen the movie "Get Carter" - they are great! Ted Lewis makes Jim Thompson seem like Doctor Seuss.

Tony

 

[FAFOO68]

MARKS AND SPENCER "Autograph Stormwear™ Cotton Rich Trench Coat"

Hello gentlemen,
I have seen on M&S store this affordable trench coat for 119 £ but i wonder how's the quality compared to the old m&s pieces we can find on EBay ?
(Yes, it's the modern style, shorter than Bogart's trench coat but it's more pratictal when you're driving your car IMO)
Any comment ?

 

[Doctor Damage]

Thanks Doctor Damage! I'll keep an eye out for one of those Bladen coats.

Further to my post about the Aquascutum Bladen coats:

I just found out, to my cost, that some of the Bladen coats were made from summer-weight 100% cotton and cotton-blend poplin cloth, not a heavier 100% cotton or cotton-blend gabardine cloth. You definitely want the heavier gabardine, not the light poplin. So be careful and check the photos carefully - the poplin wrinkles much easier, which is sometimes visible in photos (I can post some reference photos if desired). However, in terms of design and fit, the Bladen is great and has a vintage 1960s short trenchcoat air about it, and is much more desirable in my opinion than the later Walton and Corby short trenchcoat models (which are simply too short and have some unattractive details). If you can find one in the right cloth then I think the Bladen is a great choice, but given that the Bladen model is discontinued and the risk of getting the wrong cloth is high, I don't think buying "long distance" is a good idea, so make sure to handle first or check photos carefully.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here are two images from Aquascutum showing the classic Kingsway coat, which was their standard model for a few decades (now replaced by the Kingsgate).

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's an old image from Burberry.

 

[Doctor Damage]

from "Sirocco" with Humphrey Bogart - publicity shot, plus screenshots

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's one of the greatest Barbour jackets ever: the Trench Coat. It was made in the medium weight waxed cotton, sage green or navy blue, unisex design, and had corduroy inserts inside the cuffs, pockets, lapels, and collar so the wax wouldn't get on your clothes. I should have bought one of these, as they're long discontinued (disappeared in the early 90s) and Barbour certainly doesn't make anything this nice anymore.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Just bought a BNWT Aquascutum Kingsgate trenchcoat from an eBay seller in the U.K. This coat has a very classic shape, a bit slimmer than the 1990s coats I'm used to and with relatively high armholes and a medium weight cloth. Highly recommended, just keep in mind you want the 55% cotton cloth not the current 35% cotton cloth, which pretty much means buying off eBay. Not cheap, but I'm happy.

 

[DesertDan]

I finally got my Trench! I found a very nice black Stafford (J.C. Penny house brand) in a thrift store for $20. It may not be vintage but it is an older, classic style than the one they sell now.

Works for me!

 

[Doctor Damage]

I finally got my Trench! I found a very nice black Stafford (J.C. Penny house brand) in a thrift store for $20. It may not be vintage but it is an older, classic style than the one they sell now.

Works for me!

I also picked up an old Stafford coat a while back and I am delighted with the overall quality and details (80% wool liner and overcollar, flapped pockets, box pleat rear vent, etc). Mine was made in Poland and was never worn. I think eBay users should keep the brand in mind, along with old London Fog coats; both brands made some excellent coats in the past and give a great bang-for-the-buck.

 

[Two Types]

Here are a couple of raincoat adverts from the UK in the 1930s:

Burtons, 1939:

No date:

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Nice advertisements.

I tracked down a copy of Sirocco with Humphrey Bogart at a local library (in VHS format!) and thoroughly enjoyed it (I posted some screenshots a page or two back in this thread). Good story, good actors, great "fedora and trenchcoat" movie. Just don't read the plot description in that wikipedia link or you'll spoil the ending. Recommended.

Here's an old Brooks Brothers coat that's on eBay right now. The seller says it's WW2 vintage and given that it's an older 8-button style, they might be right. Whatever the age, it's an amazing garment and I wish I could buy something just like this except new.

 

[robbert27]

Bogie's Trench in Casablanca

I read with fascination the discussion from a few years ago about Bogie's trench in Casablanca, but was disappointed to see that there was no definitive answer as to its origin. It seems the weight of the evidence suggests that the coat was neither a Burberry nor an Aquascutum, but rather a custom-made, one-of-a-kind piece. Has a final, definitive answer about Bogie's Casablanca coat ever been unearthed?

 

[Spitfire]

On a windy, grey, rainy springday in London town, nothing beats a Aquascutum!

 

[Doctor Damage]

On a windy, grey, rainy springday in London town, nothing beats a Aquascutum!

Go easy on that coat - the company's down the drain and who knows if the brand will ever be back.

Edit: The company has now officially been bought by the company which owns the Asian rights to the brand. Hopefully they preserve the brand and styles, but it looks like any chance of their stuff being made in the UK is gone since they Corby factory is being offered for sale (to be fair to the new owners, most of their stuff was already being "crafted" in Italy, i.e. China).

 

[Doctor Damage]

Bogart in "Tokyo Joe"

 

[Blackthorn]

Bogart in "Tokyo Joe"

That was the movie that made me decide I had to own a fedora. And that trench coat...well, the pics speak for themselves.

 

[Doctor Damage]

That was the movie that made me decide I had to own a fedora.

Good movie? I haven't seen it yet.

 

[Doctor Damage]

"Sirocco" - Bogie and others