Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[The Wingnut]

As promised, the 'Bogie by Dior' trench, complete with authentic pose. It's even the right length at the knees, which is pretty unusual.

 

[matei]

That is strange that you weren't able to find a decent Burberry trench. I bought one last year at the Regents Street shop here in London. It has the yoke around the collar, the flap over the one shoulder, buckles and belts galore.

The buttons are either brown or black, I can't remember. They still sell them in this style - perhaps they weren't exported to the US? I remember that they had trenches from 100% cotton and a cotton/poly blend.

I got a dark blue one, as the khaki didn't particularly suit me, as I'm not a wee svelte man like Bogey.

 

[Robert Conway]

Robert,
You mentioned you had the Lost Worlds trench. Can you describe your experience with it- good construction, the cloth, details etc? Any turn-offs? I've read that the owner of the company has quite a rep.

m

Well, it was a bit of a mixed bag of goods. I've been told that their leather jackets are of a very high quality, but I wasn't bowled over by their trench.

The Cut:

I ordered a size 48R, which was the biggest they made and it was rather small on me in every way. I have an athletic build and fairly large shoulders, so I filled it out rather snugly. When I stretched my arms out ahead of me and then crossed them like I was hugging myself, I could feel all of the slack disappear out of the back and it would feel restrictive. And that was without a sports coat under it.

I've always been of the opinion that a trench shouldn't be form fitting, but instead looks best when it offers a little extra room, without going over board of course. Call it an element of lushness. Trying a size too big may not be a bad idea.

In person the collar and lapels didn't look quite right. I think part of the problem is that the front of the coat doesn't overlap far enough, which makes the lapels look skimpy. When closed the two rows of buttons looked like they were too close together.

All of the elements are there. The gun flap, the "Lamb Chop" throat strap etc., but to my eye the design just didn't flow properly. Something about the proportions didn't look right and everything wasn't working in harmony. It didn't 'gel'.

I hate to say it, but in some ways it looked like someone's first attempt at a trench. On something like a Burberry the front of the chest appears to be more sculpted, like a suit. It has shape and the design has a certain complexity.

Quality:

The quality of the cloth seemed to be very good. It is a natural fiber (Grenfell Cotton), not a cotton/polyester blend like almost all manufacturers use these days. Compared to the Brooks Brothers or Burberry the cloth seemed thinner.

One thing that bothered me was how light the coat was. I know this is one of the selling points of Grenfell cotton, but personally I think a trench should have a little heft to it, especially when it has a certain military cut to it.

I didn't like the material they chose for the lining. I thought it looked cheap.

Stitching seemed to be good and tight.

On mine some of the secondary buttons were rather cheap. On the inside one of them was a clear plastic. The front buttons all appeared to be real horn and had a nice color.

The belt that came with my jacket was way too short and lacked heft. It felt like you were tying a scarf.

One last thing to consider is that they don't offer a winter lining...


So, there it is. I hate to sound so negative, because I really wanted to like this coat. Perhaps it's just my personal taste. I think I may have had one of the very first examples they made, so perhaps they have tuned it since. There are some new pictures of it on their site and I could swear that at the very least the lining has changed (for the better). I also don't remember the neck strap being that prominent.

At $895 dollars it's not a cheap coat. Both the Brooks Brothers and similar Burberry are the same price and deliver a lot more bang for the buck. The Lost World coat just didn't look like it should have cost that much money...

In any case the folks at lost World were very professional and allowed me to return the coat for a full refund. I keep eyeing some of their leather jackets on their site, so maybe I'll give them a try again down the road.

 

[Robert Conway]

As promised, the 'Bogie by Dior' trench, complete with authentic pose. It's even the right length at the knees, which is pretty unusual.

Nice. Love the color of it.

 

[Robert Conway]

That is strange that you weren't able to find a decent Burberry trench. I bought one last year at the Regents Street shop here in London. It has the yoke around the collar, the flap over the one shoulder, buckles and belts galore.

I think part of the problem was the sales girl I was dealing with. She was a bit of a piece of work and primarily interested in moving whatever stock she had in the store at the moment.

I also suspect that she wouldn't recognize a model 21, if she tripped over it.

When I pointed out to her what features were missing, she looked at me like I was complaining that the coat didn't have purple spots and chase lights around the bottom hemline.:eusa_doh:

I'm going back there tomorrow and will try to find a grown up to talk to.


thanks!

RC

 

[Tomasso]

Grenfell Stain-Resistant Cloth

In any case the folks at Lost World were very professional

link deleted

Quite an illustration depicting the stain-resistant qualities of Grenfell cloth.

 

[Robert Conway]

Quite an illustration depicting the stain-resistant qualities of Grenfell cloth.

Come again?

RC

 

[The Wingnut]

The period illustration on the page you linked to is disturbingly...well, pornographic, even by modern standards!

 

[Matthew Dalton]

I've seen that page at least twice before and I'd never noticed.

 

[Mr. Sable]

That is quite the shocking image to find on a garment site!

Wonder if they did any field testing for that stain guard.

 

[carebear]

That is quite the shocking image to find on a garment site!

Wonder if they did any field testing for that stain guard.

Given the scenario, I'd be looking for a more traditional rubber raincoat than a cotton one.

 

[Zach R.]

Mine was apparently only worn once during a film production, so its practically new(there was even a price tag still on the inside that they must have overlooked).

Coincidentally, it is also 4 sizes smaller than my suit size according to the tag(the auction was mislabled), but fits perfectly over my frame. Even WITH a suit on, I have to tighten the belt a bit.

I'd hate to imagine how billowy one that is actually "my" size would actually be.

 

[Robert Conway]

The period illustration on the page you linked to is disturbingly...well, pornographic, even by modern standards!

How awkward.
Never even noticed that.


Cheers,


RC

 

[Tomasso]

How awkward.
Never even noticed that.


Cheers,


RC

Sure, you didn't

 

[mikepara]

I'm shocked..

..wheras erotic material when your looking for it isnt shocking,
stumbling over it in a clothing page is.

Wow! nuff said.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

.

I snipped the links to the page in question. No harm, no foul.

 

[Harp]

Trench

I enjoyed reading this thread since I was in the market for a new
trench coat faithful to historic/sartorial precedent and within reasonable price. Trolled eBay for a few days and found just what I wanted for $45.00. Some days you just strike gold.

 

[matei]

Here is a pic of my new Burberry... As I said in another post, khaki didn't suit me:

The trench works very well, and has got a real workout with the weather we've been having lately!

 

[carebear]

Here is a pic of my new Burberry... As I said in another post, khaki didn't suit me:

The trench works very well, and has got a real workout with the weather we've been having lately!

I somehow like the red one better.

Nice coat.

 

[matei]

Ah, well... The red one is a wee bit small for me. It suits my wife though.

It is an Aquascutum.