Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[DragonJade]

Hi all,

I ordered a coat from them at the end of october, and haven't had any news since then (not even a order confirmation). They told me that the turnover is usually between 7 and 10 working days. I'm trying to contact them but their website is broken (or doesn't exist anymore), so is their mail adress.

I'd be very grateful if anyone had their phone number or an alternative email (I only know admin@raincoatsdirect.co.uk).

Remi

Sorry to hear that you're having problems with them. I paid by bank transfer and not by credit card, and so I emailed them to say I had just sent the payment. They said they'd get back to me when they had received the payment and they never did. I had to email them a week later to see if they actually had it. I sent the money from my Halifax account and it said it would be a few hours at most.

Their turnaround was a lot longer than 10 days with me as you've probably read near the beginning of the thread.

You can access their their website with this link:
http://www.raincoats.co.uk/webapp/w...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10051

The address on their website is:
Traditional Rainwear Limited
1 Harding Street, Salford, M6 6WE

And the address according to their emails is:
Raincoats Direct Limited, Ingles Manor, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2RD

I did a bit of digging for you and came up with this for Ingles Manor, which has a phone number:
http://www.chanbus.co.uk/

And this might be the number for the Salford address:
0161 7620080

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[remicanard]

Sorry to hear that you're having problems with them. I paid by bank transfer and not by credit card, and so I emailed them to say I had just sent the payment. They said they'd get back to me when they had received the payment and they never did. I had to email them a week later to see if they actually had it. I sent the money from my Halifax account and it said it would be a few hours at most.

Their turnaround was a lot longer than 10 days with me as you've probably read near the beginning of the thread.

You can access their their website with this link:
http://www.raincoats.co.uk/webapp/w...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10051

The address on their website is:
Traditional Rainwear Limited
1 Harding Street, Salford, M6 6WE

And the address according to their emails is:
Raincoats Direct Limited, Ingles Manor, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2RD

I did a bit of digging for you and came up with this for Ingles Manor, which has a phone number:
http://www.chanbus.co.uk/

And this might be the number for the Salford address:
0161 7620080

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks a lot for the info DragonJade !

 

[remicanard]

So, I received my coat today (complete coincidence : I ask them for an update and they promptly answer my coat will arrive today!). It has the same pockets as on their website, but clearer buttons, just like for DragonJade. The material seems of good quality, and there is no problem with seams and sewings on mine. Overall I am very happy with the product.

My only criticism is on their communication : my first mails, inquiring about the coat, were answered very quickly. But I didn't receive any order confirmation after having transferred the money (payment by credit card was not possible). And when I tried to ask for an update (2 weeks after ordering) the email adress I knew (admin@raincoatsdirect.co.uk) and the website I knew (www.raincoatsdirect.co.uk) didn't exist anymore.

 

[DragonJade]

I'm glad to hear that you got your coat finally and that you're happy with it.

 

[DragonJade]

Oh, out of interest, what's the new email/website they're using now?

 

[remicanard]

The link you gave me is working:
http://www.raincoats.co.uk/webapp/w...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10051

The mail address admin@traditionalrainwear.co.uk is also working.

 

[norton]

So, I received my coat today (complete coincidence : I ask them for an update and they promptly answer my coat will arrive today!). It has the same pockets as on their website, but clearer buttons, just like for DragonJade. The material seems of good quality, and there is no problem with seams and sewings on mine. Overall I am very happy with the product.

My only criticism is on their communication : my first mails, inquiring about the coat, were answered very quickly. But I didn't receive any order confirmation after having transferred the money (payment by credit card was not possible). And when I tried to ask for an update (2 weeks after ordering) the email adress I knew (admin@raincoatsdirect.co.uk) and the website I knew (www.raincoatsdirect.co.uk) didn't exist anymore.

I'm glad you're hapy with your coat and that they went back to flaps on the pockets.

I think their problem is that they're not used to working with retail customers. I wonder how large a percent their web based business is. Probably not very much.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I tend to button one button and buckle the belt.

 

[Damon Falzone]

Check out Burberry's site: artofthetrench.com.

 

[Harp]

A few years back, I bought a deadstock Woodmere khaki trench off eBay.
Right shoulder pad, pistol pocket, belt, collar flap.
For $40, a bargain without complaint.
I keep it belted in back and prefer leaving it open for that haggard,
rumpled, and my desk-is-a-mess lawyer look.
...and it works too

 

[The Good]

Hello, sorry if this is an old thread, but I want to revive it.

I'm wondering if this is a decent enough quality trench coat:

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Breast...1_13?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1261886190&sr=1-13

It's double-breasted, tan/khaki, and overall, that's the look I'm going for. It's also $140 bucks, and it seems pretty cheap compared to one made by, say, Burberry, or London Fog. It's made of "cotton-blend," with some polyester, and as the description states, "treated to repel rain. Belted. Raglan sleeves. Full length with zip-out liner. Dry clean. Imported." Well, it's not exact, but it seems Casablanca-esque, which is the vibe I'm going for.

I'm having my doubts on the trench coat look altogether though. Are people like me, in their early twenties, really capable of pulling off the trench coat look, or should I just consider it when I'm thirty years old?

 

[avedwards]

I'm having my doubts on the trench coat look altogether though. Are people like me, in their early twenties, really capable of pulling off the trench coat look, or should I just consider it when I'm thirty years old?

Well I'm seventeen and I personally think I can pull it off. Wearing my trench coat and fedora makes me look quite a bit older though - enough people have told me they thought I was in my 20s.

I think your question should be re-phrased "Can I cope with the stupid comments I may receive?" If you can just ignore them and not get too annoyed then you should be fine.

 

[The Good]

Well I'm seventeen and I personally think I can pull it off. Wearing my trench coat and fedora makes me look quite a bit older though - enough people have told me they thought I was in my 20s.

I think your question should be re-phrased "Can I cope with the stupid comments I may receive?" If you can just ignore them and not get too annoyed then you should be fine.

Well, eventually I'm going to get one if I have the money, even if this means that I'll buy one in five years, but that may not change the fact about the potential negative comments, so you have a point there. I rememeber reading that you pretty frequently get "Hey Inspector Gadget" comments based on your trench coat. Is it actually grey? That aside, such comments are tasteless no matter how accurate a color or look may be to a certain fictional character. Indiana Jones on the other hand, I've only received one wearing my Akubra Federation... I wish people didn't have such a tendency to identify wearers of certain vintage clothing with fictional characters so much... I do however, handle the Indiana Jones comments pretty well though, all in good humor I suppose.

 

[avedwards]

Well, eventually I'm going to get one if I have the money, even if this means that I'll buy one in five years, but that may not change the fact about the potential negative comments, so you have a point there. I rememeber reading that you pretty frequently get "Hey Inspector Gadget" comments based on your trench coat. Is it actually grey? That aside, such comments are tasteless no matter how accurate a color or look may be to a certain fictional character. Indiana Jones on the other hand, I've only received one wearing my Akubra Federation... I wish people didn't have such a tendency to identify wearers of certain vintage clothing with fictional characters so much... I do however, handle the Indiana Jones comments pretty well though, all in good humor I suppose.

My trench coat is beige, it's the hat that's grey. I got mine from a charity shop for £12.99 in good condition. There was no belt so I had to find one from a vintage clothing shop.

But one reason for the comments where I live may be the amount of low-lifes who have no ambition and therefore spend their time loafing around shops and insulting anyone who looks even vaguely different. I've also had people attempt to throw snowballs at me, though they inevitably seem to miss.

In my case I get called Inspector Gadget even without the coat on, so if you can live wearing a hat you should be able to handle a coat.

 

[Stearmen]

London Fog

Just bought a London Fog trench coat at the local Disabled American Veterans store. Not bad for $5.05, what do you think? Not sure what year, but it looks like it was never worn!

 

[surdanis]

Age and pulling it off...

Seriously? Age shouldn't be a problem. Not even seventeen. The trench is getting quite a bit of a revival. Check out Burberry (burberry.com) and take a look at the models wearing their new stock. You'll notice they're all quite young. I'm twenty-eight myself, and the trench can be a youthful addition to any wardrobe, in my opinion. True, you may find the Burberry price to be a bit to scoff at, but you're buying quality product, nonetheless. They are known for fine detailing (and the famous Burberry Check). Furthermore, you can occasionally find the good stuff marked down on the Internet. And then consider that Burberry pretty much invented the civilian trench: it's their signature piece, and it's no wonder they have so many styles available. If anything, just look at the Burberry pics to get an idea of how you can look stylish and not stuffy.

And did I mention that Emma Watson has been modeling for them? The Spring/Summer 2010 Range is Miss Watson's second season with the company. She's only two years older than you.

Now, how you are perceived in a trench hinges upon what you wear with it. An ensemble with a trench can easily turn into a suit staple, but you can tone it down to a more casual look with a pair of jeans or cord pants. For tops, throw in a white ground patterned button-up long sleeve shirt. I cannot imagine any other shirt working with a trench; the collar and placket lines seem to compliment the design of the outer piece. Anything else is a no-no, but you're welcome to set a trend. A nice sweater over the shirt is great for colder temps. Finally, shoes: No sneakers or canvas unless you wanna look like the Highlander (in which case, DO carry a katana... though frankly, I have no idea how you're going to hide it). Get a nice pair of matching leather shoes. If you wear a hat, consider that you can avoid a good deal of the "Inspector Gadget" name-calling if you simply do not wear one. Remember that back in the day, MEN wore hats: Boys didn't. Ergo, when JFK ran for President, his no-hat style gave the general impression of youth. Subsequently, his hatless inauguration speech caused the sales of hats throughout the country to plummet. My suggestion is to keep your fedora with your suit for more "dressier" occasions.

You also need to think about colors and fabric. To avoid being associated with Columbine, choose anything but black for the trench--and definitely NOT leather. (Nazis wore black leather trenches. Interestingly, it was Hugo Boss company who supplied the Nazi Party with them.) Many trenches are beige or tan. Consider other shades, brown, navy. Also, a recent trend is the cropped trench, which lends the wearer a younger look. Strangely popular. This may be up your alley. A short trench will probably be around 35 inches long (bottom of the collar to bottom edge). A "full" trench will probably be around 42 inches. I know Burberry has several trenches that also fall in the mid-range at about 38 inches.

Hope this helps. I'm no expert. Just an Internet junky with an interest in the trench coat...

 

[Matt Deckard]

Matt I really hope you don't hold your cigars like that 4 years later!!!! :eusa_doh: It's not a cigarette

I was flipping people off UK style.

Here's the coat I've been wearing around as of late.

 

[Boris K]

Just bought a London Fog trench coat at the local Disabled American Veterans store. Not bad for $5.05, what do you think? Not sure what year, but it looks like it was never worn!

Looks good, Stearmen. I assume it has a zip out liner that is medium dark brown?

If so it would be identical to one I wear and purchased in 1985.

 

[Stearmen]

Looks good, Stearmen. I assume it has a zip out liner that is medium dark brown?

If so it would be identical to one I wear and purchased in 1985.

The liner was gone, but at that price I am still happy! Now I need to clean up a lot more!

 

[Dinerman]

My "ultimate" trench. Heavy material with a button out wool lining.

It has interior slanted pockets, in the same position as the outside handwarmers. I can only assume this is to facilitate it being worn draped over the shoulders? My M-69 Transport Coat has this same feature.

Button under lapel for re-buttoning gun flap. Nice V shape to the button front.

I found a full soft pack of old unfiltered chesterfields in one of the pockets.