Trench Coat

A trench coat is a long waterproof or water-resistant overcoat originally designed for British Army officers serving in the trenches of World War I. Defined by its double-breasted front, belted waist, storm flap, epaulettes, and D-ring belt, the trench coat transitioned from military utility garment to one of the most enduring icons of 20th century fashion. Burberry and Aquascutum are the two houses most associated with its development and remain the benchmark for quality examples today.

Image: Trenchcoat_worn_by_President_Gerald_R._Ford.jpg, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

A trench coat is a knee-length or below-knee overcoat with a set of defining features that distinguish it from other coat styles. The front is double-breasted — two parallel rows of buttons with a wide overlapping front panel — typically fastening with 10 buttons in two rows of five. A storm flap crosses diagonally over the right shoulder and chest, providing an additional rain barrier over the button placket.

Epaulettes — fabric shoulder straps secured by a small button — sit at each shoulder, a military heritage feature originally used to secure rank insignia and equipment straps. A gun flap — a reinforced panel across the right shoulder — was designed to cushion rifle recoil and is present on traditional military-specification examples. The collar is wide and can be worn flat or turned up and fastened at the throat by a collar strap and button.

The waist is defined by a self-fabric belt passing through side belt loops and D-rings — metal rings originally used to attach equipment. Sleeve straps at each cuff tighten the sleeve opening. A back vent provides ease of movement. The lining on traditional Burberry examples uses the Nova check — a distinctive camel, black, red, and white tartan pattern that became one of the most recognised fashion prints of the 20th century.

Classic colourways are camel, khaki, and stone — natural military colours. Black and navy versions exist across the broader market. Traditional fabric is gabardine — a tightly woven twill of wool or cotton treated for water resistance. Modern versions use polyester, nylon, and technical fabrics alongside or instead of gabardine.

A trench coat provides weather protection — rain resistance, wind blocking, and moderate warmth — in a single overcoat garment suitable for both formal and casual wear. The original military specification required protection from the sustained wet and cold conditions of trench warfare while allowing freedom of movement. The civilian version carries the same functional brief — a smart, versatile outerwear layer capable of bridging formal and casual contexts across seasons.

Beyond its weather function the trench coat serves a powerful cultural and sartorial identity role — associated with film noir detectives, intelligence officers, journalists, and a particular kind of metropolitan sophistication that has made it one of the most persistently fashionable garments of the past century.

1. The tightly woven gabardine fabric resists water penetration through thread density — water beads and runs off the surface rather than soaking through, a property enhanced by DWR treatments on modern versions.
2. The double-breasted front creates two overlapping fabric layers across the chest, eliminating a single-layer seam through which wind and rain could penetrate.
3. The storm flap adds a third layer over the most exposed chest and shoulder area, directing water away from the button placket.
4. The turned-up collar fastened at the throat seals the neck opening against wind and rain ingress.
5. The sleeve straps close the cuff opening, preventing cold air from entering up the sleeve.
6. The belted waist prevents the coat from opening in wind and defines the silhouette, reducing heat loss through convection inside the coat.

Thomas Burberry invented gabardine fabric in 1879 — a breathable, water-resistant tightly woven twill that addressed the limitations of the rubberised mackintosh, which was waterproof but non-breathable. Burberry patented gabardine in 1888 and began producing military outerwear from it. John Emary of Aquascutum — whose name translates from Latin as water shield — had developed a water-resistant wool cloth independently in 1851 and produced early versions of the belted military overcoat through the Crimean and Boer War periods.

The British War Office commissioned both Burberry and Aquascutum to produce officers’ coats for World War I, specifying the double-breasted front, epaulettes, D-rings, gun flap, and storm flap that define the classic trench coat silhouette. Officers purchased these coats privately rather than receiving them as standard issue — the trench coat was always an officer-class garment rather than common soldier equipment.

Returning officers brought their trench coats home after the war, and the garment’s military associations — combined with its genuine practical utility — made it an immediate civilian fashion success through the 1920s. Hollywood cemented its cultural identity through the 1940s and 1950s — Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca and the entire noir detective archetype were defined by the trench coat as their visual shorthand for sophisticated, world-weary authority.

Burberry’s Nova check lining, introduced as a commercial fabric in the 1920s, became globally iconic through the 1990s and 2000s. The trench coat remains Burberry’s anchor product and the most immediately recognised garment in British fashion history.

• Department stores and clothing retailers for current production across all price tiers
• Burberry and Aquascutum stores and websites for heritage examples
• Vintage clothing dealers and charity shops for 1970s—1990s examples
• Estate sales and probate auctions for older Burberry and Aquascutum examples
• Online via eBay and Vestiaire Collective for authenticated vintage and pre-owned luxury examples

Mackintosh: A waterproof coat made from rubberised fabric, named after Charles Macintosh who patented the process in 1823. Distinguished from a trench coat by its single-breasted front, absence of military detailing, and the distinctive slightly stiff and shiny character of rubberised fabric. A mac is waterproof; a gabardine trench coat is water-resistant.

Overcoat: A general category of long outerwear coats including the trench coat. Overcoats without the defining trench coat features — storm flap, epaulettes, D-rings, double-breasted front — are simply overcoats rather than true trench coats regardless of length or colour.

Duster coat: A long single-breasted coat originating in American frontier dress, used to protect clothing from dust on horseback. Distinguished by its single-breasted front, absence of military detailing, and typically lighter weight construction without water-resistant treatment.

Mass market trench coats sell for $50—$200 new. Value rises significantly for heritage brands and vintage examples in excellent condition.

• High street trench coats used: $20—$60
• Burberry Westminster or Kensington trench coat new: $1,800—$2,500
• Vintage Burberry trench coat 1980s—1990s in excellent condition: $300—$800
• Vintage Aquascutum trench coat in excellent condition: $150—$500
• Burberry bespoke or limited edition examples: $3,000—$8,000+
• WWII or early post-war officer’s trench coats with provenance: $200—$1,000

Authentic Burberry verification focuses on the Nova check lining — genuine examples have precisely aligned check at all seams, consistent colour, and a woven rather than printed feel. Counterfeit Burberry trench coats are common — misaligned check, printed rather than woven lining, and incorrect label fonts are the primary tells.

Technical outerwear brands including Arc’teryx, Patagonia, and Gore-Tex licensed garments offer superior waterproofing and breathability to traditional gabardine in a lighter weight. These have displaced the trench coat in active outdoor and commuter contexts where weather performance is the primary concern. Within formal, smart casual, and fashion contexts the trench coat remains without a direct equivalent — no technical outerwear garment carries the same cultural authority or sartorial versatility. It remains in continuous production across every price point from fast fashion to bespoke.

Looking for one? Where to buy a Trench Coat →

• Knee-length or below-knee double-breasted overcoat
• Storm flap across right shoulder and chest
• Epaulettes on both shoulders secured by small buttons
• Wide collar worn flat or turned up with throat strap and button
• Self-fabric belt with D-rings at waist
• Sleeve straps at each cuff
• Back vent for ease of movement
• Gabardine, cotton, or technical fabric construction
• Classic colourways: camel, khaki, stone, or black
• Nova check lining on authentic Burberry examples — woven, not printed