The Trench Coat Outlasted Every Trend Built to Replace It

The Trench Coat Outlasted Every Trend Built to Replace It

Trench coats keep their belted, double-breasted shape while cotton, wool, faux leather and technical fabrics change how each one wears. This edit runs from the strict classic to leather, suede and rainproof versions.

The double-breasted classic and the hooded update

The trench coat women reach for first has barely changed since Thomas Burberry invented gabardine in 1879 and the coat took its belted, double-breasted shape in the First World War, and that resistance to reinvention is the whole point of the category. Polo Ralph Lauren's Cotton Twill Lined Trench is the benchmark for those classic proportions here, and Hobbs London's Skylar Trench Coat plays it just as straight. Reiss's Azura Hooded Double Breasted Trench Coat keeps that double-breasted front but adds a hood, a concession to actual weather that the original military design never bothered with, and Mimchik's Hooded Scarf Trench Coat takes the idea further with a scarf built in. Lisa Says Gah's Olson, MSGM's gabardine coat and the reversible Line & Dot Palmer all stick to the belted waist that defines the silhouette, because without it, it is just a long coat.

Trench coat collage: Avec Les Filles, ELLE Collection, HOBBS LONDON, Lauren Ralph Lauren, REISS, The Sei, The Frankie Shop, Vuori

The accessible classic and the dressier version

ELLE Collection's Classic is a straightforward, no-frills take on the silhouette. Gerard Darel's Serge Long stretches the length and adds more tailoring detail, for a dressier read of the same shape. Joe's Jeans' Elizabeth is the relaxed option, and The Frankie Shop's Tess is a cotton gaberdine trench in a clean beige.

The faux leather twist and the everyday cotton

Kobi Halperin's Rose Belted swaps the traditional cotton gabardine for a faux leather finish, a harder-edged departure from the original, and the Avec Les Filles croc-embossed maxi pushes that idea even longer. Avec Les Filles also returns to plain cotton, and their suede belted trench sits next to L'Academie's Dara, cut from real suede, and the slouchy funnel-neck suede version. ALL THE WAYS, LPA and superdown keep the leather look in faux leather, Bardot, SNDYS and Elodie the Label offer faux suede takes, and Dôen's Amherst is the softer, relaxed pick.

The technical rain coat and the wool trench

Vuori's City Rain Hooded is built from technical fabric meant to shed water on a run or a walk, and Soia & Kyo's Blaire is a packable trench that can live in a tote until the forecast turns. The Frankie Shop's Nikola goes the other direction, a padded wool and cashmere trench for properly cold days, and Helsa's wool-blend midi trench sits in the same camp. Rag & Bone's Rue is the classic cotton trench done properly, GWYN's Diane and Sutton are the everyday cotton versions, and Mother of All's calf leather Brooklyn is the dressy one.

Try it belted and unbelted

The trench earns its permanence because it looks tailored and also blocks wind and light rain. Cotton gabardine is water resistant, not waterproof, so a real downpour gets through the shoulders eventually. The belt only flatters some proportions, so try any coat belted and unbelted before buying. A trench that only looks right cinched tight stays on the hanger. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Trench Coat Season and Cropped Trench Coat.