10 Classic Trench Coats You’ll Cherish Forever

By Charlotte Rickards

7 months ago

It's the wardrobe staple you'll be wearing for decades


Trends come and go: but the trench coat will always remain a sartorial staple. Park walk? Yes. Commuter statement piece? Obviously. And it’s not going out of style anytime soon. As we’re opting for more considered, trendless wardrobes, classic trench coats can withstand even the fastest of frenzied fashion cycles. These are the best to shop now.

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What is a Trench Coat?

Though the trench coat is now the unofficial off-duty look of the fashion set: the trench has actually been around since time immemorial. First designed over a hundred years ago during the First World War, trench coats were the perfect antidote to the required woolly and heavy greatcoats. The trench was lighter, waterproof, and much more fit for purpose.

British heritage brands Burberry and Aquascutum both lay claim to the coveted coat. The former’s then 21-year-old founder, Thomas Burberry, is said to have invented waterproof gabardine before the war in 1879, which inspired the trench we know today. Although Aquascutum (literally in Latin meaning ‘water’ and ‘shield’) was the one that designed the trench coat for the British Military for World War I – and those camouflage khakis, browns, and camel hues have yet to fall out of fashion.

Keen to get your hands on this classic coat? As always, keep the planet in mind when shopping. Re-wearing old clothes is the best way to be sustainable, but if you can’t avoid it then shop consciously at responsible retailers, as well as rental and resale sites.

Classic Trench Coats You’ll Cherish Forever

Woman in brown trench coat

Featured image: Getty Images