The Trench Coat: Fashion's Most Enduring Garment

The trench coat was patented by Thomas Burberry in 1879 and refined for military use during the First World War, when it became standard issue for British Army officers in the trenches — hence the name. By the 1940s, it had been claimed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. By the 1960s, by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Since then, it has appeared in virtually every major fashion collection in every decade, always recognisably itself and always, somehow, newly relevant.

This extraordinary cultural durability is the result of a design that is functionally perfect: waterproof, windproof, warm enough for autumn and cool enough for early spring, with a silhouette that works equally over a suit and over a summer dress.

**The definitive version**: Burberry's Heritage Trench Coat (burberry.com) in the original camel gabardine remains the benchmark against which all others are measured. At approximately £1,800–£2,200, it is an investment — but one that, treated properly, will outlast the wearer. The house still produces many of its trench coats in its Castleford factory in Yorkshire, where they have been made since 1972.

**Strong alternatives**: Aquascutum (aquascutum.com) — the other great British raincoat house, founded in 1851 — produces trench coats of equal quality with a slightly lower profile. A.P.C. (apc.fr) offers a beautifully proportioned modern version at a more accessible price. For those who prefer Japanese construction, Mackintosh (mackintosh.com) — the Scottish rubber mackintosh manufacturer founded in 1823 — makes extraordinary bonded cotton coats that are among the most technically advanced outerwear available.

**Wearing it well**: The classic pairing — trench coat over a fine-knit, straight-leg trousers, loafers or ankle boots — works because the coat's proportions were designed for exactly this layering. Belted tightly at the waist with the epaulettes buttoned creates maximum structure; worn open over a dress it becomes entirely different in mood. Both are correct. Both are timeless.

**Care and maintenance**: Quality trench coat fabric should be re-proofed periodically using Nikwax (nikwax.com) Cotton Proof — a water-based reproofing agent that restores water-resistance without affecting breathability. Press on a cool iron through a damp cloth; never tumble dry.