A reader question:
Dear Editor,
May I pose a question to the community? Recent rainy weather (and a back to office mandate) have made me realize I need a new coat to wear to work. Something long enough to cover a suit coat and a little dressier than my Barbour which is starting to show its age.
Was thinking some sort of trench coat might do the trick but open to other ideas too. Any suggestions?
Many thanks!
When I was a productive member of society, I wore a tan single-breasted raincoat over my suits. That may be too much of an old-fashioned look.
ReplyDeleteJRC
Nothing beats a tried and true London Fog trench coat.
ReplyDeleteHave a single button Vintage 1977 London Fog & a Swaine Adeney Brigg Umbrella. Seems to work . Old Barbour presuming Beaufort Jacket needs no apology or upgrade referenced in above question .Plenty of street cred.
DeleteGreat question. I travel to Washington, D.C., in the winter and do a bit of walking on Capitol Hill. So, a warm coat is a must. But dealing with a full length topcoat on an airplane can be difficult. So, I first bought a pea coat that was long enough to cover my suit. That worked but was a tad casual for me. Next I bought a Ralph Lauren 3/4 length wool which is much more formal and equally warm. So, that is my go to coat for winter travel. But I wear out the pea coat on a daily basis. Warmest coat I have even for shoveling Colorado snow. So, depending on the formality of your office, I highly recommend a pea coat. In rain, of course, a nice trench coat can’t be beat. Mine is Hart, Shaffner and Marx, but gray. Wish I’d gotten the khaki color instead. You’d be surprised, and I am sadly so, at the informality on the Hill now. Saw a Senator wearing a parka over his business suit. And sneakers are shamefully ubiquitous. Even if the ads call them ‘dress sneakers’ there’s no such thing. Hope you find a good option to stay warm and preppy at the same time. JDV
ReplyDeleteBurberry Trench Coat.
ReplyDeleteI really like a single-breasted trench coat without a belt. You seldom see the double breasted models with a belt these days. Historically when buying a trench coat it's been a good idea to opt for tan and avoid grey and black, but I have a mossy green single-breasted trench coat from Brooks Brothers that looks suitable. I got it because it was on sale for next to nothing, and I wasn't sure that I'd wear it very often but I've been wearing it regularly over suits and sport coats for years and it's been great.
ReplyDeleteTrench coats are one of those items that can be deeply discounted on sale. All of the major menswear companies offer trench coats that look nice -- Brooks Brothers, J Press, Paul Stuart, etc. I'd trust J Crew for a trench coat also. Uniqlo has them for really cheap, I'm not sure I'd wear one with a suit but it's worth a look, you never know what you'll find.
Try Cordings' "Stone English Raincoat" at:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cordings.co.uk/us/stone-english-raincoat.html
Aquascutum!
ReplyDeleteSadly they are no more, just a zombie brand operating in Asia.
DeleteGet a "vintage" one on eBay.
DeleteI bought a vintage Aquascutum on Etsy for about $100. It looks as if it is brand new, but you can tell from the cloth and construction that it is vintage. It is a simple, tan single breasted model. I like it much better than the old Burberry trench it replaced. The Burberry was a PITA. The belts and other trappings got in the way, snagged, or both. It was needlessly heavy. The grenade rings spoiled it as a pillow for long waits in airports. As an added plus, the reseller was a small operation in Kyiv.
DeleteI still have my Burberry trench coat from circa 1994, but my favorite is a Private White V.C. Ventile Mac:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.privatewhitevc.com/products/the-ventile%C2%AE-mac-3-0?variant=40011526766653
If you want something warmer than a raincoat but still water-resistant, it’s hard to beat an Austrian loden coat, or a coat made using Loro Piana Storm System wool.
ReplyDeleteThe revived English firm of Mackintosh has a wide variety of raincoats. While they run a bit on the expensive side their prices are about 1/2 of what Burberry (which is now a fashion brand) charges.
ReplyDeleteKeep an eye out for a large, angry man in a kilt. He wants to make it perfectly clear to you that Mackintosh came from Glasgow and the Scots are definitely not English. If he has a battle axe, that could be a sign that he has something more in mind. He might calm down if you offer him a dram or two of a fine single malt.
DeleteHA!!
DeleteCharles Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and is buried in Glasgow Cathedral. The Mackintosh raincoats, and those of Hancock’s, are made in Cumbernauld (a new town and Scotland’s 10th largest) in Dumbartonshire. Scots are definitely not English and no one claims that they are.
DeleteIf your comment was intended to demonstrate that you are a troll who deals in xenophobic stereotypes, it succeeded perfectly. You obviously know little or nothing about Scotland or its people. To be honest, I am very surprised and disappointed that such idiotic bigotry passed moderation on this website.
Lighten up, Francis.
DeleteThe covert coat can be worn most of the year. If it's very cold, a heavier overcoat, (such as Ulster or Chesterfield in melton wool) is required. On rainy days in the city, the trench coat is the stylish choice. A long Barbour waxed jacket, with optional hoods and liners, offers great protection and flexibility.
ReplyDeleteThe English firm of Grenfell is another good choice. A variety of styles. J Press is carrying one of their raincoats this year.
ReplyDeleteI wear my mother's double-breasted Burberry trench as often as possible! I'm very fortunate that it has a wool liner I can button in for cold, wet days (like yesterday in Manhattan).
ReplyDeleteNothing beats a Burberry trench coat.
ReplyDeleteI wear 3 coats as needed. An old single breasted tan trench coat. A camel hair and a charcoal wool coat from O’Connels. I NEVER chose what to wear based on current style or popularity. I wear what I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteA classic light tan or taupe trench coat (with a zip-out lining, but belted model optional) that falls below the knees. Looks good on men or women. Easy to dress up, or down. If you purchase only a single overcoat, make it one of these. Fairly easy to find used and in good to very good condition on Ebay if cash is tight. A polished, sophisticated look when one is dressed presentably and wants to remain warm/dry.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich
Look at Cary Grant in the movie Charde to pull off this move.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a fly-front balmacaan raincoat to a trenchcoat. It's true that you have to button the buttons or close the zipper to close the coat, instead of just tying a belt, but the belt on a trenchcoat bisects you at the waist and makes access to trouser pockets more difficult.
ReplyDeleteI concur
DeleteI love my old Burberry trench with the wool liner and wool over collar, just the thing for rain.
ReplyDeleteFull length vintage London Fog single breasted with removable lining. In Hampton Roads, Virginia the lining is mostly closet bound but would be added
ReplyDeletefor trips to Boston and other points north.
Used to wear a long RL light grey duffle coat with suits and sport coats and khakis in younger days.
In 2018, I purchased a Grenfell Shooter jacket, which seemed to me like an ideal cross between a field jacket and a belted trench coat. It more than lived up to my expectations, fitting quite well over everything from sport coats and suit jackets to chunky knit sweaters. The Grenfell cloth repelled water reasonably well (it wasn't fully waterproof, but precipitation never penetrated through, and I live in the notoriously soggy PNW). The Grenfell Shooter was my go-to coat for travel and any inclement weather until the pandemic (and perhaps my 40s) took me from a size 38R to a 41R. I was so sad to have to part with it, and I plan to buy a new one at some point. For now, I have an old Jos A. Bank single breasted trench, and my dad's old Burberry. I can't complain about either, except the length makes them less convenient for travel.
ReplyDeleteI've had a Burberry double-breasted trench coat in regular use since the late 1980s. It's long and it has a liner that zips in for colder weather.
ReplyDeleteToday, Burberry, or take a gander at O’Connell’s clothing - several great options for lined/unlined microfiber trench coats and wool overcoats. Yesteryear (i still wear it), Brooks Bros. microfiber belted trench coat with a zip out lining. I miss Brooks Brothers when it was a go-to source.
ReplyDeleteA gray Brooks Brothers Chesterfield for cold weather, and a Burberry trench for rain, both of 1990s vintage, work well for me. I also have a taupe covert coat and an unlined tan cotton J. Press raincoat, which are a bit shorter and solve the airplane problem mentioned by JDV above. All are long enough to cover a suit coat and dressy enough for any work situation.
ReplyDeletePeter Falk seems to have received good service of a tan Mac as Lieutenant Colombo, brand unknown.
ReplyDeleteHaving recently spent a great deal of time in Reykjavik which has excellent public transport, but a marine/rainy climate. I can't recommend a Burberry Trench enough. I had an older 1980's model which couldn't have been more perfectly suited to the climate.
ReplyDeleteBeing that I walked all over the city for business, and didn't have a vehicle, this supported me wonderful as I hopped from Strætó to Strætó in my quest to get from one end of the city to the other. My Burberry has a liner that I would wear depending entirely on the day there. This was in early September.
If I were to consider alternatives: Depending on temperature and length of time in the rain, a long wool coat with raglan sleeves is excellent, a Macintosh from Britain, or a Covert Coat from Cordings would be what I look at. Through a Trench really affirms a suit the best, I personally believe.
There's also American Trench, which has the navy version back in stock. https://www.americantrench.com/products/the-american-trench-coat-2-0?variant=45951162351862
ReplyDeleteStill wear a classic trench I acquired in 1991. It has had some repair over the years ( fixing worn/torn buttow holes on the wool liner and collar). Love the coat, but no longer go to an office ( post Covid remote work world), so my wearings are less frequent.
ReplyDeleteI recently replaced a worn-out black London Fog trench coat with a new navy one -- wanted black again, but it was unavailable. For colder weather, I wear a gray, peaked-lapel faux-Chesterfield (the black collar is in the coat fabric, not velvet) that I designed for myself several years ago on a site called iTailor. Draws frequent compliments. My only regret is that I made it with a two-button front and not three -- it's a little too open at the bottom for the coldest days.
ReplyDelete