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Nili Lotan, Todd Snyder, A.P.C.
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Does any item in a men’s wardrobe possess more character than the trench coat? Easily identified by a swaggering silhouette that may include epaulets, a belt and a double-breasted front, the best men’s trench coats can instantly transform the wearer into a film noir anti-hero or a French new wave heartthrob.
But long before it took the chiffon trenches by storm, the trench coat originated in the trenches. In the first years of the 20th century, Burberry designed a long, belted coat intended for military wear and made from its patented, weatherproof gabardine. Hundreds of thousands of these coats would be worn by British servicemen on the mud-soaked battlefields of the First World War, where they earned their lasting moniker.
Hostilities ceased, but the trench coat entered civilian life with much of its martial DNA intact. To this day, many contemporary models feature epaulets that would have originally been used to suspend gloves and whistles, and D-rings that could have held grenades. Fortunately, the only element that modern wearers are intended to battle is the weather.
With spring showers bearing down on us, we’ve surveyed the present landscape to present 15 trench coats worthy of your time, from the heritage-inspired to the avant-garde. Keep this list handy, and you might stay dry yourself.
Saint Laurent Belted Silk-Satin Trench Coat
Sure, those black leather trench coats that featured in The Matrix look cool, but they’re also going to be… hot. And heavy. For something lighter, consider Saint Laurent’s silk-satin take, whose dramatic length and wide lapels still grant it the appropriate hacker-goth swagger.
Brooks Brothers Supima Cotton Gabardine Trench Coat
A ticket for the 6:26 p.m. out of Grand Central. A folded newspaper under one arm. And the lingering whiff of a stiff martini. All things we associate with this ultra-trad trench from Brooks Brothers, which is made from American-grown cotton gabardine and finished with a water-repellent treatment.
Buck Mason Storm Stopper Belted Trench Coat
Buck Mason operates by taking menswear staples and running them through its own laidback, California-casual filter. They’ve done it again with the trench, which is reimagined here as a lightweight, shorter-length belted coat that could easily slide over faded jeans and canvas sneakers.
Versace Floral-Jacquard Cotton Trench Coat
Is Versace making an anti-war statement by producing a cotton trench with a jacquard-woven floral pattern? Or is it just groovy? Maybe both?
S.E.H. Kelly Trench Coat in Weatherproof Ripstop in Cosmos
A true trench coat lover’s trench coat, S.E.H. Kelly’s effort is loaded with nerd-out features including a stand-up collar, a functional throat latch, and a belt that runs through a hidden channel concealed by patch-flap pockets. Most importantly, it’s built from English-milled, weatherproof aramid cloth that weighs just 7oz but is nearly indestructible.
Todd Snyder Italian Bonded Linen Military Trench in Brown
To give the trench a lighter touch, Todd Snyder’s constructed a model from bonded Italian linen. Crucially, its seams are fully sealed, making it a linen coat you can actually wear in the rain.
The Row Montrose Trench Coat
There was a brief period in the early ‘80s when a trench coat was the sexiest thing a man could own. The Row’s Montrose trench hearkens back to that golden age with a drapey, voluminous silhouette that can be shaped at will by an extra-long belt.
A.P.C. Lou Trench Coat
If there’s one word that should never be associated with a trench coat, it’s “tight.” A.P.C. has leaned into the garment’s louche appeal with an oversized, double-breasted silhouette that falls comfortably below the knee.
Brunello Cucinelli Men’s Suede Double-Breasted Trench Coat
This Brunello Cucinelli trench is likely the last thing you’d ever want to wear in the rain. Which is perfectly fine, as the lightweight garment is built entirely from buttery soft suede.
Nili Lotan Trenton Trench Coat
With a warm honey hue Nili Lotan’s melodiously named Trenton trench subtly stands out from the rest of the pack. But the cotton coat’s styling—an eight-button double-breasted front, a self-tie belt and epaulets—are as classic as it gets.
Burberry Men’s Check Reversible Trench Coat
Burberry takes credit for having designed the original trench coat over 100 years ago. So, the company has earned the right to take a little creative license, as it’s done here by crafting a reversible cotton trench that swings from solid brown to oversized checks.
Acne Studios Crinkled Trench Coat
Feeling the effects of trench coat burn-out? Then let Acne Studios refresh your palate with its irreverent trench made from a crinkle-finished cotton.
Sacai Oversize Cotton Gabardine Topcoat
From the front, this Sacai trench appears uncharacteristically vanilla: cotton-gabardine fabric, a single-breasted front, and an oversized silhouette. But it’s only from the back that the playful touch of designer Chitose Abe becomes apparent, in the form of multiple pleats that run the entirety of the coat’s length.
Mackintosh Kings Honey Eco Dry Trench Coat
Though trench coats have traditionally swept the floor, abbreviated lengths are a bit more amenable to modern transportation. Consider Mackintosh’s truncated Kings trench, and never catch your hem in an Uber again.
Commas Beige Belted Trench Coat
Among the most identifiable features of the trench coat is its self-tie belt. And in the case of this otherwise minimally designed cotton trench by Commas, it’s the feature.
Authors
Eric Twardzik
Eric Twardzik is a Boston-based freelance writer with a passion for classic menswear and classic cocktails. He has a deep reverence for things that get better with age, such as tweed jackets and…
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