# Trench Coat Etiquette Questions



## stillwaters20007 (May 24, 2006)

Fellow Trads:

Please help settle this debate with a fellow Tradster.

1) Trench coat collar -- popped or not?

2) For those who rarely actually tie their trench coat belts into a knot (I assume the consensus is that no one should actually use the belt as a belt, i.e., not using the belt holes and buckle), what do you do with the belt -- just let it hang, tie it in a knot behind you, or something else?

Thanks.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Unless it is storming and necessary to do otherwise, the collar should not be popped...it just looks affected! My trench belt gets tied.


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

Coat collar almost never 'popped' unless the rain is horizontal. The belt is either tied, with cooler temps, or just hanging when it warmer. Oh and it seems like I rarely button it too.
Cheers


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## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

My old trench I had the same problem with the belt, tie it sometimes, let it hang and get in the way others.

I finally gave up and got a sb raincoat sans belt.

That'll solve the problem.


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## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

Collar popped if the weather warrants it, belt tied, rather than buckled. If the jacket is open, I guess my belt just sort hangs/gets tucked in a bit somewhere.


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## ice (Sep 2, 2005)

For goodness sakes, do up the belt properly using the buckle. It isn't a bathrobe. Small details like that seperate the well dressed man from the trench wearing masses, with their rubber soles, loosened ties and unbuttoned jackets.

And for the record, I have never and will never use the slang term "popped" to mean flipping up a collar, nor do I flip up my collars unless it is very cold or my neck is at risk of being sunburned.


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

Or you could try The Executive:

KRAMER: So how'd you come up with the idea for the belt-less trench coat?

MORTY: I came home one night, and I tripped over one of Jerry's toys. (Jerry smiling points to himself and nods with cards in his hands) So I took out my belt just to threaten him, and I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

KRAMER: How serendipitous.

MORTY: So that night I cut off the loops and the Executive was born.

KRAMER: Mmm

https://www.geocities.com/r_stroup/seinepis.html


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

I'm not sure this is a question of etiquette. I would refer to it as a question of style.


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## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

jackmccullough said:


> Or you could try The Executive:
> 
> KRAMER: So how'd you come up with the idea for the belt-less trench coat?
> 
> ...


Classic.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

If the weasther demands, I'll tie the belt in front, otherwise, I'll either tuck the ends into the pockets (i never let them hang loose... too much danger of getting caught in a subway door, a revolving door or some other device designed specifically to absolutely ruin both your belt and your day) or, if I want to take the time, I'll double the belt around back and buckle it, a la polo coat. Collar up only in extremely wet, cold and/or windy weather.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

*buckle it!*

If you don't buckle the belt, the grenades hung from the grenade rings on the belt will drag the belt out of the loops and you'll loose both belt and grenades! So always buckle the belt either in front or back.! Only wear the collar "popped" if you're a undercover agent in a mystery thriller.

Tom


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

And wearing a fedora!


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## paper clip (May 15, 2006)

fishertw said:


> If you don't buckle the belt, the grenades hung from the grenade rings on the belt will drag the belt out of the loops and you'll loose both belt and grenades! Tom


Hah! So true - once while driving, I had the strange sensation of my belt being forcibly pulled from my coat and sucked out the door of my car (unwittingly, I had shut the door on the belt and I caught on something on the road), leaving me with ripped belt loops and a now useless buckle on the floor!


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## mcarthur (Jul 18, 2005)

*trench coat*



paper clip said:


> Hah! So true - once while driving, I had the strange sensation of my belt being forcibly pulled from my coat and sucked out the door of my car (unwittingly, I had shut the door on the belt and I caught on something on the road), leaving me with ripped belt loops and a now useless buckle on the floor!


paperclip-
Thank you for sharing your story. You have proven that the old verbage is correct that "the truth is greater than fiction"


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## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

Mcarthur is "greater" than fiction. (wink)

A


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## mcarthur (Jul 18, 2005)

*trench coat*



Allen said:


> Mcarthur is "greater" than fiction. (wink)
> 
> A


Allen-
I appreciate your wisdom! Maybe I am a fiction but probably not I hope.


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## Trilby (Aug 11, 2004)

ice said:


> For goodness sakes, do up the belt properly using the buckle. It isn't a bathrobe. Small details like that seperate the well dressed man from the trench wearing masses, with their rubber soles, loosened ties and unbuttoned jackets.


I disagree about fastening the belt on an overcoat or trenchcoat - I think it looks much better tied in a knot.

To me, it looks overly fussy and fastidious to fasten the belt, the antithesis of style.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

*Trench Coat Etiquette.....*

Never "flash" unless you have an escape route, bail money and an ambulance chaser on retainer.

Don't trip on dropped trou.


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*loosing it*

Um let me see if I'm understanding all of this. Paper clip is now the proud owner of an "Executive", which in the days of Seinfeld was considered a fictional coat, but now is an actual coat worn by our very own Paerclip.

Meanwhile, McArthur turns out to be a fictional member of our forum, or perhaps a person whose perception is larger than life.

Several other members of this forum are prancing around in trench coats and fedoras with their collars turned up, thinking they are part of a fictional spy thriller or murder mystery.

And lastly, Mr. Jamgood has changed his Avatar again, so as to disguise himself (now that the police are out looking for a threnchcoat clad flasher who meets his general description).

Am I loosing my mind, or does this all seem somehow normal to the rest of you???

I've never owned a trench coat, because I could not afford the all cotton kind with a camel hair lining that buttons out to become a bathrobe.

My Willis and Geiger bush jacket never had any grenade loops to worry about (I don't have much use for grenades these days anyway), so I always tied the belt in front. Anything else looked too hokey and pretentious, especially when I wore it with a Bombay Bowler (pith hat) and an ascot (and Pleated British drillcloth shorts with a ghurka style adjustable waist band).

Ah for the days when us wannabees could march around the campsite completely oblivious to what others probably thought of us...


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## ice (Sep 2, 2005)

Trilby said:


> I disagree about fastening the belt on an overcoat or trenchcoat - I think it looks much better tied in a knot.
> 
> To me, it looks overly fussy and fastidious to fasten the belt, the antithesis of style.


Do you do up your shoelaces? The belt on your pants? Do they look fussy and fastidious?

Look, style is personal. So what is fussy to one person may look elegant to another. And I don't believe in hard rules. Stillwaters wanted opinions, so I gave him mine.

But before you dedicate yourself to a lifetime of scrunched trenchcoat belts, do this test: stand in front of a mirror, tie your belt in a knot and look at yourself. Then do up the buckle and tuck in the excess belt, and look again. I bet when you see how much sharper you look with the belt properly done up, you will adopt that as your style. Most people have never actually done up their belt, so they don't know how much better it looks.


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

ice said:


> Most people have never actually done up their belt, so they don't know how much better it looks.


You're not going to draw me in on this one. If I'm not going to button the coat I'm not doing up the belt. Doing up the belt reminds me of the one time I starched and ironed my khakis....never again - LOL


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2009)

The gentleman on the right certainly looks sharp. I say buckle your belt!


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## JAGMAJ (Feb 10, 2005)

ice said:


> Do you do up your shoelaces? The belt on your pants? Do they look fussy and fastidious?
> 
> Look, style is personal. So what is fussy to one person may look elegant to another. And I don't believe in hard rules. Stillwaters wanted opinions, so I gave him mine.
> 
> But before you dedicate yourself to a lifetime of scrunched trenchcoat belts, do this test: stand in front of a mirror, tie your belt in a knot and look at yourself. Then do up the buckle and tuck in the excess belt, and look again. I bet when you see how much sharper you look with the belt properly done up, you will adopt that as your style. Most people have never actually done up their belt, so they don't know how much better it looks.


I agree with ice here. Unless you're purposely going for a cavalier look, I think a trenchcoat looks sharper with the belt buckled.


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## Pr B (Jan 8, 2009)

*Trench Coat*

When I was in the Air Force, we wore a trench coat as our winter dress-uniform coat. (I believe London Fog won the contract. It was a decent product.)

If the coat was on, the collar was down, the front buttons were buttoned, and the belt was buckled. Period.

If I were to have a trench coat again, if it was merely cool out, I'd leave the collar down and let the belt hang. It it were cold out (I live in MN, remember; and, yes, there is a difference between cold and d*mn cold; when it is d*mn cold, I'd wear something warmer!), I'd wear the collar up and tie the belt.


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## Larsd4 (Oct 14, 2005)

I throw my coat on, tie the belt and go. If I find the collar up later, I wore it popped. If not, I didn't. I'm usually heading straight to the car, so buckling the belt is a waste of time. More concern than this belongs only to a dandy.


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## Serenus (Jun 19, 2009)

Unfortunately my buckle broke off one sad rainy day. Previously I always buckled the coat shut when I wore it. I'll be looking for a replacement belt soon, but for the rest of the winter/spring I simply tied the belt in a small knot. I REALLY worry about the belt ends falling out of the pockets, as I've seen many a gent walking around with part of his belt dragging through unseemly puddles and mud spots.


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## pa31pilot (Jun 21, 2007)

*Belt it up!*

I'm another one in the *ice *school of thought. If a coat has a buckle belt then it should drawn in tight enough to enhance the line of the coat and be properly buckled up with the loose end passed through the loops provided for that purpose. Not a half hearted loosely fastened attempt just to stop it from flapping in the breeze. After all, it's a military style coat and I think deserves to be worn in the same way, as *PrB *in his air force days. The knotted belt I think is for bathrobes only. And to just put the ends of the belt in the coat pockets is just as sloppy as not buttoning up the coat at all.
If it's raining then it has to buttoned up to the neck with the storm flap/gun patch buttoned down as well and throat tab fastened for maximum protection.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

I rarely use the belt on my trench coat. Most of the time the ends are stuffed in the pockets. On the rare occasions that I do use the belt, I tie it.

As for the collar, whether it is turned up or not depends on the weather. 

Cruiser


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## Larsd4 (Oct 14, 2005)

I seem to remember once seeing a trench coat belt with a short button flap that extends over the belt loop on the coat, keeping it secure. This is a great design feature to keep the two together for life. Maybe I'm imagining this.


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## Wizard (Feb 29, 2008)

Larsd4 said:


> I seem to remember once seeing a trench coat belt with a short button flap that extends over the belt loop on the coat, keeping it secure. This is a great design feature to keep the two together for life. Maybe I'm imagining this.


It's not your imagination. My trench belt has that 'button flap' on it.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

When I wore a trech, the collar remained down unless the weather dictated otherwise.

The belt remained tied in the back always.

I just has to keep my grenades in my pockets!!


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