# Trench Coat advice



## Jake1978 (Aug 8, 2005)

Hello All-
I'm debating making an "investment" in a trench coat and hoping the collective wisdom on this forum may have some good guidance. My wife suggested I spend the money on a Burberry coat, but I'm not convinced it is the best way to spend the money. Thoughts on Burberry or J Press or Brooks or any others anyone can recommend? Ideally I'd like to stay well below $1k...

Thank you in advance.


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## firedancer (Jan 11, 2011)

Does it have to be a "trench" style? 
If I were to invest thy kind of money in rainwear it would most certainly be a mackintosh. 

That said, you can find the older Burberrys trenches with all the details on eBay for sub $200. In fact I have a few in the basement I need to bring up. 

The difference between the old coated gabardine trenches and the new ones is night and day IMO.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

Don't know if Aquascutum still has a US presence, but their "Bogart" trench was similar to Burberry, had a similar heritage and was about half the cost. You might also google Grenfell cloth. Seems that there is a British company which still makes trench coats using this iconic tightly woven cloth.
Both should be under the 1K level that you mention. 
I actually prefer the "alternative" types of items like these two.
Good luck in your search.


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## PMRuby (Jan 13, 2010)

I was in a similar position last year. I went to Bloomingdale's with the intention of buying a Burberry one during a sale, though you're still looking at $500+ (i think closer to 6 w/ tax) purchase. I couldn't justify it. I got one from the Lord & Taylor house brand (black brown whatever) for less than 1/3rd of the price. I thought to myself "how much do I wear a trench?" and the answer is almost never. I have a barbour already for casual wear, so it would really just be from work and back on particularly rainy days. I don't/wouldn't wear it for warmth as it offers little and I wear a suit or sport coat already every day. I decided to save some money on this one (though that money has presumably long since already been spent on other clothes). If you're going to use it, by all means, go for it. If you're like me and don't think you'll wear it but maybe 10 times a year, money is better spent elsewhere.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

If you can find Aquascutum over the Pond, say on ebay, definitely worth considering. Quality is very good (my rain coats predate the recent takeover, and hopefully quality will be maintained by the new owners).


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Exactly! Unless one lives in the British Isles where rain is a daily norm (more or less) a trench coat will gather more dust than drops. Find an Aquascutum on ebay with a liner for far less than your budgeted maximum and spend the balance on something that will see more wear.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Over the years I've owned two Burberry Trenches and several London Fogs. The London Fog offerings held up for perhaps two to three years each (at best). My first Burberry looked good and served me well for over 20 years of wear. The second Burberry is still in use, with eleven years of wear, to date! Some brands cost a bit more, but with the passage of time, prove well worth that extra cost!


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

eagle2250 said:


> Over the years I've owned two Burberry Trenches and several London Fogs. The London Fog offerings held up for perhaps two to three years each (at best). My first Burberry looked good and served me well for over 20 years of wear. The second Burberry is still in use, with eleven years of wear, to date! Some brands cost a bit more, but with the passage of time, prove well worth that extra cost!


That all sounds rather strange to me. One of my London Fog trench coats is around six years old, has seen and still sees a lot of use every spring and autumn and shows very little wear. I've never owned anything from Burberry, but the construction of my two London Fog trench coats is certainly on par with things I own or have owned from Aquascutum, Bugatti, Barbour, DAKS and such. The way it looks right now I certainly expect to wear both coats for another ten or fifteen years. Hence I have no qualms recommending that you take a good look at London Fog before splurging on something which only offer a "better" name.

Another alternative I thought I'd mention is Traditional Rainwear of Manchester, makers of the "Manchester Weathercoat" brand and manufacturers for Aquascutum, DAKS and others. Their trench coats are as good as any I've seen and comes in at £275.


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## dmac (Jun 30, 2006)

My local shop stopped carrying Burberry a few years ago and started to carry this brand, Sanyo:



If I ever need a new raincoat, I will likely buy one of these. They look quite nice in person and are very reasonably priced.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

https://www.traditionalrainwear.co.uk/


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

So many of Burberry's current offerings are not trench coats but short coats inspired by the trench coat. I have a Burberry 60/40 blend but I wish I had spent what it took to get an all cotton, the blends just cannot look like the real thing. If I were looking for one today I would consider an all cotton made to measure from Magnoli where you can specify many of the details for $5-600. https://www.magnoliclothiers.com/outerwear-overcoats-c-91_29.html

n 
Our friend filfoster has 5 garments from Magnoli and if he sees this thread he might comment. If not you might send him a private message. J Peterman has an all cotton for $295. I don't know about this one but I have never been disappointed with anything from Peterman.


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## Jiddle (Aug 7, 2005)

The only coat you want is the Trench 21 from Burberry. It is 100% cotton and (still?) made in Great Britain. I assume Buberry continues to manufacture them. But you'll have to pay considerably more than $1,000. I paid about $1,200 for mine many years ago. I ordered from a general retailer which took about 6 weeks to arrive from England. A further note, I visited a dedicated Burberry retailer some months after receiving mine, and the sales person told me that all Trench 21 coats had to be ordered. The only ones on the rack were a mix of cotton and polyester and, if I recall, were not made in Great Britain.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

Here's a timely article:

https://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/trench-coats-men-fall-2012-13511750?click=news


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

alphadelta said:


> Here's a timely article:
> 
> https://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/trench-coats-men-fall-2012-13511750?click=news


I would call most of those "trench coat-inspired". They're certainly not what I think of when I hear or read the term.



Jiddle said:


> The only coat you want is the Trench 21 from Burberry. It is 100% cotton and (still?) made in Great Britain. I assume Buberry continues to manufacture them.


I believe Burberry's only presence is the UK consists of offices and shops. The manufacturing has been shipped out to China and the entire work force sacked. It raised quite a media storm a while back when the last factory closed.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/16/burberry-china-british-carole-cadwalladr


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Jovan said:


> https://www.traditionalrainwear.co.uk/


I considered these folks before purchasing my own trench (I chose Reiss in the end, because they were heavily discounted in the John Lewis sale). If I ever need another I may pop down and see them as they are just round the corner from me.


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2012)

Jovan said:


> https://www.traditionalrainwear.co.uk/


I'll second that. I bought mine from them and I'm very pleased with it.

Matt


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## Haffman (Oct 11, 2010)

I have two Burberry trenchcoats, both bought heavily discounted and both made in England. They have served me well but speaking frankly the quality is nothing to write home about. Good rather than great. (Better in my opinion than Aquascutum but there's not much in it). I actually had to stitch a couple of buttons back on to one of the trenches because they detached soon after the purchase (I am assuming they were not fakes because I bought both at the Burberry store...) They are not worth anything approaching their RRP...not surprising really as you have the whole of Burberry's lavish advertising and corporate entertainment budget to fund. 

There is a snob value to having an authentic Burberry but it's a 'gentleman's choice' as to how much one is willing to pay for that...


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Buy the Burberry, get it on ebay. Buy your suit size.

I sourced mine for under $200; was in absolutely new condition.


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## srmd22 (Jun 30, 2009)

I just got this one on ebay, $80.


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## echappist (Dec 14, 2007)

ever since moving down to Northern Virginia three weeks back, i've been thinking about getting a coat, though i never had the need for it. I walk a good 10 minutes to the (heated) subway station and another 5 from the subway to work, so a wool sportcoat and a sweater is more than sufficient even when it's 35F out.

But I would like to get a raincoat/trenchcoat (I really can't tell the difference) for the colder days, and when it's really cold, I have a trusty peacoat. Ideally, the coat would be something like this; obviously, I understand that the cool factor does not come with the coat 










Should this coat be all cotton (garbadine i presume?). What about some brands that would be worth the money? Banana sells one for ~ $180, but somehow i doubt it would stand up as well as the others. The UK site that was mentioned seems reasonable. What about Sanyo?

---

Also, if i buy a 2nd-hand Burberry, how do i know i'm not purchasing a knock-off?


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## Acme (Oct 5, 2011)

echappist said:


> Also, if i buy a 2nd-hand Burberry, how do i know i'm not purchasing a knock-off?


Just follow a few simple steps to protect yourself.

Only buy from a seller with good feedback. Check the comments, that's where the complaints will show up if they're regularly being accused of selling fakes. A couple of neutrals/negatives are OK, all high volume sellers get them, but you want a seller with no more than half a percent of feedback showing up as negative/neutral.

Only buy from a seller that accepts returns.

Buy a used item. Knock-offs are most likely to be advertised as new. I'd rather have a vintage, really-made-in-England Granddad quality garment than the modern stuff anyday. Also, if you see the store label along with the brand label, it's much more likely to be authentic.

Also, know your measurements before buying. This is the biggest single thing you can do to ensure a positive experience.

Good luck.


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

Apologies if this is a threadjack, but I just have what seems like an obvious question.

Are trench coats waterproof? Like, could you actually wear them outside in a heavy rain and stay dry?

If not, does anyone have a better suggestion?

Thanks.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

jackmccullough said:


> Are trench coats waterproof? Like, could you actually wear them outside in a heavy rain and stay dry?


That is their modern-day purpose as I understand it. Their effectiveness depends on the material being proofed from time to time - I had one once and its waterproofness gradually deteriorated.


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## echappist (Dec 14, 2007)

thanks for the response above. I'm writing to give an update and a PSA for anyone else interested in getting a trench coat.

After a few weeks of perusal, I bought a Hart Schaffner Marx trench coat from Lord & Taylor. I had wanted a stone-colored coat, but this is dark beige, but that's okay with me. The attributes that sold me on the coat are a) the shell is 100% cotton and b) the price of $180 before tax. Strangely, I couldn't find anything about the country in which the coat was manufactured.

I actually had to go to three L&T before I could find one in my size, and the gentleman working at the Chevy Chase/DC store was quite helpful in helping me track down one in my size of 38R. In the end, I bought mine from the L&T in Vienna, VA.

If you are a size 38R, the stocks are limited, but the store in Ridgewood, NJ apparently has a few. You can also ask an associate to check the inventory for you. Otherwise, the sizes are pretty readily available.

Other comparable items I looked at are the coats made by BB (100% cotton shell, but their inventory is getting low with the sale), Banana Republic (100% cotton shell, short-length coat; not available in store), and a few Abboud and Hart Schaffner Coats sold by Century 21's webstore and Amazon. Hickey Freeman apparently has a coat discounted to the mid $300 range as well.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I have a Banana Republic trench coat, albeit the one that was released in spring with rayon lining instead of wool tartan. It's suitable for a drizzle, but I'm looking for something heavier-duty and longer (below knee) for the rare downpours over here. I got it for less than $70 on sale. I recommend waiting for the same on the current model. Also, if you actually want to wear a sport coat or suit underneath, size up. Otherwise it will be too tight. I don't regret going from an M to an L.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

jackmccullough said:


> Apologies if this is a threadjack, but I just have what seems like an obvious question.
> 
> Are trench coats waterproof? Like, could you actually wear them outside in a heavy rain and stay dry?
> 
> ...


Most are only water repellent, not water proof. The cloth is treated with a substance similar to sizing that makes small amounts of water run off. And if the cloth is woven properly, the threads will swell when they become damp, discouraging water from penetrating easily. But if you wear a typical trenchcoat in a downpour for any time, you will get wet.

But I have also seen a few trenchcoats made of waterproof and highly water repellent fabrics that will offer greater protection. Coats made from a Gore-Tex, or similar fabrics would be examples, but they are not typical.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

The opinions stated here are correct and well stated, with one caveat, which is that the top of the line Burberry trench's are still made in England. I saw one a few months ago at Bloomingdales here in S.F. Price was $2,195.00. It was also on the Burberry site last time I looked. (Look for the one with the leather piping - it is cut extremely small.)

I will add:

1. I too prefer Aquascutum and I *still *the Canadian made one I bought in Vancouver in 1991. Despite it being a 38R and my now being a 44R, it sill fits due (I think) to the more generous cutting of clothing back then.

2. Buying on ebay is a great idea, or better yet, if you have a local top end consignment store, check it frequently and you will be amazed at what you may find. This season, I passed up 2 UK made Burberry coats, one a classic Trench; the other a db navy herringbone wool overcoat. Again, a generous fit on both, and both were from the era when the Burberry name ended in a "s." (I have too many coats, hence my decision to pass.)

Just my one cent, since it has all been said before.


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