MAYS MODECOLLEGE

The Burberry trench coat

Although it's best worn with nothing underneath, it originated in the British army. The most iconic coat in fashion land, the trench coat.

What is it?

Well, it's a coat then. A raincoat to be precise, made of leather or gabardine, you know, the classic stiff fabric in a rigid ‘twill’ and an invention of Thomas Burberry. That's right, also the great mind behind The Coat. Officially, the trench coat ends halfway down the calf or just above the knee and has a belt around the sleeves and the waist. It has a double row of a total of ten buttons, a removable inner lining, and of course the flaps on the shoulders that can be fastened to the coat with buttons. Of course, it's khaki, otherwise it doesn't count.

Who came up with it?

Thomas Burberry developed it for the military. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he supplied the coat to the Ministry of Defence. The coat was really an officer's coat. If you were of lower rank, you weren't allowed to wear it. Moreover, it was ‘optional’ for the officers. If you wanted it so badly, you had to pay for it yourself. The idea of the coat was to make it easier for the officers in the trenches. Many pockets to store things in and you could hang heavy maps on the belts around the sleeves, for example. After the war, the officers took the coat home (because you paid for it yourself, remember?), so the women claimed it. Enter: a new icon added to our wardrobe.

Who wears it?

A bit of a detective wore a trench coat. From Colombo to Dick Tracey to our own De Cock with c o c k. But of course also real people. David Beckham (as far as you can really call him that), Kate Moss, Emma Watson, Kate Blanchett… In Maison Blanche, one of my favorite restaurants in Paris, the waiters used to wear a trench coat.

What does it cost?

Are you sitting down? But really? Because the Kensington trench coat from Burberry is yours for 1795 euros clean and clear. But it will last a hundred years.