The trench coat is a wardrobe staple that has stood the test of time for its classic and sophisticated shape, capable of making any outfit look expensive. Although it has never gone out of style, we are probably in the “year of the trench coat” based on the great prominence it is having in fashion stores and on the catwalks.
The first look that was presented at the last fashion week in London was precisely a trench coat, although very light and black, instead of beige. Then many others paraded: some sleeveless, others made of silk designed for summer, but all elegant and minimalist.
Thomas Burberry, the British tailor, patented the material that would shape the garment in 1888. For this purpose, he manufactured a high-performance fabric made from Egyptian cotton, with a very tight weave and long fibers, which he then waterproofed.
There are those who claim that similar clothing already existed, but the truth is that Burberry made its trench coat more breathable and just as water resistant, since it waxed the fibers before being woven and not after, as its predecessors had been doing.
The first to verify the functionality of the product were polar explorers such as Sir Ernest Shackleton, who used this fabric on three of his expeditions at the beginning of the 20th century, including the Endurance. The next to surrender unconditionally to the trench coat were the military: up to half a million British officers wore these coats in the First World War. Until then, soldiers wore much heavier wool coats, even more so when they became soaked in water or mud in the trenches.
Thanks to its large pockets, the trench coat became an essential garment on the battlefield. This was why D-rings were added to secure the grenades, as well as front flaps to offer additional protection. The image of the intrepid soldier who risks his life, dressed in a trench coat, remains etched in the memory of those years.
At that time, the trench coat was already very popular among aviators and explorers but soon it would become even more popular in the world of fashion.
It was worn, for example, by Ava Gardner in Outlaws; Robert Mitchum in Back to the Past; Marlen Dietrich in West Berlin; Sophia Loren in The Key; Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther; Cary Grant in Charade; Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca; Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Michael Caine in Relentless Killer; Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer; Harrison Ford in Blade Runner; Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy; Daryl Hannah in Kill Bill... she also wore a trench coat Kate Moss, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the clueless Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), the stoner Lauren Bacall, but the list is endless.
Thanks to its strong appearance, the trench coat is one of the best garments to create cosmopolitan looks, as it combines very well with casual outfits that enhance its refined character. Although its origin is as British as five o'clock tea and checkered scarves, the garment has managed to spread across the five continents and the four seasons (at least in Great Britain).
According to The New York Times, in the 1930s stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo began wearing trench coats, both on and off screen, making other women realize the allure of this tailored outfit. man.
“It is a garment that has no age and that a teenager can wear with the same success as an older woman,” noted the newspaper of the Big Apple in the 20th century. The trench coat is also international: it can be worn with the same elegance in Barcelona, Milan, Los Angeles, Moscow or Tokyo. In the 1940s the trench coat was the classic uniform of femme fatales, detectives, gangsters and spies, as it is today of the royal houses (at some point it has been worn by Queen Elizabeth II, to Caroline of Monaco, to by Diana of Wales, Meghan Markle, Queen Letizia, her daughters...)
So much so that the trench coat has not stopped being a trend in the last hundred years thanks to its iconic design, its versatility and its now legendary glamour.
