What is a trench coat?

A belted, water-resistant coat in proofed cotton, descended from the officers' coats of the First World War. The details are all military in origin: a storm flap across the chest, epaulettes, a buckled belt with D-rings, and a length cut to clear the knee. What makes a coat a trench is the cloth and the belt, not the colour.

How do you tie a trench coat belt?

Knot it, do not buckle it. Pass the belt behind you, bring both ends to the front, cross them and pull one end through the loop you have made, then tuck the ends down behind the belt so they hang short. Buckling it flat is correct for a formal look but reads stiffer, and pulling the buckle tight creates the horizontal crease across the front that never comes out.

What do you wear with a trench coat?

A trench is cut to go over things, so it works with what is already in the wardrobe: a roll-neck and trousers, a shirt and jeans, or over tailoring. A cropped trench like the Bacall sits at the waist, so it pairs best with a longer line underneath rather than a jacket of the same length.

Trench Coats

The trench coat came out of the First World War as officers' kit: a proofed cotton coat with a storm flap, epaulettes, a belt and D-rings, made to shed rain in the field without the weight of wool. It left the army with the detailing intact, which is why a trench still carries a gun flap it no longer needs.

Gloverall's is the Bacall Cropped Trench, cut short and sharp in treated cotton with a water-resistant finish. Past-season trenches sit in Surplus at reduced prices: the men's Raleigh and the women's Darcy.

Where the trench coat comes from

The coat was developed for officers in the First World War, in proofed cotton rather than the wool greatcoat it replaced: lighter, faster to dry, and cut to move in. Every detail on a modern trench is a survival of that specification, from the storm flap over the chest to the D-rings on the belt. The full account is in our history of the trench coat.

The Bacall Cropped Trench

The Bacall is a cropped reading of the pattern: a regular fit in treated cotton with a water-resistant finish, 97% cotton with 3% spandex for movement, in a length that stops at the waist rather than below the knee. It keeps the belt and the clean front and loses the volume, which is what makes it wearable over tailoring as well as jeans.

How to wear a trench coat

A trench is an over-layer, so the question is really what goes underneath. A cropped one wants a longer line beneath it; a full-length one is happiest over something narrow. Our trench coat styling guide works through the fit, the belt and the combinations in detail.

Men's Surplus Trench Coats

Women's Darcy Trench Coat in Caramel by Gloverall

Women's Surplus Trench Coats

Journal

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Brand Story
Product Guides

The History of the Trench Coat: From the Trenches to the City

From 19th-century military battlefields to the streets of London - trace the full history of the trench coat and discover why this British outerwear icon endures.

How to Wear a Trench Coat: A Men's Styling Guide

Product Guides

How to Wear a Trench Coat: A Women's Styling Guide

Our complete guide to wearing a trench coat - from choosing the right fit to styling it for city, casual, and smart occasions. Discover the Darcy Trench Coat.

Men's Raleigh Trench Coat Navy

Women's Darcy Trench Coat Caramel

Women's Darcy Trench Coat Navy

Women's Bacall Cropped Trench Coat French Navy

Women's Bacall Cropped Trench Coat Light Camel