![]() Often, a fedora or an ushanka (during colder weather) was also worn. Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine from Casablanca and Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau wore the trench coat in the public eye. Their original role as part of an army officer's uniform lent the trench coat a businesslike respectability, although many prefer to tie the belt in front (rather than use the buckle) to project a more casual look than strict military dress. Trench coats have remained fashionable in the decades following World War II. Many veterans returning to civilian life kept the coats, which became fashionable for both men and women. ![]() What became known as the "trench coat" combined the features of a military waterproof cape and the regulation greatcoat designed for British officers. Many trench coats had large pockets for maps, and cleverly placed flaps and vents to deal with the odour associated with earlier rubber coats.Ī range of waterproof coats was designed and sold during wartime that incorporated War Office requirements with traditional aspects of leisurewear. This latter design was dubbed "trench coat" by the soldiers in the front line. The shoulder straps were for the attachment of epaulettes or other rank insignia the D-ring was originally used for attaching map cases, swords, or other equipment to the belt, and there is a popular myth that it was for the attachment of hand grenades. Another optional item was the British Warm, a wool coat similar to the greatcoat that was shorter in length, also worn by British officers and Warrant Officers Class I as an optional piece.ĭuring the First World War, the design of the trench coat was modified to include shoulder straps and D-rings. No other ranks were permitted to wear them. The trench coat became an optional item of dress in the British Army, and was obtained by private purchase by officers and Warrant Officers Class I who were under no obligation to own them. Thomas Burberry invented gabardine fabric in 1879 and submitted a design for an Army officer's raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901. Invention of the trench coat is claimed by two British luxury clothing manufacturers, Burberry and Aquascutum, with Aquascutum's claim dating back to the 1850s. The trench coat was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War. Popularised by film stars such as Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies, the trench coat has become a fashion staple, available in many colours, through brands such as Burberry.īritish Army officer in the First World War. Makers in recent years have resized trench coats downwards to conform more closely to overcoat sizing, as two coats would rarely be worn together today. ![]() ![]() Period advertisements from World War I reveal that the trench coat was sized to wear over the British Warm, to offer water protection when the temperature was cold enough to require the heavier coat, which explains the traditionally generous sizing of trench coats. Although many come with removable wool liners for additional warmth, they are usually not as warm as an overcoat. The trench coat was typically worn as a windbreaker or as a rain jacket, and not for sole protection from the cold in winter. The coat often has shoulder straps that button-close, which were functional in a military context. The coat is belted at the waist with a self-belt, with raglan sleeves ending in cuff straps around the wrists that also buckle, to keep water from running down the forearm when using binoculars in the rain. Traditionally trench coats are double-breasted with 10 front buttons, wide lapels, a storm flap, and pockets that button-close. Originally made from gabardine, a worsted wool fabric waterproofed using lanolin before weaving, the traditional colour of a trench coat was khaki. A man wearing a navy blue–coloured trenchcoat (2018).Ī trench coat or trenchcoat is a variety of coat made of waterproof heavy-duty fabric, originally developed for British Army officers before the First World War, and becoming popular while used in the trenches.
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