Trench Coats & Transitional Seasons Were Made for Each Other
With roots in military design, trench coats, especially used during the transitional months, are a fine example of the longevity of considered design. While a lot has changed in the world of the trench coat over the years, from material possibilities to technical additions like detachable down liner layers, the basic design has remained near enough unchanged for over a century. And there's good reason for it.
At its core, the trench coat is a highly functional top layer that protects against all conditions with a minimum of fuss, and that’s why, all this time later, it remains one of the go-to coats as winter starts to thaw. As the seasons change, it’s time to shuffle your outerwear options in favor of more versatile layers like the trench coat or a waterproof jacket.
Trench coats are the perfect choice thanks to a lightweight cotton construction as well as details like storm flaps, tightening cuffs, and a silhouette that drops below the thigh. With plenty of options ranging in prices, materials and production, our selection of the best trench coats looks to prove the versatility of the style which deserves to see you through the transitional months.
Shop our favorite trench coats for fall below.
DRIES VAN NOTEN Trench Coat
Dries Van Noten's mastery of relaxed silhouette comes to the fore with this super understated trench coat. Softened shoulders drop effortlessly into a wide sleeve that is mirrored in the flowing cut of the body. Imagined in tonal blue, it's a dream when it comes to styling, allowing all kinds of layers underneath such as a new favorite knitwear piece.
Burberry Long Cotton Car Coat
No brand in the world is better known for its trench coats than Burberry. When founder Thomas Burberry first designed the breathable cotton gabardine fabric in the 1870s, he put the wheels in motion for the first trench coats. Designed to protect the British army in WW1 with functional, lightweight outerwear, the Burberry trench coat is one of the most iconic pieces of clothing ever. To this day, the Burberry trench is one of the best on the market, carrying inimitable signatures like the Nova check inconspicuously placed on the coat's lining and the reverse of the collar. This is true, functional luxury.
COS 2-IN-1 Water-Repellent Trench Coat
Few wardrobe items tread the line between formality and functionality as eruditely as the trench coat. This number from COS crystallizes that dichotomy with a classic double-breasted construction for timeless elegance while also being water-repellent and featuring a detachable internal vest for added insulation.
Our Legacy Cloak Carcoat
Our Legacy's oversized fits have become a defining point in the brand's DNA. This oversized car coat perfectly exemplifies the label's ability to exaggerate proportions without ever straying into gimmick. Dropping below the knee, this piece is a dramatic finishing touch that will alter the silhouette of any outfit. Wear it with a suit to bring a sense of modernity to your look, or style with off-duty pieces to inject a more formal energy.
Prada Technical Cotton Jacket
Prada takes a novel angle with this technical cotton jacket. By chopping the lower half off the classic trench coat silhouette, the Italian label totally reinvents the style, making it even more wearable as we move into spring. Retaining features like the double breast buttons, cinched sleeves, and waist belt, it plays with our expectations to recontextualize the historic garment.
Thom Browne Hunting Tweed Trench Coat
Thom Browne blends multiple cultural touchpoints to bestow a sense of old-timey sophistication on this Hunting Tweed Trench Coat. In its own right, the trench coat silhouette represents a sense of Britishness that few other garments do. Likewise, hunting tweed defines a genre of British outdoor clothing representative of sophistication and heritage. Together, they could be stuffy, but Thom Browne's emphasis on details like oversized cuffs, belted neck, and epaulets brings a more contemporary feeling to this piece.
Burberry Long Herringbone Wool Trench Coat
With none of the brand's signature checks in sight, this long wool trench coat spotlights Burberry's ability to produce perfectly tailored garments that deserve attention in their own right. Cut from a heavyweight wool with a beautiful herringbone texture, the coat nods to British tailoring heritage, where herringbone wool is a mainstay.
Prada Re-Nylon Coat
As part of Prada's Re-Nylon range, this trench coat is cut from 100% recycled nylon and embodies Prada's clean, timeless attitude towards tailoring. Wear it with a belt for a sharper silhouette, or remove the belt and allow the piece to flow naturally to take on a more relaxed and modern character.
Adidas Trench CT TW
In recent years, adidas has started to branch out. No longer is the Three-Stripes insignia reserved for tracksuits and trainers; it now calls out the German brand on pieces like trench coats, too. There is something wonderfully oxymoronic about a classic trench coat emblazoned with three stripes down each arm, but the expertly relaxed cut of this piece proves that this is way more than a branding exercise. This is a fully-fledged, well-executed piece of timeless outerwear.
Totême Signature Cotton-blend Trench Coat
Toteme's take on the classic trench coat for women plays with the design's details. Take the double-breasted buttons that run down the front: by extending these parallel rows, Toteme modernizes the design without rewriting the rules. By adapting the coat's well-known design language, the label retains a sense of understated formality while also refreshing the silhouette.
ENTIRE STUDIOS Belted Cape Coat
ENTIRE STUDIOS might be best known for its super cropped sweats, but the Belted Cape Coat proves that its abilities don't end there. With a dramatic scarf built into the coat's collar, the piece becomes a sculptural homage to the trench coat, nodding to the classic design with features like the cinched wasit and cuffs, but totally reframing these features with stunning flourishes like the scarf-cape hybrid.
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