Trench Coats

When I was making the post on rainy day gear I planned a whole section on trench coats, but then I found enough cute ones to warrant a post of their own. But really, rainy days are the best time to wear a trench coat. Other times, it can be too "All the President's Men" (I haven't seen the movie or read the book, but in my mind, Watergate involved lots of people in trench coats skulking around parking structures. This is probably due to Dick) or "creepy flasher." But on a rainy day, a trench coat will make you look like a modern urban girl whose babeliness is too strong to be tampered by bad weather.

First stop is the cropped trench, which is good when it's only drizzling a little. The Gap version, $69.50, comes in tan and pink, which are my two favorite colors for trenches. I love the belt knotted to the side, and while the three-quarter length sleeves aren't my favorite, I could probably make do.

Target has some great trench coats right now. I love this Full Skirt Trench Coat, 69.99, because it's long enough to hide a shorter dress or skirt, and so when you're outside it's like "Look how cute I am in this coat dress!" and then when you're inside, "Look how cute I still am in this regular dress!"

Isaac Mizrahi has a few, too. The Lazer Cut Eyelet Trench, $49.99, has eyelet details on the bottom hem and back panel. I think that's genius, to add a really feminine detail to a men's wear classic. I included a photo of the back, where you can see it more clearly.


















In general I'm a big fan of buttons, but this Wrap Trench Coat, $44.99, works pretty well. It runs the risk of going into robe territory, but I think the exaggerated collar saves it. There are buttons concealed within the coat, so you don't have to worry about it slipping open if you happen to be walking around town in just lingerie, garters and a trench coat (as we all do). The buckles at the wrist cuffs are really fun, too.

If you want a little more color and nice, clean lines, this Via Spiga Snap-front jacket, $180, is it. It's pretty minimalist for a trench (in fact, Macy's doesn't even list it as a trench, but it's close enough for me), but the O-ring belt threaded through the grommets makes it anything but boring. The wide collar might be a bit much on a young woman, though.

Here's a trench made directly for young woman, by (duh) Forever 21. The Satin Trench Coat, $34.80, is so fierce I probably couldn't pull it off. Wide belt? Cropped puff sleeves? Double breasted? Fucking satin? This is the J.Lo of trench coats. It probably isn't waterproof at all, but J.Lo is impervious to the elements, obvi.

But what if you're more of a Beyonce than a J.Lo? And the idea of buying a $35 coat makes you vomit? Go to Burberry. They're famous for their classic trenches, and rightly so. I'm going to let Kate Moss convince you.

Kate Moss is so dope that even stodgy old classic Burberry was like, "You do coke and fuck Pete Doherty? That's cool." Sometimes I think that all those other model bitches should just give it up and realize that they'll never be as good as Kate Moss, so they might as well go home and let a real model get the job done. Ugh, love her.

But back to trenches, and Beyonce. Just look at this gold leather trench and make the connection yourself. It's $2495, but think of how much wear you'll get out of it when you're resorting in Saint Tropez and it rains that one day! Also, the description says this coat features "two gunflaps." I'm not quite sure what those are (is it the things on the shoulders? Maybe one of our more street-smart readers can explain), but when you're hanging out with Jay-Z it can't hurt to have some extra gunflaps.

So my last two trench coats are vintage, one-of-a-kind finds from Etsy, so if you like them and they're in your size, don't hesitate. This Canary Yellow 60's Belted Mini Trench is $54. You'd definitely have to play down your other accessories with this coat-- no fun patterned rain boots or umbrella when you're rocking the yellow with silver accents. Also, this post is making me realize how fun I think grommets are. Maybe it's because I like anything that pretends to be functional but isn't really.

From the same seller, the Belted Blue Vintage Trench is $36. The appeal of this jacket is obviously the color, and with a blue like that you'll be out-prettying the flowers all spring.




Lastly, some more babes in trench coats, including Kate Moss caught out in the wild!