Military Trench Coats.
During the First World War British and French soldiers wore serge greatcoats
which were heavy and cumbersome. Along came Thomas Burberry and introduced the trench coat which soon became known as the military trench coat.
This new piece of clothing was optional dress for the British Officer or Warrant Officer Class 1. During the Second World War the coat was worn by enlisted men in the British, American and European Services.
Eventually the women of the British armed forces adopted this trench coat as an optional part of their uniform. The unisex look, khaki or navy material, and double breasted styling made it the ideal choice.
The military trench coat was not only stylish but it was practical. Stylish because it had elegant lines and was double breasted with buttoned down shoulder straps, belt and D rings. It started its life as a full length trench coat and was eventually shortened to be more accommodating to movement and cleanliness.
The long military heavyweight woolen trench coat was hard to keep clean because of the dust and grime in the trenches where it was worn. Because of the men’s complaints the coat was later manufactured of leather which was easier to clean as all it needed was to be wiped off.
In the United States the garment was manufactured by London Fog, which lived on to be a popular fashionable item long after the Second World War. The style of the trench coat as manufactured by London Fog was not different from the British Burberry trench coat.
The military trench coat was not only popular with the men in the British and American armed forces it was popular by soldiers in film and movies. Every war movie had the stars and heroes dressed in the military trench coat.
The spies and outer worldly entities also wore the military style of long leather trench coat in films.
The heroes of comedies also wore this style of topcoat. Everyone must remember Peter Seller’s Inspector Clousseau and Peter Faulk’s Columbo never going anywhere without their hallmark coat.
Both men and women alike love the trench coat with its military look. Today the business man no longer likes to wear a heavy woolen topcoat and reaches for his trench coat as part of his business attire. The same applies to the female business person.
But, don’t just see it as business attire because the trench coat is just as much at home with a pair of blue jeans or casual slacks.
The military trench coat made its way from being part of the armed forces uniform to being a part of modern fashionable apparel, without changing its look. It has not succumbed to fashion in the way other apparel has. It still has that romantic, heroic look it had during the First World War.
If you still don’t have a military trench coat you should get one, so you too can enjoy the adulation that comes with wearing it.