A trench under five hundred dollars can still button, shed a shower, and look like a coat instead of a costume, if the cloth and the front are honest.
We wore cotton gabardine double-breasted coats in wind, checking the storm flap, the horn buttons, and whether the throat latch actually closed when you needed it.
The front of the coat
Gabardine is tight and smooth and it takes a crease. On a cheaper coat the trouble is rarely the weave. It is a flap that funnels water at the chest, buttons that pull off, and a collar that will not stay shut.
- A storm flap that overlaps the button line.
- Buttons sewn through a shank or a reinforced patch, not a single stitch.
- A throat latch you can fasten with gloves on.
- Enough length to cover a jacket without swallowing your frame.
A trench is a coat first. The belt and the epaulettes are optional theater.
Wearing it in weather
Leave the belt loose if you walk a lot. Cinched hard, the skirt blows up and the coat stops working. Hang it on a wide hanger so the shoulders do not peak.
Spend the budget on cloth and buttons. The extra straps can wait.
