Dissect My Style: Ode to those warmer days with the cult of the trench

Happy New Year lovelies. While I recover from my jetlag and the culture shock that is the NYC freezing cold, I thought I'd share my last pictures in Paris and look back at those warmer days that inspire the cult of the trench.

Have you ever wondered how and why the trench coat was introduced and became such a style icon? Well, I may have a few answers to your burning questions. The trench coat was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War.

The debate surrounding the invention of the trench coat concerns both Burberry and Aquascutum, as both claim to have invented the garment. While Aquascutum claims to have created it in the 1850s for officers in the Crimean war, Thomas Burberry submitted a design for an army officer's raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901, using gabardine as the base of his popular trench coats. Credited with creating this unique wool material in the 1870s Burberry guaranteed that the gabardine repelled water, was durable, virtually cease-proof and resistant to the elements, while remaining porous and well-ventilated enough to be comfortable and cool for the wearer. Regardless of who the true inventor was, both Burberry and Aquascutum manufactured trench coats for military use in WWI and WWII, as these garments were ideal for harsh weather conditions.

The Burberry trench coat on WW1 soldiers

Demand for the trench coat eventually rose among civilians, as it was ideal for both businessmen and women alike. In her book The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites, author Nancy MacDonell Smith looks at cultural examples to explain the magnetism of this trend. “You’re never at risk of looking trite in a trench coat. It’s a garment that means business,” she says. She goes on to say that it is that precise nature of the trench that makes it so compelling. “You may look all buttoned-up when you’re wearing one, but underneath you could be any number of things.”

trench coat: W118 By Walter Baker

A wardrobe classic, the trench has always kept its structural integrity despite being reinterpreted each season. It is truly a timeless piece and its multi-seasonal fabrics and colors make it appropriate for all occasions. Explore the cult of the trench even further with the Art of the Trench by Burberry and check out my version of this iconic piece if you're in a rocker chic frenzy like me!