More Top Picks Best Fitness Watches For Low Impact Exercise
player ready...Thomas Burberry invented the trench coat — after creating the rugged water-resistant fabric gabardine — for the British army in the late 1800s.
Today’s trench coats are far from your soldier’s standard issue-raincoat, which is why A-list stars such as Uma Thurman, Keira Knightley and Courteney Cox keep stylishly dry in trenches. Classic khaki endures, along with military detailing — belted waists and shoulder epaulets — but now cutting-edge shapes and fabrics have entered the fray.
The trench shows up on fashion runways each season, in various guises, from a $47 version at Old Navy to a $2,400 version at Tod’s. An original Burberry trench can cost $650 to $1,395 for a woman’s version, and $795 to $2,150 for a man’s style.
Christopher Bailey, who designs Burberry now, begins each collection with variations of the iconic coat, explaining that it’s one of the few pieces that are’t size-ist, sexist or ageist.
And there’s something to be said for a style that endures for a century, appealing to everyone from secret agents to flashers. [PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE.]
Agnes B. lightweight cotton trench $750 at agnesb.net or 888-246-3722
Diesel Kaleidoscope trench $320, also at www.diesel.com
Burberry short trench $945
Club Monaco kimono-sleeved trench $249
Calvin Klein stretch cotton trench $168
Reiss pleated khaki trench$640
[ washington post photo ]