In search of…the perfect trench coat
Image credit: stylebytes.net
Ever since I turned 30, the Burberry trench coat has had reassuringly grown-up connotations of womanhood. A proper, well-fitting trench coat is more than a wardrobe staple: it promises a more pulled together life, a more business-like approach to one’s affairs and a new ‘can-do’ you. A trench says superwoman; a yummy mummy, a seductress, a sophisticate, yet she manages her roles without compromising on who she is.
A tightly-belted trench with a vertiginous heel will stop many a red-blooded male in his tracks, but come morning, paired with jeans and plimsolls the look is playground fresh, with not a whiff of hussy. Nothing beats a trench for practicality – this was the original raincoat for British army officers after all, and it has credentials beyond seduction.
The tragedy is that I can’t find one that fits me. I don’t want Aquascutum or H&M or Zara. I want a classic Burberry trench as close to the original as I can get. I want a snug fit, one that sits above the knee, but not so far as to render a short skirt visible underneath. Don’t ask me to reel off the style names, in my mind there’s the long one and the short one and not a lot in between. Sales assistants tell me that the petite one is a perfect fit for the Asian market and the standard length suits those leggy Europeans, but what about us Brits?
Short of having one custom-made, the only hope is that eBay throws up an old vintage gem in wearable condition. Even the old ones in small sizes are comparably large, the idea being that the wearer will be clothed in more than her underwear and given to more purposeful activities than cavorting round town pretending she’s Audrey Hepburn. Which is fair enough, given the cold British weather.
The most annoying thing is that I did have one of these trench coats in my possession, oh, about six years ago. I used to buy vintage to style up and sell on-line and I was a regular in many a south London charity shop. I picked up a classic Burberry trench in a size 6 for around £20 and although it wasn’t in tip top condition, it was petite. I gave it to my granny but she found it too small on the bust so I sold it on eBay for £125. I remember it attracted a lot of interest, which surprised me. I thought these trenches were ubiquitous – which they are in large sizes – and besides, I was too young to be enthrall to the wiles of the trench coat. You have to grow into the classics in fashion, but I’m still waiting to find the perfect fit…
