---
node: garment_trench_coat
type: garment
slug: trench_coat
title: "Trench coat"
lead: "The trench coat is a belted, double-breasted raincoat of waterproof gabardine developed for British officers in the First World War. Its military details survived into one of the twentieth century's most enduring civilian classics."
published: 2026-08-09
updated: 2026-08-09
image_file: trench_coat.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Half-length_portrait_of_a_young_man_in_a_woollen_trench_coat_(AM_76615-1).jpg"
image_author: "Collins, Tudor Washington, 1898-1970, photographer"
image_license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

## Overview

A trench coat is a knee-length weatherproof coat with a double-breasted front, wide lapels, a belt, shoulder straps, and a storm flap across the chest. Made of tightly woven gabardine or similar cloth, it sheds rain while staying breathable.

## How it is worn

It is worn belted over a suit or uniform, the collar turned up and the storm flap and gun-flap shielding the shoulders; D-rings on the belt once carried field equipment. The design is functional throughout, every strap and flap having begun as a soldier's need.

## History

Firms such as Burberry and Aquascutum refined the officer's raincoat before and during the 1914–18 war, and the trench coat took its name from the front lines. Adopted by civilians afterwards, it became a lasting staple of British and world dress.