Michelle Obama, Audrey Hepburn, Meghan Markle and Kate Moss are amongst the legion of women who have recognised the trench coat’s ability to add sophistication, style and an air of authority to an outfit in an instant. When Meghan Markle wore hers to announce her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, it was likely a sartorial statement to be taken seriously. Throwing on a trench coat can take an outfit from basic to business in seconds, simply through our association of the iconic coat with competent figures such as soldiers, detectives and the successful 80’s yuppie. Let’s travel through time, going back to even before the trenches of World War I through to the glamour of Hollywood to discover how this gender-neutral rainwear became so iconic.

McCalls M8246 Trench Coat Sewing Pattern

That the trench coat, a garment designed to keep the wearer dry, has its origins in the UK may come as no surprise. We do, after all, know a thing or two about rain. So much so that British brand Aquascutum, as synonymous with the trench coat as another British brand Burberry, takes its name from the Latin for ‘water shield’. No surprise either, that the somewhat rainy city of Manchester, should also have its place in trench coat history thanks to the eponymous Charles Macintosh.

The Scottish chemist discovered a way to waterproof fabric in 1823, by bonding two layers of cloth on either side of a layer of rubber. The fabric was not without its problems though, with the rubber giving off an unpleasant smell when the fabric became warm. This problem was rectified with the help of the inventor Thomas Hancock and in 1825 H.H. Birley built his Manchester factory to produce Macintosh’s revolutionary patented fabric. The first rain repellent coats became nicknamed the ‘mack’, a term still widely used today to refer to any raincoat.

Macintosh and Hancock were led by the desire to produce a coat that was not only waterproof, but also desirable to military men to wear when they were riding, fishing and shooting. If the coat was to be adopted by such distinguished gentlemen to combat the elements than it would boost its appeal and prestigious associations. The fact that today a woman’s trench coat from the Mackintosh brand retails from £795.00 to £1,095.00, is testament to their achievements. However, the trench’s appeal was achieved not only through their pioneering work but also from those now well-known brands Burberry and Aquascutum and some significant world events.

It's all in the details

A trench coat may feature some or all the following style details, offering plenty of scope to boost your repertoire of sewing skills. With a wide range of trench coat patterns to choose from, with varying degrees of details involved, you can decide how many you’d like to have a go at.

• Notched collar
• Rain-guard overlay
• Welt pockets
• Belt
• Sleeve tabs
• Back vent
• Lining
• Storm flaps
• Epaulettes
• Topstitching

“Whilst Burberry is widely credited with the creation of the Trench Coat for soldiers during the First World War, the earliest known examples were in fact manufactured by Aquascutum, with the first iterations of the design made for soldiers during the Crimean War during the 1850s.” explains Lucy Bishop, fashion historian at Kerry Taylor Auctions. Aquascutum was the brand name under which gentleman’s tailor John Emary developed the improved raincoat in prestigious Mayfair. Emary’s ‘Wrappers’ as the coats were known, became the desired coat for gentlemen wishing to remain well-dressed in bad weather. King Edward VII was one such customer and in 1897 the company received a royal warrant. Three years later Aquascutum started to produce coats for women, which went on to be popular amongst Suffragettes wishing to stay warm and dry on their marches.

Meanwhile, Thomas Burberry, as a 21-year-old draper’s apprentice, had set up his company Burberry’s in 1856 and invented gabardine in 1879. This lighter and more breathable fabric was formed from coating individual strands of fibre in a waterproof solution before the weaving process, rather than coating the finished fabric as had previously been done. His patented Tielocken coat of 1912 has several of the features we now associate with the iconic trench, such as the lapels and belted waist.

Simple Sew Trench PDF Pattern

The coats were first referred to as trench coats in 1916 after being supplied to officers in the First World War in 1914. Such modifications included adding D-rings to the belt for hooking accessories to and buttons at the neck to help protect the wearer against poisonous gas. Khaki was used to provide the best camouflage. Deep pockets, cuffs that could be tighten, and caped backs allowing water to drip off, all added to the coat’s functionality whilst the epaulettes on the shoulders indicated the officer’s rank. As it was only the officers given the coats, the association of prestige remained, as dress historian Lucy Adlington explains "Historically officers in the military were well born, or at least wealthy enough to buy a commission and all the kit required to go with it. Their coats, therefore, were emblematic of their class."

Whilst both world wars brought attention to the trench’s superiority as a coat for practicality, it took the glamour of the silver screen to turn it into a fashion icon. The 1930s saw stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich wearing trench coats in films, encouraging Burberry and Mackintosh, amongst others, to target the female market. Now the trench was deemed elegant as well as practical, and the design began to appeal more to women. A cinched-in waist defines the fashion of the 1950s, so it’s not surprising that the popularity of the belted trench grew amongst women at this time. The fact that a certain actress called Audrey Hepburn happened to wear one in a film called Breakfast at Tiffany’s might have also played a small part!

Vogue V1650 Trench Coat Pattern

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