The laughable trench coat scare





For a long time, I’ve been always searching for the perfect opportunity to snag a Burberry trench coat but I wasn’t fortunate enough — until last Friday! Whenever I see one available on Ebay, it wasn’t my size and most of the trenches are for women to begin with! I was able to buy one before, but it was not trench but a raincoat.

So I eventually sold it. I want a traditional trench with the belt, D-rings (in case I decide one day to carry a grenade) and, of course, the double breasted-ness of it. I just paid for this vintage Burberrys trench coat (more on the ‘s’ on that Burberry in a while) this afternoon and it will arrive tomorrow.

I was really excited and was still looking at the pictures and reading online when I was suddenly alarmed. I just realized that there’s a difference between a man and a woman’s trench coat, the same way that dress shirts are made differently for both sexes. I looked at the photo and saw, upon comparison with pictures from Google Images, that it was buttoned the same way as women’s shirts were, with the right lapel on the top. I was floored. Did I just make a terrible mistake of buying a lady’s coat? So I looked again online to look at other pictures, and specifically searched for “parts of a trench coat” and saw this:

Parts of a trench coat - Manila, Philippines

(Photo from whiteblackradio.blogspot.com)

Wait, that is a guy wearing a trench, and even if it was buttoned with the left lapel on top, there was this curious detail called the “storm patch” or the “rain flap”. All my searches made it clear that I’ve got no idea about the buttoning, that it goes both ways regardless if it were a men’s or women’s. I’m evidently not that nuanced with trench coats. LOL

Vintage Burberrys Trench Coat - Manila, Philippines

(Photo from the seller)

Going back to the “storm patch” or “rain flap” question, everything has to do with convention on how men and women button their shirts. Men traditionally button their garments left over right, while women button theirs right over left. You can button them either way in a trench coat but the “storm patch” pretty much gives it out whether it’s for men or women. Water should slide from the man’s right shoulder, as the left flap goes under the buttoned storm patch. The reverse for the ladies. Well, we learn new things every day!

Difference between men's and women's trench coats - the storm patch/rain flap

(Photo from burberry.com)

As for the Burberrys, when people see the added ‘s’ in the end, they automatically assume that it is fake. In fact, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is fake nor it can guarantee authenticity as well. I have extremely limited Burberry knowledge (or to be frank, close to zero) but the wealth of available information online can be readily accessed. It was originally  Burberry, then became Burberrys of London because of the association with the place, then eventually went back in the 1990s to Burberry.

So the important question? Why am I even bothering to have a trench coat? In spite of the extremely rainy weather here in Manila, I can’t see myself wearing my new-to-me coat outside for now. But I imagine that this will come in handy for our trip back to Seoul this December! Yes, I’m already planning on what to wear for Mon and I’s five(?)-day trip! LOL Of course, I won’t be just wearing a trench coat over a shirt, or else I’ll freeze to death! I just want to be in a better disposition than my jeans and shirt galore last year. Their summer was a bit hot as well, considering that it was almost autumn when we were there.

On a side note, I finished taking my Language Proficiency Exam earlier this morning. While I think that it wasn’t really difficult, what gave me a hard time was the statistical information. Numbers and figures in ANY language always send me into a deep stupor! One down, and three more examinations to go! I’ll just think of Seoul and the telescope I plan to buy by September to keep my spirits up!

bryologue

10 Comments

  1. This is so funny. I loved the details in this post. I never really thought about those nuances!

    • Hahaha me too! Because for me they’re all the same, but it took me a taste of an almost-tragedy to properly seek for detailed information! ^o^

      • LOL. I wear some women’s clothing, but I’ve tried on women’s trench coats. They are not meant for men! LOL, especially the length and arm length!

        Good thing you did detailed research!

        • Yes I do women’s clothing too! Sometimes when the tailoring isn’t that obvious, we can get away with it, (but also there were times that I did not even care at all). I love your Céline Luggage Tote BTW!!!

          • Thanks! But you have so many more bags than me. Plus, so many great good wardrobe pieces! Love your shoes.

          • I’m actually sizing them down because of changing preferences and VERY limited space. I can’t obviously wear heels so DMs are my answer to that! =)

  2. Just bought myself a vintage and was wondering if maybe its a mens coat….Thank heavens or this.Patch on the left. Now I know.

  3. i am thinking of buying a Burberry rain jacket that I saw today in one of my favorite used clothing stores. I was wondering about the patch on the shoulder. Thank you for explaining what it is about. I’m glad it has a functional purpose even if I don’t really understand how it works. I think I’ll go back and buy it.

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