Trench coat
A
trench coat is an enduringly popular item of
clothing worn round the world. It is generally made of heavy duty
cotton, leather,
drill or
poplin, and has a lining which can be removed depending on the weather. It is a descendant of the heavy
serge coats worn by
British and
French soldiers in
World War I. The classical trench coat was a creation of Thomas
Burberry, inventor of
gabardine fabric, who submitted in
1901 a design for an army officer's raincoat to the UK
War Office. That raincoat subsequently became part of the service uniform of British officers. During World War I, the design was modified to include
epaulettes, straps, and D-rings. This latter version was dubbed
"trench coat" by the soldiers in the trenches. Towards the
Second World War, the trench coat became part of all enlisted men's and officers' kits, especially in the American forces: the
US Army,
US Army Air Corps, and
US Marine Corps.
|
A modern style of trench-coat, closely resembling a simple jacket. |
During the Second World War, the trench coat was still used by the military forces of nations like Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union on the battlefield in cold weather. During the course of the Second World War, the trench coat was removed from battlefield use in favour of smocks (e.g. the
Denison smock used by British commandos, paratroopers, and snipers during World War 2) and field jackets (e.g. the M-1941 field jacket and the M-1943 field jacket used by the soldiers of the US Army during World War 2) due to the smock and the field jacket being shorter in length than the trench coat and the very mobile nature of the Second World War.
The typical trench coat is a ten buttoned double breasted long tan, khaki, beige or black coat with cuff straps on the
raglan sleeves,
epaulettes (originally used to hold gloves and folding service caps, such as the
Glengarry Bonnet), and a belt that may also have two small brass D-rings as a salute to its
military heritage; the rings originally were used to secure grenades, sidearms and/or swords. Some more recent trench coats, more commonly called "long jackets", have no belts, no rings, and no epaulettes, with maybe 2 pockets on either side. This type more closely resembles a typical jacket; the main difference being length. (where a normal jacket goes down to waist-level, this particular trenchcoat is usually ankle length.)
Trench coats have remained fashionable over the years. Their genesis as clothing for army officers lent the trench coat a businesslike respectability, whilst fictional heroes as diverse as
Dick Tracy,
The Phantom,
Humphrey Bogart's
Sam Spade and
Peter Sellers'
Inspector Clouseau have kept the coat in the public eye. However,
Columbo, who usually is said to have worn a trench coat, actually wore a raincoat. On a darker note, black leather trench coats were adopted by the
Nazi SS as a means of inspiring fear and respect, and the subsequent
Hollywood image of the black-clad, trench-coated
Gestapo officer has entered popular culture. The
Columbine High School massacre was widely blamed on the
Trench Coat Mafia to which its perpetrators were erroneously said to have belonged, and in the wake of the incident several schools in Denver went so far as to ban pupils from wearing trench coats.
The trenchcoat is also a pseudo-sexual icon, as television and film portray characters as trenchcoat wearing figures who de-robe for humorous or titillating effect. Due to its length and coverage, the trenchcoat is often associated with streakers and exhibitionists who wear it in public until they feel free to display themselves.
On a side note, trench coats are associated with
Goth fashion.
* Most of the characters of
The Matrix trilogy belonging to the human faction, such as
Neo and
Morpheus, wore trenchcoats during their incursions in The Matrix.
* A leather trenchcoat was one of the key wardrobe pieces of the
vampire Spike in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Angel.
* Likewise, the vampire
Angel, also a
Buffyverse character, often wore trenchcoats, specially during the second season of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when he reverted to his evil self, Angelus.
*
Marvel Comics thief and supersoldier
Fantomex wore a white trenchcoat as part of his costume.
* During
Grant Morrison's run on the
X-Men comics, titled
New X-Men, the characters
Jean Grey and
Emma Frost wore leather trenchcoats as parts of their costumes. Jean's was black while Emma wore a white trenchcoat, as the color white is her personal signature.
* Another member of the X-Men,
Gambit (comics), is known for wearing his brown trenchcoat over his armor.
* Many of the characters in
Frank Miller's Sin City wear trench coats.
* Eric Draven, portrayed by Brandon Lee, wore a trenchcoat as part of his infamous wardrobe in the hit film "
The Crow".
*
Kevin Smith's character creation
Silent Bob is never seen without his green trenchcoat.
*Comic book supervillain
The Joker occasionally wears a gray or purple trenchcoat, often accompanied by a matching wide-brimmed
zoot hat.
*In the 2002 sci-fi series
Firefly, the rebellious Independent Faction of the
Unification War became known as
Browncoats for wearing brown trench coats in combat (as opposed to the sophisticated
battle suits of the
Alliance).
*
Coat
