Where to buy traditional trench coat

Quick threadjacking question Q to those in the know: This coat seems too cheap to be true - impressions?

Originally Posted by BareSolid

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Just found this company: http://www.raincoatsdirect.co.uk/web...tegoryId=10401 They say their trenches are hand-made in England and sell for £275, with a 10 per cent discount that's £247.50 (if I have got that right). The coat looks to fill all the traditional criteria. I shall phone them to confirm that their coats have horn buttons, or whether they are imitation horn. Anyone heard of them before?
I bought one of their trenches over the summer and have been wearing it quite a bit recently. I really love the coat. A couple warnings though, first the web site said the pockets were reach through and showed the pockets with flaps. The pockets on mine were not reach through and they had no flaps, just a button closure like on the lady's model. If you are outside the EU they will not deduct VAT and if you're in the US be prepared for a call from Fedex for your credit card number so that you can pay duty, which I believe was in the $100 to $150 range. I really don't like paying tax twice on something. A person on another forum that I follow bought one of these and asked them to make some alterations. The coat he received did not have the alterations done properly and the lining had been removed and sloppily sewn back in. Like I said, I am very happy with mine. It fits and drapes well and is very nicely made with quality materials. If you're in the EU I recommend it wholeheartedly. If you're outside the EU you'll have to figure shipping and duty into the price, but it still is a very good purchase for the money.

Originally Posted by luftvier

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Quick threadjacking question Q to those in the know: This coat seems too cheap to be true - impressions?

I am no Burberry expert but I wonder if this is authentic myself. Burberrys should have parenthesis around the name like this> 'Burberrys' The Burberry 'Nova Check' is not present at all. The arm buckles are wrong. The belt has no metal hoops for your hand grenades. Am I wrong on this? Or was this some ultra-light weight model they came out with, comparable to the 30 oz. weight Aquascutum of ages past? Edit- Just looked carefully at all the large photos off that ebay link, and if it's real somehow it still doesn't look right to me. The crest sure looks great though...in fact too great. Modern sewing machines can sew any crest you program into it, so it's getting harder & harder to spot fake from real. ..for this, that is why I addressed the other detail issues. I am also awaiting someone more knowledgeable to ring in here.

Originally Posted by norton

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I bought one of their trenches over the summer and have been wearing it quite a bit recently. I really love the coat.

A couple warnings though, first the web site said the pockets were reach through and showed the pockets with flaps. The pockets on mine were not reach through and they had no flaps, just a button closure like on the lady's model.

If you are outside the EU they will not deduct VAT and if you're in the US be prepared for a call from Fedex for your credit card number so that you can pay duty, which I believe was in the $100 to $150 range. I really don't like paying tax twice on something.

A person on another forum that I follow bought one of these and asked them to make some alterations. The coat he received did not have the alterations done properly and the lining had been removed and sloppily sewn back in.

Like I said, I am very happy with mine. It fits and drapes well and is very nicely made with quality materials. If you're in the EU I recommend it wholeheartedly. If you're outside the EU you'll have to figure shipping and duty into the price, but it still is a very good purchase for the money.

Did you size down, how is the fit? I know someone looking for a trench considering Burberry and other similar articles so this might be even better.

Curious as to whether people prefer the double breasted trench or fly front?

I am on the hunt for the same as the OP and have narrowed my search down to a more traditional DB trench. However, I am straying from the original in that I am looking for something slightly short of full length and have settled for the Acquascutum Bladen coat. However, I am still looking/waiting for it to become available at a cheaper price and in the meantime the Grenfell does look attractive (though not much cheaper).

Over at AACC there is a thread about the Manchester company which dealt with the claim that they produce for Acquascutum. However, upon inquiry it turned out that the company no longer produces coats for Acquscutum. Just an FYI for those who might have spotted it. Beyond that I make no claim to the quality of the trenches they make.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Did you size down, how is the fit? I know someone looking for a trench considering Burberry and other similar articles so this might be even better.

I'm 6'2" and can be between a 44R and a 44L in a coat. I bought the 44L to be safe and ended up having the sleeves shortened by about an inch. The 44 part was perfect.

Originally Posted by norton

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I'm 6'2" and can be between a 44R and a 44L in a coat. I bought the 44L to be safe and ended up having the sleeves shortened by about an inch. The 44 part was perfect.

How would you compare the materials and construction to Burberry and Aquascutum? It's not like I find those trenches to be totally impressive but they do the job quite well.

I haven't inspected a burberry or aquascutum, but I can't imagine they are of noticeably higher quality material and construction.

Also, when I took it in to a high end menswear store to have the sleeves shortened they asked where I had bought it. They were thinking that it would be a nice item to offer in their store.

Originally Posted by norton

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I bought one of their trenches over the summer and have been wearing it quite a bit recently. I really love the coat.

A couple warnings though, first the web site said the pockets were reach through and showed the pockets with flaps. The pockets on mine were not reach through and they had no flaps, just a button closure like on the lady's model.

If you are outside the EU they will not deduct VAT and if you're in the US be prepared for a call from Fedex for your credit card number so that you can pay duty, which I believe was in the $100 to $150 range. I really don't like paying tax twice on something.

A person on another forum that I follow bought one of these and asked them to make some alterations. The coat he received did not have the alterations done properly and the lining had been removed and sloppily sewn back in.

Like I said, I am very happy with mine. It fits and drapes well and is very nicely made with quality materials. If you're in the EU I recommend it wholeheartedly. If you're outside the EU you'll have to figure shipping and duty into the price, but it still is a very good purchase for the money.

Thank you for your gracious reply.

I am in the EU, England to be exact, so I just may take them up on their offer. I know the topic to which you refer, or at least, I believe you are talking about that on the Fedora Lounge forum.

So, did you order in your normal jacket size? I am a 38R and was wondering whether or not I ought to size down.

Just noticed that you already answered the fit question.

What colour did you get? I notice they offer both 'beige' and 'stone', but which is the traditional trench coat colour?

The biege, it is the traditional trench color. I think the stone is a very light gray.

Yes that was on the FL, but those posts have disappeared.

Originally Posted by norton

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The biege, it is the traditional trench color. I think the stone is a very light gray.

Yes that was on the FL, but those posts have disappeared.

That's odd. I pulled them up but a few days ago. They're still appearing on Google, but the 'click' does not correspond to the page. Did you get the liner? Is it easy to zip in and out, and what's the quality like?

Sorry to trouble you with questions.

Originally Posted by Man Of Lint

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I am no Burberry expert but I wonder if this is authentic myself.
Burberrys should have parenthesis around the name like this> 'Burberrys'
The Burberry 'Nova Check' is not present at all.
The arm buckles are wrong.
The belt has no metal hoops for your hand grenades.
Am I wrong on this? Or was this some ultra-light weight model they came out with,
comparable to the 30 oz. weight Aquascutum of ages past?

Edit- Just looked carefully at all the large photos off that ebay link,
and if it's real somehow it still doesn't look right to me.
The crest sure looks great though...in fact too great.
Modern sewing machines can sew any crest you program into it, so it's getting harder & harder to spot fake from real. ..for this, that is why I addressed the other detail issues.
I am also awaiting someone more knowledgeable to ring in here.

I think I can chime in here on this. I actually bought a NOS Burberry trench from a Toronto retailer recently and based on your observations and the ebay link I would have to agree with you when you say that particular trench is a fake.

- yes, "Burberrys" should be in parenthesis everywhere.
- lack of novacheck liner
- the arm buckles are wrong in the sense that it is made of metal and not leather
- even the waist belt is too low; it should be towards or just at the top of the side pockets. In this example it looks to go right across.
- The crest is much nicer than the real thing.
- all of the internal tags are wrong

Originally Posted by BareSolid

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That's odd. I pulled them up but a few days ago. They're still appearing on Google, but the 'click' does not correspond to the page. Did you get the liner? Is it easy to zip in and out, and what's the quality like?

Sorry to trouble you with questions.

I got the wool liner, and it seems nice but I haven't had to use it yet. It buttons in and out easily, especially since it doesn't have any arms. I actually like buttons instead of a zipper.