The Best Trench Coats Protect Your Outfits With Cinematic Flair
Thoughtful design details like articulated sleeves, underarm gussets, and microfleece at the collar add to the comfort of this Tesla of trenches. Fully made in Japan, it’s the best gorpy trench that doesn’t feel like it’s begging you to take it to the Dolomites. But like all things Gore-tex and Japanese, this one is gonna cost you.
More Trench Coats We Love
How the Trench Coat Got Its Name
Like so many icons of everyday menswear, the trench coat’s story starts with the military. Its exact origins remain a matter of insider-y dispute, but credit is certainly due to one Thomas Burberry, who invented a waterproof, breathable fabric known as gabardine and used it to design coats for British army officers fightings in the trenches of the early 1900s. (Hence the name!) That material, and Burberry’s sketches, became a template that still informs the coat’s design to this day.
Why Should You Buy A Trench Coat
Over the decades, the trench coat has transcended its military origins to become a trusty staple of civilian dressing. Simply put, no other coat covers as much of the body without overheating it, or manages to be both water-repellent and presentable enough to meet the in-laws. And while the basic appeal of the trench coat hasn’t changed much in a century, more brands than ever are putting their own spin on the style. Legacy acts like Burberry and Mackintosh may still run the game, but hot on their heels are a series of upstart brands just desperate to cloak your fall wardrobe of jeans and hefty-ass crewneck sweatshirts with their gabardine garms.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
