Maximus Rex
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Trench Coat Guide Pt. II
Aquascutum
While the Manchester rainwear production was about to reach its peak, two chaps from southern England were working on their own interpretation of this very raincoat. One of them was John Emary, who had opened a tailor shop on Regent Street in 1851. He developed a special raincoat that he called Aquascutum (from the Latin aqua = water & scutum = shield). Soon after that, Aquascutum was producing coats for British soldiers. These coats reached to the ankle and were mostly made up in a double breasted facon.
The raincoat was produced in larger numbers for the British military beginning in 1853 and used in the Crimean war, and it even made an appearance during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865), the Boer Wars and the Russo-Japanese War (1904 – 1905). The oldest likely ‘trench’ coat in existence today is the Aquascutum on of Lt. General Gerald Goodlake, which is preserved at Newstead Abbey, England. He wore this coat during the Crimean war, in which he commanded a force of sharpshooters. On one guerrilla sortie behind the enemy lines, Goodlake, and a sergeant were cut off by a large body of Russian troops. The two British soldiers fired, gun-clubbed their nearest attackers and ran into a nearby ravine. However, the ravine filled with enemy soldiers. To their surprise, the British found they were ignored because of the gray raincoats coats they wore – they had been mistaken for Russians. This camouflage enabled them to march along in the ranks of the enemy until they had an opportunity to escape and rejoin their own men. The gray coat worn by Goodlake is displayed next to his general’s uniform. It was made of all wool cloth by a famous West of England mill and waterproofed to the extent then possible. As you can see in the photo though it was an early predecessor of the trench coat, it does not bear many of it’s trademark features, which would develop later on.
Thomas Burberry
In 1856, a 21-year-old draper’s apprentice, Thomas Burberry, opened an outerwear shop in Basingstoke. Since he had grown up in the country, he noticed that the linen garments of farm workers had certain properties that he wanted to transfer to overcoats and topcoats. This farmer’s clothing was lightweight and not constricting, warm in the winter, breathable in the summer, and shower resistant when damp, because the material shrank once it got moist. Although Aquascutum was the first to produce weatherproofed raincoats on a large scale, by the 1870’s Thomas Burberry had developed into a fierce competitor.
The Tielocken Trench Coat from Burberry’s
Unlike the rubberized version of Emary, Burberry followed a different approach. Instead of wool, he used sturdy fabric that was woven of a long staple Egyptian cotton yarn that was waterproofed before and after the weaving. He called it Gabardine – today also known as gaberdine – which was, in fact, an old term that had been outdated at the time. The advantages were that it was lightweight, odor free, hard wearing and waterproofed. In 1879, he registered the term Gabardine as a trademark, which would last for 40 years. World explorers like Amundsen and Shackleton would use Gabardine for their exhibitions, and it was widely used during the Boer Wars.
Many Boer war veterans would also fight in the trenches of WWI, and the most famous one was Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, who cut an iconic British figure with a mustache and a trench coat. His preferred model was the Tielocken model, which had been patented in 1912 as a coat with a strap and a buckle instead of buttons and buttonholes. Many officers aspired to follow him, and when he died on a sinking ship during the war, he supposedly wore his trench coat, helping to cement the coat’s by then-legendary status. As you can see from the advertisement, the trench coat was beginning to approach it’s traditional configuration.
Despite, Burberry’s prominent proponents, Aquascutum also had a loyal following that would send back raving letters from the front lines, which would go on to become part of the Aquascutum’s advertising campaigns. During WWI, trench coats were cut in different lengths; they were generally shorter and sometimes they would just reach above the knee. Moreover, they featured epaulets and D-rings. Almost as famous as the sand, olive, and khaki colors were blue & gray gabardine with a checked lining. While some suspect that this was a designer’s invention of the 20th century, checked lined rainwear was, in fact, the standard in the 1880s and 1890s. There was a period in the mid-twentieth century in which trench coats were often lined in solid colors, but today the checked lining is just as distinctive as the outer shell.
Famous Casablanca Trench Coat Scene
Some may wonder why this coat remained so popular during the interwar years, and there are a few key reasons. Firstly, in Britain, the government had ordered thousands of trench coats and found itself with a hefty surplus at the end of the war. They were distributed to the public in the 1920’s. Secondly, officers were happy to make use of their uniforms in civilian life, especially since this garment were tough, hard-wearing and fabric remained a scarce commodity. Thirdly, Hollywood stars showcased the trench coat in films across the US, many of which are cultural treasures themselves; just think of Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, or the Maltese Falcon.
Gary Cooper as soldier in Sergeant York, 1941 wearing an Over Knee Length Trench Coat
Since the combat strategies of WWII were different and less trench-focused than WWI, shorter multi-functional field jackets (some even camouflaged) were now the garment of choice, and the trench coat lost its military significance. Of course, many have probably seen photographs of German officers from the time in black leather trench coats but these were worn to make an impression rather than for their practicality. Nevertheless, the trench coat remained popular with the public thereafter. Aquascutum blended newly-invented nylon with cotton to create water- and wind-resistant fabrics such as Aqua 5, long before Gore-Tex & Windstopper became household names. In the following decades until today, the trench coat has been popular with countless designers for men and women alike. Today, Burberry Trench Coats are designer investment pieces rather than practical garments. Anyone who knows a thing or two about clothing might try to find a vintage quality Burberry or Aquascutum, because these were the durable classics that contained all the defining details.
Aquascutum
While the Manchester rainwear production was about to reach its peak, two chaps from southern England were working on their own interpretation of this very raincoat. One of them was John Emary, who had opened a tailor shop on Regent Street in 1851. He developed a special raincoat that he called Aquascutum (from the Latin aqua = water & scutum = shield). Soon after that, Aquascutum was producing coats for British soldiers. These coats reached to the ankle and were mostly made up in a double breasted facon.
The raincoat was produced in larger numbers for the British military beginning in 1853 and used in the Crimean war, and it even made an appearance during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865), the Boer Wars and the Russo-Japanese War (1904 – 1905). The oldest likely ‘trench’ coat in existence today is the Aquascutum on of Lt. General Gerald Goodlake, which is preserved at Newstead Abbey, England. He wore this coat during the Crimean war, in which he commanded a force of sharpshooters. On one guerrilla sortie behind the enemy lines, Goodlake, and a sergeant were cut off by a large body of Russian troops. The two British soldiers fired, gun-clubbed their nearest attackers and ran into a nearby ravine. However, the ravine filled with enemy soldiers. To their surprise, the British found they were ignored because of the gray raincoats coats they wore – they had been mistaken for Russians. This camouflage enabled them to march along in the ranks of the enemy until they had an opportunity to escape and rejoin their own men. The gray coat worn by Goodlake is displayed next to his general’s uniform. It was made of all wool cloth by a famous West of England mill and waterproofed to the extent then possible. As you can see in the photo though it was an early predecessor of the trench coat, it does not bear many of it’s trademark features, which would develop later on.
Thomas Burberry
In 1856, a 21-year-old draper’s apprentice, Thomas Burberry, opened an outerwear shop in Basingstoke. Since he had grown up in the country, he noticed that the linen garments of farm workers had certain properties that he wanted to transfer to overcoats and topcoats. This farmer’s clothing was lightweight and not constricting, warm in the winter, breathable in the summer, and shower resistant when damp, because the material shrank once it got moist. Although Aquascutum was the first to produce weatherproofed raincoats on a large scale, by the 1870’s Thomas Burberry had developed into a fierce competitor.
The Tielocken Trench Coat from Burberry’s
Unlike the rubberized version of Emary, Burberry followed a different approach. Instead of wool, he used sturdy fabric that was woven of a long staple Egyptian cotton yarn that was waterproofed before and after the weaving. He called it Gabardine – today also known as gaberdine – which was, in fact, an old term that had been outdated at the time. The advantages were that it was lightweight, odor free, hard wearing and waterproofed. In 1879, he registered the term Gabardine as a trademark, which would last for 40 years. World explorers like Amundsen and Shackleton would use Gabardine for their exhibitions, and it was widely used during the Boer Wars.
Many Boer war veterans would also fight in the trenches of WWI, and the most famous one was Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, who cut an iconic British figure with a mustache and a trench coat. His preferred model was the Tielocken model, which had been patented in 1912 as a coat with a strap and a buckle instead of buttons and buttonholes. Many officers aspired to follow him, and when he died on a sinking ship during the war, he supposedly wore his trench coat, helping to cement the coat’s by then-legendary status. As you can see from the advertisement, the trench coat was beginning to approach it’s traditional configuration.
Despite, Burberry’s prominent proponents, Aquascutum also had a loyal following that would send back raving letters from the front lines, which would go on to become part of the Aquascutum’s advertising campaigns. During WWI, trench coats were cut in different lengths; they were generally shorter and sometimes they would just reach above the knee. Moreover, they featured epaulets and D-rings. Almost as famous as the sand, olive, and khaki colors were blue & gray gabardine with a checked lining. While some suspect that this was a designer’s invention of the 20th century, checked lined rainwear was, in fact, the standard in the 1880s and 1890s. There was a period in the mid-twentieth century in which trench coats were often lined in solid colors, but today the checked lining is just as distinctive as the outer shell.
Famous Casablanca Trench Coat Scene
Some may wonder why this coat remained so popular during the interwar years, and there are a few key reasons. Firstly, in Britain, the government had ordered thousands of trench coats and found itself with a hefty surplus at the end of the war. They were distributed to the public in the 1920’s. Secondly, officers were happy to make use of their uniforms in civilian life, especially since this garment were tough, hard-wearing and fabric remained a scarce commodity. Thirdly, Hollywood stars showcased the trench coat in films across the US, many of which are cultural treasures themselves; just think of Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, or the Maltese Falcon.
Gary Cooper as soldier in Sergeant York, 1941 wearing an Over Knee Length Trench Coat
Since the combat strategies of WWII were different and less trench-focused than WWI, shorter multi-functional field jackets (some even camouflaged) were now the garment of choice, and the trench coat lost its military significance. Of course, many have probably seen photographs of German officers from the time in black leather trench coats but these were worn to make an impression rather than for their practicality. Nevertheless, the trench coat remained popular with the public thereafter. Aquascutum blended newly-invented nylon with cotton to create water- and wind-resistant fabrics such as Aqua 5, long before Gore-Tex & Windstopper became household names. In the following decades until today, the trench coat has been popular with countless designers for men and women alike. Today, Burberry Trench Coats are designer investment pieces rather than practical garments. Anyone who knows a thing or two about clothing might try to find a vintage quality Burberry or Aquascutum, because these were the durable classics that contained all the defining details.
