If you had to choose one coat, which one would it be? At Mondo Kaos, there is no doubt that we would choose the trench coat!

A classic vintage style trench coat is one of the most popular coats , and for good reason. The coat is both water-repellent and windproof, something that is an advantage in Denmark, especially in the transitional seasons.

We have just received the classic trench coats home in beautiful colours, and think it was time to write a little about how a coat from the 1850s came into the First World War, and is still a fashion statement today. And how a classic men's garment can belong in Mondo Kaos' feminine universe.

We all know roughly what is meant by a trench coat, but what are the characteristics?

As already mentioned, a trench coat is a wind and waterproof coat , it is also relatively long and ends somewhere from just above the knees to the middle of the shin. In most cases it is double-breasted, i.e. two rows of buttons, it provides extra wind protection in front where we feel more cold. We also recognize the trench coat by its lapel collar, which can both be left open to form a V, or closed and then, of course, the belt.

It is the belt that gives the trench coat its classic shape, while also making it ideal as women's outerwear , as the original men's coat can be transformed to fit the female forms in an extremely elegant way.

The trench coat actually started as a rain jacket. At the beginning of the 19th century, Mackintosh invented clothes in a rubber material, and created the raincoat, which, however, had the disadvantage that you got extremely wet from the inside, as the skin could not breathe. So these jackets quickly started to smell very bad. The water-repellent coats were used in the military right from their infancy.
The idea was further developed and in 1853 the London men's tailor John Emary made a waterproof woolen coat under the name Aquascutum.

In 1879, Thomas Burberry invented the gabardine fabric. It was weatherproof and breathable wool twill made by lanolin coating the individual threads and fibers rather than the whole fabric. Burberry's gabardine outerwear, like Aquascutums, became especially popular among upper-class sporting types and explorers: when Sir Ernest Shackleton went to Antarctica in 1907, he and his crew wore Burberry's gabardine coats.

The trench coat got its name in 1916. By then it had been used for many years of military service, and it had been used in the First World War (1914-1918). However, the name trench coat is misleading in that the trench coat was not used in the trenches, but by the higher-ranking officers. In sympathy with the soldiers, civilians began to wear the coats during the war as a sign of patriotism.

From here, the coat became more and more popular, and when Hollywood began to use it, it even took on a romantic tinge. Thanks to the shape, which could easily be adjusted to fit the female figure, it wasn't long before women also adopted the trench coat.

The trench coat also found its way to the film and was a big hit in Hollywood. It gained star status when it was worn by the biggest actors, both men and women, in the big and famous Hollywood movies of the period. Greta Garbo already in 1928 (in A Woman of Affairs), Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair (1948), Katherine Hepburn in Keeper of the Flame (from 1943) and of course the most famous trench coat scene of them all: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Hollywood didn't just give the trench coat 'glamour' - it also became a symbol of strong, dangerous women. The fact that it was originally a masculine garment gave the movie stars more than a hint of seduction and mystery.
Audrey Hepburn reused the trench coat in Charade, which was also a romantic thriller.

From there, it wasn't long before the trench coat became popular everywhere, from everyday life to the catwalk.

The nice classic trench coat in red , burgundy, navy and black.

We have just received the beautiful trench coats home in beautiful classic colours. The beautiful trench coats are double-breasted in classic style, and can be buttoned all the way up, for the cooler days, or left open with a beautiful v-cut and lapel collar.

The traditionally masculine details, such as lapel collar, and the double-rowed buttons, here become beautiful contrasts to a feminine hourglass figure.

There are fine seams at the bust and waist which give the coat its feminine character, and with the belt you can adjust and highlight the waist, so that you get a beautiful hourglass figure.

Unlike a classic trench coat, this version has hidden pockets on the sides which only makes it even more practical.

In addition, this trench coat is made with extra width, so there is plenty of room to wear your favorite swing dresses underneath. This makes it also perfect for cycling.

As I said, your beautiful swing dresses also fit under our trench coats, and nothing says vintage style like having a lovely, full petticoat under the beautiful trench coat.

If you want to style your trench coat even more in the vintage style, you can color coordinate e.g. shoes , beret, turban or hair flower with the fine trench coat. You can also style your trench coat with e.g. a nice brooch which immediately gives it a beautiful vintage look.

Or use the good combination of red and black/ red and navy. With e.g. red shoes and lipstick with your dark coat, it pulls the look together.