What are the best black, all-cotton trench coats for US$250-500?
For what it's worth, I live in Boston.
I wear a blazer to work most days and am looking for a jacket I can wear on rainy days during the spring/summer. I've got a water-resistant wool overcoat, but it's far too heavy for about half the year. It's more to protect against cold rather than rain.
I would love to get a Burberry trench coat, but I have not found any good used black ones in my size.
Like I said in the title, I would like one that is all-cotton, black, and around $250-500.
25 Replies
A big cotton coat in black is kinda a weird piece. Maybe a mac coat? If it's for rain I don't think cotton is a good choice
Why? Burberry trenches are made of cotton.
Yeah they're usually tan though
Like there are lots of options that meet 2-3 of your requirements but not all of them
Water resistant cotton doesn't exist unless it's vancloth or ventile, both of which are coated with a synthetic layer - and neither of which are that good. I really wouldn't get too hung up on cotton if you genuinely want rain resistance.
here it is
S.E.H Kelly
Trench coat in weatherproof ripstop in cosmos — S.E.H Kelly
Trench coat, made in London, with a very light (7oz) but paradoxically very strong cloth from West Yorkshire — and with horn buttons and brass buckles and loops from the West Midlands.
it a bit more than your range but it hits all the check boxes you listed
they in stock too
It's not made of cotton. Thanks though.
The gabardine used in Burberry trench coats is waterproofed, no?
'water-repellent' not waterproof.
i ran to burberry site to read the description
shower resistant. if u want proofing might as well get a raincoat
Yes by covering it with plastic.
The aramid that coat’s made from is amazing. Beats any cotton or cotton mix and still has a really nice hand.
While being almost indestructible.
So why is it listed as 100% cotton?
What makes it better than cotton?
I just know that cotton gabardine makes water roll off it.
Sorry, what's the difference?
It’s rainproof without any treatment that will wear off. It’s the same material they use for firefighters, it’s flame and knife resistant! It’s essentially pretty Kevlar that feels nice.
Also lighter than cotton.
water resistant can handle light rain but heavy rain will soak through
So would it be more appropriate for hot weather?
By the way, I have found a brand called Grenfell which uses the same material as Burberry and is also made in England, but half the price.
it's alright for the city or london november drizzle kinda weather; it's good as long as you don't intend on staying outside in the rain for longer periods of time; and it will definitely not keep your protected in a heavy downpour.
yep, made in London even. Their trench coats do cost above 1000€ as well though.
Because the fabric is 100% cotton.
Yet covered in plastic?
The weave is cotton , the fabric. The coating is synthetic.
If the fibres in the fabric were partially synthetic it wouldn’t be 100% cotton. Like a nyco nylon cotton mix.
Bread coated in butter is still 100% bread. It’s just coated in butter.
Cotton gabardine is water resistant but not water proof. To enhance its water resistance and to try to help prevent it wetting out its covered with a DWR [durable water repellent] treatment, which is essentially a very thin, sprayed on layer of a plastic polymer, a bit like Teflon. Burberry recommend this proofing is reapplied seasonally or whenever the coat is cleaned and offer a reproofing service at their boutiques.
It's the same concept as the wax on a Barbour jacket.
The long and short of it is that for good water resistance / proofing synthetics are going to be involved somewhere (either in the fabric or an applied treatment) and getting hung up on 100% natural fibres in this space is going to mean a very big compromise on water resistance that is very very often made up for by applying DWR.
From an environmental/toxicity standpoint a shell that doesn't require a proofing treatment is almost certainly better than anything which requires a DWR treatment (these wash off into the water supply).
Wait, so a synthetic coat would be environmentally superior to cotton gabardine? How so?
Because like cdf said, a DWR coating washes off and leaches into the water supply, and requires reapplication, whereas an inherently waterproof shell doesn't.
Plus the worst of the environmental effects of synthetics come when they're thrown away - presumably you'll keep this coat for a long time (or sell it on), so that's less of an issue
I'd be reluctant to say superior, but a quality synthetic shell that doesn't require DWR will have different and possibly preferable impacts. Basically what @birdplen describes.
Synthetics are not inherently bad and have good use cases, rainwear being one of them.
They come in black too.
Tan and khaki drown me out; I look a lot better in black.