How to find your trench coat tribe this spring

Telegraph

25-04-2025

There's quite simply nothing like the rain-proof embrace of a trench coat to make you feel put together in spring. As well as providing the perfect protection from April showers and blustery days, the style also happens to be timelessly chic.
Just ask Sienna Miller, who was recently spotted filming in London wearing the perfect dark khaki car coat-style trench. Fans will have recognised the single-breasted, subtly A-line, plaid-lined piece as Sézane's Clyde trench, £275, which has become something of a cult item. While it was sold out at the time of the sighting, the French favourite brand reports that 60,000 customers joined a waiting list to be notified of when it came back into stock.
Miller also wore the style in ecru during Paris Fashion Week, a fitting choice for the French capital. 'Clyde blends timeless trench design and qualities with effortless Parisian style,' says Morgane Sézalory, founder and creative director of Sézane. 'The relaxed, oversized cut suits everyone and makes it highly versatile. And despite its vintage-inspired design, it's a piece that never feels old.'
But despite this appealing air of French insouciance, the trench coat is very much a British perennial. Thanks to its utility and elegance, Daisy Knatchbull, designer and trailblazer of women's tailoring on Savile Row, considers it 'one of the best inventions to come out of Britain'. 'It was first brought to life in World War I, when the trench held a functional purpose,' she explains. 'The epaulettes displayed an officer's rank, the D rings were to attach equipment to and the storm flaps to offer protection against the elements.'
Today, these utilitarian design points have become hallmarks of a timeless staple that evolved through iconic Hollywood moments – think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer – before it was adopted into the collective wardrobe.
Even with Burberry in flux, the style remains synonymous with the British fashion house often credited with its invention. A recent campaign starring Kate Winslet claimed that it's 'always Burberry weather' in London, and the trench was a focal point of Daniel Lee's standout autumn/winter 2025 show, which starred a cast of national treasure types wrapped in riffs on the classic – see Lesley Manville in a black flocked velvet and Jason Isaacs in dark brown.
Colour, fit, cut, material – there are many variations to consider when it comes to the classic coat. In fact, a number of 'trench tribes' can be identified out there in the drizzly wild, from those who favour traditional takes to more avant-garde groups.
The traditionalists
For some, only double-breasted, waist-belted styles in pale neutrals will do. Burberry is the choice of chic purists everywhere and a worthwhile investment, although second-hand options are readily available on the likes of Vinted and eBay. High-profile proponents of the trad trench include everyone from Alexa Chung to the Queen herself, who looks particularly good whenever she wears her favoured mid-length Burberry coat to royal engagements – she's been photographed in taupe and stone versions.
Classic trench, £100, John Lewis
The Francophiles
Determined to identify – then conceal – the ' quoi ' in je ne sais quoi, the Francophiles favour trench coats that wouldn't look out of place in any of Paris's 20 arondissements. Miller's favoured Sézane Clyde is the Holy Grail for this tribe, not least for its versatility and air of effortlessness. 'The trench can be worn in any season and completes the perfect Parisian outfit,' says Sézalory. 'Think a casual fit with jeans and trainers or slightly smarter with dresses and boots.'
Cotton blend trench, £275, Sézane
The maximalists
Whatever the colour or cut, an oversized fit is the top priority for the maximalists. The ultimate pin-up for this tribe might be Jennifer Lawrence mastering off-duty chic in a slouchy dark-grey trench from The Row in New York. This throw on and go take sounds deceptively simple, but it's certainly not a case of the bigger the better – it needs to be a well-tailored piece to ensure you don't look like you're drowning in water-resistant cotton.
Oversized trench, £259, Arket
The statement makers
Members of this tribe are walking proof that while sometimes a coat can make an outfit, it can also be the outfit. With the right statement trench, that which is worn underneath is rendered almost redundant – until you take it off. 'Trench coat colours are becoming more unexpected and playful, from bold hues to subtle pastels,' says Knatchbull. For a reference point that still feels classic, look to the Princess of Wales in a regal purple and green Heather Tartan trench by British country classic Holland Cooper. For a modernist take, see Kendall Jenner in a lemon-yellow car coat style by Scandi favourite, Skall Studio.
Checked Cheltenham trench, £350, Boden
The croppers
If you require proof that a classic can always be reinvented, look no further than this season's slew of cropped trench coats, which appeared in avant-garde style on the Burberry autumn/winter 2025 catwalk and are now infiltrating the high street. Clearly, this tribe is on the up, with shortened pieces proving popular at the likes of M&S, where a £59 cotton-blend version is almost entirely sold out in light beige (though still available in navy, for now). Katie Holmes made a most compelling case for losing a few inches in trench length by wearing a butter-yellow version to the Zimmermann show in Paris this spring.
Cotton cropped trench, £145, & Other Stories
The materialists
This tribe has left gabardine and cotton long in the past, favouring vampy leather, on-trend suede or even glossy vinyl for their trench coats. For inspiration, look to Catherine Deneuve in an all-black Balenciaga ensemble at Paris Fashion Week, or Rihanna channelling effortless glamour in LA (with her husband A$AP Rocky remaining firmly in the traditionalist camp in beige).