blade runner.

the trench coat is a garment of great pop culture significance. although many consider the diluted brown color of the all-weather gear favored by perverts dull or regard the classic coat as the grandest of matronly boredom, i see rick deckard and dc comics heroes lurking in the shadows and snarling placidly such lines as:

"you thick as pig-shit? help you? that's precisely what i'm doing."

the trench comes obviously from the racks of burberry who created the form commissioned by the war offices for ww1 soldiers hunkering down in – hello! – trenches. the piece of patented waterproof gabardine and the black, tan and red pattern are somewhat iconic.

in all honesty, when the haymarket check (official term for "burberry check") is brought up i also think of elderly ladies, but additionally my mind wanders off to kate moss and agyness deyn. i still remember walking around hackney in search of the burberry outlet in 1998 – the year burberry profits plummeted to an alltime low, but the street buzz was already starting in london – and feeling utterly scared. i was on the lookout for a checkered a-line skirt i had seen some chic chick sporting at some bar in islington.

both hackney and islington have since improved (gentrified, as the term goes) and burberry has gone through chav. in matters of classic trench coats i think the scales are first and foremost on the positive and burberry is still the way to go.

i have considered getting my own for some years, but am still torn between classic beige and black. both have their advantages, but i haven't been able to come to a decision. this spring i think it's about time. that is, if i can find one that fits perfectly – probably from the prorsum line since the classic that is usually sold domestically at stockmann's is cut slightly too wide.

pics from colette. click to enlarge.

the trench feels even more current now that i saw this collaboration between colette and burberry. their classic coat has been transformed in the hands of christopher bailey – the chief creative director of the royal warrant sporting fashion house – and the twists and turns feel like voluptuous brush strokes against the conservative shape. hidden underneath the collar are numerous little gold studs like tiny fangs just waiting to bite into your burberry checking eyes.



limited edition, of course, but if i had an extra ±2000€ lying somewhere, i'd definitely consider one of these.

do you fancy this classic? what about the twist – which of the three is your favorite?