New trenchcoats are timeless but trendy
A slightly hipper take on the look from Tommy Hilfiger, $498 at the designer's Manhattan flagship or tommy.com. Credit: Handout
It's time to dig out the trenches again.
The reliable outerwear long linked to strong soldiers and sexy spies is one of those classics that so many of us already own, and it's pretty safe to say that it has never fully gone out of style.
This season, though, trenches are a bona fide fashion trend, with runways and retailers offering a few twists to keep this century-old style feeling fresh.
Designer Rachel Roy showed a dozen different interpretations of trench coats -- from a buttery leather version to a fancy metallic. "The great thing about a trench is that it is equal parts smart, easy and pulled-
together chic," Roy says.
There is some flexibility in what makes a trench a trench: Roy says its defining characteristic is the shape of the shoulder; Lisa Axelson, vice president of design at Ann Taylor, isn't sure if it's the shape of the pockets, the storm flap or a nipped waist. And this season, a trench is not necessarily a coat. There are capes, vests, dresses and even trenchlike trousers.
"People have taken a lot of creative freedom with the trench coat, adding newness," says Amanda Brooks, fashion director at Barneys New York. "There are endless ways to reinterpret it, and designers have been incredibly innovative."
Fashion fans shouldn't be discouraged sturdy construction and versatility -- not usually words that go with a trend, addsGap's creative director Patrick Robinson says a trench can have an edge. His favorite versions of the season are softer than you'd expect, maybe in more of a blush tone than khaki. "Think about what it brings you: confidence," he says.
