The best red trenchcoat

My signature style: The Famous Red Trench Coat

Posted on

by Allegra Caro

Red trenchcoats for women

 

When I was a child, I had a dream: I wanted to be an old Hollywood actress.

Yes, I know. You are not allowed to be one unless you have got a time machine, right? Well, that is only a little insignificant detail when you are eight years old. And as Scarlett O´Hara once said, I used to repeat myself: I’ll think about it tomorrow.

Unlike most children, I did not wish to become a ballerina or an astronaut but to be like one of those glamorous ladies on the movies my mother watched every weekend. I was fascinated by Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments, and Dietrich in Shanghai Express.

I loved everything about them: their elegance, strength, expressiveness… and of course their style. I held my breath when they wore silky dresses, berets, or those iconic forties trousers, and I naively thought that someday I would look just like them.  Oh, the youth foolishness!

The funny part is, as much I liked everything from the ’20s to the ’50s, I LOATHED everything from the ’60s onwards. And I especially disliked trench coats with a passion. To me, they were old pretty things Brigitte Bardot would wear in some sad French film. Nobody would style them in a classy way in the twenty-first century, though – and consequently, they were pointless.

Many years afterwards, while living in London, I frequently spent my cold October mornings navigating through South Kensington on my way to V&A, where I would happily wander for hours. There, I crossed paths with many chic Londoners who were completely proficient on the trench coat styling department. I slowly started realizing it was not required to be a Bardot – or a Dietrich, or a Hepburn for the matter – to look good on a trench coat (hey, who would have guessed, right? Mind-blowing!)

And one fine day I entered Debenhams, tried on a very nice one… and had the biggest disappointment EVER. I am quite sure this is not what you were expecting, but it is what happened. The aforementioned trench coat, so elegant and flawless on the hanger, looked like a potato sack on me and the rich camel tone made my skin look like sour milk someone forgot on the kitchen counter for about two weeks… Such a lovely image, isn’t it? Needless to say, I left the shop at once and never came back. 

Women red trench coat

 

And then, approximately one year ago, I was Vintage shopping in Budapest with my husband: on a certain second-hand shop, there was a women trench coat section with some nice designer pieces and I decided to give them a second chance. I found a decently preserved Dolce and Gabbana specimen, and although I did not buy it due to the size being slightly too small for me, I finally fell in love with the concept.

Actually, I changed my mind so much about it that any time we find a trench coat while shopping I adopt an entirely new personality. Sebastian refers to it as Possession, though… “LOOKZ!” I would invariably say, “It´s a trenchcoat! Can I have it? Can I?” And I would keep repeating so until my I would try it on or leave the place for good.

Last year I started incorporating new elements to my style on a still work in progress process to define it. One of the finest investment pieces I decided to add was this red trench coat which I love to wear with a black pencil dress. It is versatile, it can be toned down with some flats for a casual look, and the pop of colour makes any outfit interesting enough. It can be worn in a classic/retro way, but it is truly timeless. Plus, it is RED. Like, the perfect poppy colour tone I die for.

I am still not an Old Hollywood actress (C’est la vie, I guess) but I am quite sure that most of them would approve the trench coat.

The best red trenchcoat

wearing

Trench Coat: Heidi Klum (old). Similar one at Burberry.

Dress: Poema/ Shoes: Top Shop / Bag: Deichmann

 

 

Published by

Allegra Caro

28 thoughts on “My signature style: The Famous Red Trench Coat”

  1. Absolutely love this red coat, it looks amazing on you! I’m still living in the ‘trench coats look like a potato sack on me’ phase of my life, haha!

    1. Thank you very much! I think an important factor to be considered when talking about trenchcoats is fitting. They started working for me when I found one which actually fitted my waist the right way.

      I hope you also find one you like, haha.

    1. Hi there, Dawn and be very welcome. I am sure a tropical country has its own charms beyond trenchcoats. I would so much have your tropical weather instead of hellish Winters here!

  6. That is a beyond gorgeous red trench coat, it definitely reminds me of the old timey movies from the forties and fifties. You got an awesome snag when you purchased that!!

    1. Hello, Marie and be very welcome to my place.

      I use a DSLR camera to take my pictures, the model is a humble Canon 2000 (release year 2018). In this photoshoot I used a 50 mm lens.

      After talking the pictures I edit them by using photoshop. Usually, I only retouch the brightness, contrast and vibrance.

      I hope this solves your question! 😊

  16. It is a gorgeous coat. I always loved the concept of trench coats but I’m short so ones I’ve tried on previously had looked odd. I won’t give up though 🙂

    1. There are plenty of options out there with different sizes, and some brands make special petite sizes, so I am sure you will find something that looks lovely on you. 😊 Don’t give up! I didn’t until I found one I really liked.

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