> CD #116: On trench coats

I have many questions about trench coats. They are often touted in women’s (and men’s) magazines as a classic wardrobe must-have, but when I look at them, I don’t understand how they work at all. (The same with jean jackets.)

Trench coats are supposedly a go-to for rainy days, but most are made of cotton, which is not known as a water-resistant fabric. And they don’t typically have hoods, so I guess you’d still have to carry an umbrella if you didn’t want to get wet. They look flappy and flimsy, not like clothing that can protect you from inclement weather. And then there’s that fussy belt in the middle that kind of serves no purpose, but maybe is meant to keep your core warmer?

It doesn’t help that, in more than half the photos I’ve seen online, the coat is worn open—unbuttoned and unbelted. I’m beginning to suspect that trench coats are a total scam.

My suspicion, of course, has not prevented me from panic-shopping for one in advance of my upcoming trip to Vancouver, since I learned this weekend will be rainy. (I don’t know why it took me until four days before my trip to realize that one of Canada’s rainiest cities might be rainy when I visited, but here we are.)

I do own a utilitarian rain jacket, rarely worn in my dry prairie existence, but it’s too small to wear over sweaters in the fall, and Vancouver is going to be both wet and chilly. Plus, I was hoping for something a little more writerly, whatever that means. I’m thinking Hemingway in Paris, minus the all the drinking and fistfights. (Although I am attending a writers festival…)

I have narrowed it down to two options. Neither of them is a classic trench, but both give a nod to the traditional design. Which one should I go with? Please tell me quick, I’m leaving Friday morning!

OPTION A

OPTION B

I swear they are two different coats, lol. There’s also a third option, which is to get something reliably waterproof/warm and made of technical fabric. But that would be like every other jacket I’ve ever owned.

Do you dress for who you are or who you want to be?

I’ll be doing multiple events in Vancouver this weekend, including a drawing workshop at Upstart & Crow (sold out!), a panel called “Drawing Out Family Histories” at Vancouver Writers Fest, and a talk at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre.

Hope to see some of you there, perhaps a little damp but in good spirits!

:) Teresa

ps. Oh hey, it’s been almost exactly a year since I told you I needed a grown-up coat, and now I’m finally doing something about it. Progress!

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