Trench coat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the film, see Trenchcoat (film).
A trench coat or trenchcoat is a raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton drill or poplin, or in some cases leather: it generally has a removable insulated lining; and it is usually knee-length or longer.
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[edit] History
The trenchcoat is a descendant of the heavy serge coats worn by British and French soldiers in World War I. The trench coat was created by Thomas Burberry, the inventor of gabardine fabric, who submitted a design for an army officer's raincoat to the UK War Office in 1901. Burberry's raincoat subsequently became part of the service uniform of British officers. During World War I, the design was modified to include epaulettes, straps, and D-rings. This latter version was dubbed "trench coat" by the soldiers in the trenches. Towards the Second World War, the trench coat became part of all enlisted men's and officers' kits, especially in the American forces: the US Army, US Army Air Corps, and US Marine Corps.
During the Second World War, the military forces of Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union continued to use the trenchcoat on the battlefield in cold weather. Over the course of the Second World War, the trench coat was widely replaced by shorter smocks (e.g. the Denison smock used by British commandos, paratroopers, and snipers during World War II) and field jackets (e.g. the M-1941 field jacket and the M-1943 field jacket used by the soldiers of the US Army during World War II). The smock and the field jacket were shorter than the trench coat, and as such they allowed the wearer to be more mobile.
A typical trenchcoat is a ten-buttoned, double-breasted long coat made with tan, khaki, beige, or (less fashionably) black fabric. Trenchcoats often have cuff straps on the raglan sleeves, epaulettes (originally used to hold gloves and folding service caps, such as the Glengarry bonnet), and a belt that may also have two small brass D-rings as a salute to its military heritage. The rings were used to secure grenades, or sidearms (or swords in World War I). Some more recent trenchcoats, more commonly called "long jackets", have no belts, rings, or epaulettes, and only two pockets on either side. This type is more like normal jacket, except that it is usually ankle length.
[edit] Post-World War II
Trench coats have remained fashionable in the decades since the end of World War II. Their original role as part of an army officers' uniform lent the trench coat a businesslike respectability, whilst fictional heroes as diverse as Dick Tracy, The Phantom, Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine from Casablanca and Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau kept the coat in the public eye. Black leather trench coats were adopted by the Nazi SS as a means of inspiring fear and respect, and the subsequent Hollywood image of the black-clad, trench-coated Gestapo officer has entered popular culture.
[edit] Current status
Trench coats or other long dark coats (such as dusters) are associated with mallgoth, Industrial rock and Heavy Metal fashion and musical styles.
The Columbine High School massacre was associated with members of the "Trenchcoat Mafia" a group of outcasts with which its perpetrators were associated in early media reports, who wore conspicuous black trench coats, and in the wake of the incident several schools forbade students to wear trench coats, on the grounds that the long coats could be used to conceal weapons.
Trenchcoats are traditionally used by streakers and exhibitionists, who wear the coat in public until they "streak" naked through a public area or commit an act of exhibition. They are also worn by men who masturbate in porno-movie theaters.
[edit] Fictional trenchcoat wearers
[edit] Comics and graphic novels
Trenchcoats are used in a number of comics, animated series, and graphic novels. The use could be traced back to the the Godlen Age of Comics. Most of the heroes in question owned their creation in earlier pulp detective archetypes. This included Doctor Occult, Green Hornet and Crimson Avenger, among others. John Constantine, the main protagonist of the Hellblazer series, wears a trenchcoat as an integral part of his image and refers to himself as a member of the Trenchcoat Brigade. Rorschach from Watchmen wears a trench coat. Marvel Comics thief and supersoldier Fantomex wore a white trenchcoat as part of his costume. During Grant Morrison's run on the X-Men comics, titled New X-Men, the characters Jean Grey and Emma Frost wore leather trenchcoats. Gambit from the X-men wears a brown trenchcoat over his armor.
Many of the characters in Frank Miller's Sin City wear trench coats. Comic book villain The Joker occasionally wears a gray or purple trenchcoat, often accompanied by a matching wide-brimmed zoot hat. Osmosis Jones's nemesis, Thrax, wears a trenchcoat. Tommy Monaghan, the titular star of the comic book Hitman, regularly wears a dark green trenchcoat. The Phantom (aka Mr Walker) wears a signature trench coat and a fedora when walking in town as an ordinary man. The Punisher AKA Frank Castle also wears a trenchcoat to conceal his skull t-shirt.
The Crimson Avenger & The Question in Justice League Unlimited.
In Garry Trudeau]]'s comic strip Doonesbury, television news reporters are frequently depicted wearing trenchcoats. The military details, like the D-rings and the collar strap, are carefully drawn, indeed exaggerated.
[edit] Science Fiction
The Tenth Doctor in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who, played by David Tennant, wears a brown trenchcoat over his 'geek chic' brown pin-stripe suit. Most of the characters of The Matrix trilogy belonging to the human faction, such as Neo and Morpheus, wore trenchcoats during their incursions in The Matrix. The Replicant Roy Batty in Bladerunner wore a black leather trenchcoat, while Deckard wore an original Burberry trenchcoat. A leather trenchcoat was used as one of the trademarks of vampire Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Likewise, the vampire Angel, also a Buffyverse character, often wore trenchcoats, especially during the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when he reverted to his evil self, Angelus.
In the 2002 sci-fi series Firefly, the rebellious Independent Faction of the Unification War became known as Browncoats for wearing brown trench coats in combat (as opposed to the sophisticated battle suits of the Alliance).
[edit] Other Films
Eric Draven, portrayed by Brandon Lee, wore a trenchcoat as part of his infamous wardrobe in the hit film "The Crow". Kevin Smith's character creation Silent Bob always wears a green trenchcoat. Lemony Snicket, fictitious author of the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, is often shown in photographs wearing a brown trenchcoat.Carmen Sandiego wears a red trench coat and a red fedora hat as her main costume. On the movie Jeepers Creepers, Creeper would wear a trenchcoat that disguised himself. The characters Mark and Ken Gor of the A Better Tomorrow films are also famous for their long, dark trenchcoats known as "dusters".
In an important scene in Kramer vs. Kramer, Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) tells his boss over lunch that he has finally bought a "Burberry coat." He says, " My hand was trembling as I wrote out the check." This marks one of the rare occasions when a Burberry trenchcoat was bought with a check, rather than a credit card. The point is that such a coat is an expensive status symbol, thus making its purchase a rite of passage. (in a later scene in the same restaurant, Kramer's boss fires him over lunch.)
[edit] Miscellaneous
Two characters from the game Deus Ex, the protagonist (JC Denton) and his brother (Paul Denton), wear trenchcoats. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wore tan colored trench coats as disguises when they had to traverse the streets of New York City. Mark Calaway AKA The Undertaker wears a black long leather trench coat in WWE. Kino from Kino's Journey also wears two trench coats. She wears a much shorter olive green trench coat that is more like a regular coat but still holds many of the properties of a trench coat such as a distinctive military style. Her second trench coat is more of a traditional style and beige coloring that she wears as an outer layer. It used to belong to the older Kino from episode 4. Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts 2 wore black trench coats with hoods. Sephiroth, one of the most famous villains from the Final Fantasy series of video games, has a rather unique trenchcoat as part of his outfit. In the Nickelodeon show Invader Zim, the antagonist, Dib, weres a signatue black trench coat.
