Womens Leather Trench Coat

A leather trench coat is a full length belted coat cut to the classic trench pattern but made in leather instead of cotton gabardine. It falls below the knee, fastens with buttons down the front and pulls in at the waist with a belt. This one is genuine sheepskin with a notched collar, a removable tie belt and patch pockets, in black or brown, sizes XXS to 3XL.

A leather trench is not a waterproof trench, and this catches people out

This is the first thing to say, because the trench coat exists because of rain and people reasonably assume the leather version does the same job. The original trench was cotton gabardine, a tightly woven cloth developed specifically to shed water while still letting air through. Everything people associate with a trench, the storm flap, the belt, the deep collar, comes from that. Leather is a different proposition. It is naturally water resistant, so light rain beads and wipes off with a dry cloth and does nothing at all. Sustained rain is another matter. Leather absorbs water eventually, and when it dries out it stiffens and can darken unevenly. So this is a coat for cold dry days, for evenings, and for the ten minute walk between a taxi and a door. It is not a coat for standing at a bus stop in a downpour. If you want that, buy a gabardine trench and keep this for everything else. Brown shows water marks far more readily than black. That is the single biggest practical difference between the two colours and it matters more than the look.

Full length leather is heavy, and the shoulders carry all of it

A knee length leather coat weighs meaningfully more than a leather jacket, and all of that weight hangs from your shoulders. That has one consequence worth acting on. If the shoulder seam does not sit where your shoulder actually ends, nothing else about the fit will save it. A coat that is too wide in the shoulder drags the whole garment backwards and the front hangs open. Too narrow and it pulls across the back every time you reach forward. Check the shoulder before you check anything else. Bust and waist can be worked around with the belt. Shoulders cannot. The weight is also why the hanger matters, and I have put that in the care section rather than burying it here, because it is the thing that ruins these coats.

The belt does the shaping, and you can wear it three ways

A leather trench with the belt hanging loose is a long straight coat. With the belt tied it is a completely different silhouette. This is worth understanding because it is most of what you are buying. Tied at the waist gives you the classic shape, and it is the reason to own the coat. Belted at the back only, with the belt threaded through the back loops and tied behind, gives you a clean open front and still keeps the coat from swinging loose. This is how most people who own one actually wear it day to day. Belt removed entirely turns it into a long line straight coat. Some people prefer this and it is why a removable belt is better than a stitched one. A tie belt rather than a buckled one is the right choice on leather, because a buckle concentrates all the tension on two or three punch holes and those holes stretch and eventually tear.

Brown or black, and it is not a close call for most people

Black is the practical answer. It hides marks, it does not water spot visibly, it goes over anything, and it looks the same in five years. If this is your only leather coat, buy black. Brown is the beautiful one and the harder one. Brown is the historic trench colour and it reads more considerably more expensive than black at the same price, because pale leather has depth that dark leather cannot show. It also marks. Rain spots show. Finger oils darken the area around the pockets. It fades where sunlight lands on it. And it fights with a black bag, which is what most people are carrying. Buy brown if you already own a black coat, or if you know you will look after it. Do not buy brown as a first leather coat and then be disappointed in it by March.

Fit

Sized to the bust, so measure rather than going by a dress size. Take your usual size if you plan to wear it over a shirt or a fine knit. Go up one if you want it over a chunky jumper or a blazer, since a trench is a layering coat and there is no give in leather to borrow. Length is part of the definition. This should sit below the knee. If it lands above the knee it is a leather coat, which is a fine thing to own but a different garment. Sleeves should reach the wrist bone with your arms down. On a coat this long, slightly long sleeves look intentional. Short sleeves look like a mistake.

Care

Professional leather cleaning only. Do not machine wash, do not spot clean with water, do not put it near a radiator. Condition twice a year, more often on brown. Wipe rain off with a dry cloth and let it dry flat at room temperature. Here is the one that actually matters on a coat this length. Hang it on a broad shouldered hanger with the full length of the coat hanging free, and give it space in the wardrobe. Most leather trenches are ruined by being folded over a hanger bar, which puts a permanent crease across the back at hip height that no amount of conditioning will lift.

Never store it belted tight. The waist creases and sets.

Specification table

Specification	Detail
Outer material	Genuine leather
Lining	Full body and sleeves
Closure	Button
Collar	hood
Cuffs	Open-hem
External pockets	Multiple
Internal pockets	Two inside
Back detail	Solid back
Colour	Black
Fit	Regular, takes a mid weight layer
Sizes	XXS to 3XL, plus made to measure
Care	Condition twice yearly. No machine wash, no heat drying

Garment measurements by size. Measured flat, in inches. These cells stay empty until you send production figures. Publishing a measurement that is wrong causes returns, so I have not guessed.

Size	Chest across	Shoulder	Sleeve
XXS	35	15	24
XS	37	16	25
S	39	16.5	25.5
M	41	17	26
L	43	17.5	26.5
XL	45	18	27
2XL	47	19	27.5
3XL	49	20	28