trench coat style tips
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3 Fresh Ways to Wear the Trench Coat

We're taking notes from NYFW's street style stars

If you were to stop a stylish fashion lover on the street and ask what’s the one piece of outerwear they always reach for every spring, we can confidently say a trench coat would be the top answer. Just look at the New York Fashion Week street style scene: Runway show go-ers have been eager to put their spring wardrobes into play and many of them have been reaching for the tried-and-true outerwear staple. Why? Because of its versatility and investment-worthy status. Not only do trench coats come in many different colours, prints and textures, they are also functional, engineered to shield you from unexpected gusts of wind.

Best of all, a trench can be styled with almost anything in your wardrobe and worn to any occasion. Need proof? Just scroll down for three fresh trench coat styling tips taken from a few of our favourite fashion pros. 

Wear your trench over eveningwear

trench coat style tips alexa chung
Photo: Getty

The style pro: Alexa Chung on her way to Rodarte

The styling trick: There’s something so rock n’ roll about this. With a buttery black leather trench casually worn over a delicate green Rodarte slip dress, it’s an effortless rolled-out-of-bed-but-make-it-presentable vibe. That’s the power of a leather trench coat. Compared to its classic gabardine sister, a leather (or faux) version feels elevated yet rough-around-the-edges, especially worn with tall boots. Just throw one over any outfit and it’ll instantly make you look infinitely cooler. 

How to do it: Take your silk slip dress out for an earlier kick-off and add sheer tights for a little warmth. Throw on a black leather trench to ground the whole look and finish off with patent knee-high boots or dressier slingback heels for a look that’ll take you from dinner to after hours.  

Shop the look:

mango leather trench coat
Mango coat, $200, shop.mango.com. Photo: Mango.
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silk laundry slip dress
Silk Laundry dress, $300, silklaundry.ca. Photo: Silk Laundry.
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Pin brooches on your trench

trench coat style tips eva chen
Photo: Getty

The pro: Eva Chen at the Area show

The styling trick: When it comes to accessorizing a coat, jacket or even a blazer, a brooch can be an unexpected and wow-worthy jewellery addition. Take Chen’s not one but two sparkly brooches on the lapel and collar of her oversized trench coat. Worn over a Frankie Shop knitted turtleneck and Paris Texas knee-high boots, the look is textbook classic chic, but the unexpectedly dressy brooches make it memorable.

How to do it: If a brooch feels more at home in your grandmother’s wardrobe, take it to street style level by choosing different shapes, textures and sizes, and pinning them on in haphazard fashion. Don’t just stop at one on the lapel or the heart: add a couple of smaller brooches to your collar or a cluster on your lapel.  

Shop the look:

everlane plaid trench coat
Everlane coat, $326 (originally $466), everlane.com. Photo: Everlane.
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Diptyque scented brooch
Diptyque brooch, $162, holtrenfrew.com. Photo: Holt Renfrew.
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Match your trench to your pants (and everything else)

trench coat style tips monochromatic
Photo: Getty

The pro: Ally Love at the Ulla Johnson’s show

The styling trick: We can’t (and won’t) stop talking about the power of a monochromatic look. Going head-to-toe in one colour is easy to pull together with pieces you already own, and it rarely falls flat. When you add outerwear into the equation, it can be a traffic-stopping moment. Case in point: This matchy-matchy look. Yes, her trench and pants are probably from the same collection, but she streamlined the look by colour-matching it with her top and bag. Don’t hide your “real outfit” under your coat—make the trench part of the overall look. 

How to do it: Colour match your top and pants to your trench coat. Extra points if you can add a similar-hued bag and shoe. Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact match. As long as you’re in the same colour family (like a caramel-coloured gabardine trench over a beige knit top tucked into camel-coloured trousers), the effect will be stunning. 

Shop the look:

oak & fort trench coat
Oak and Fort coat, $188, oakandfort.com. Photo: Oak and Fort.
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aritzia babaton green pants
Aritzia pants, $148, aritzia.com. Photo: Artizia.
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