It would be unfair to say that the trench coat is back, since it never really went away. But there’s something in the air (or the water cooler) at GQ HQ right now, because each morning, a who’s who of my colleagues arrive at work wrapped in their trenches, protecting their big fits from the elements. Sometimes, it turns out, the best answer to the question every menswear nerd must contend with during the topsy-turvy days of spring—what the heck should I wear today?—is the simplest: a trench coat, of course.
But a good trench does more than simply ward off nasty weather: it acts as a defensive buffer against the precipitous demands of the corporate 9-to-5. “It helps me feel locked in and professional on the gray, miserable days I don’t want to be,” says GQ senior style editor Yang-Yi Goh. This is a coat originally designed for literal trench warfare, which means it can more than handle the battleground of your open-plan office. Makes sense, then, why more than a handful of GQ staffers keep showing up to work wrapped up in a trench coat. Read more on how they style the iconic piece of outerwear after the jump.
