Modern-day women’s fashion is vast and varied. Each unique garment has a place of its own, and belong to different fashion styles. Among these thousands of options, there are a few that ascend to iconic status and become a part of many styles at once.
Investing time in understanding these legendary items will open up entirely new dimensions of fashion that were previously inaccessible. Trench coats are one of the most recognizable items from this list of must-haves, and this guide on how to style a trench coat is all you need to unleash their true potential. Let’s get started.
What To Expect In This Article?
What to Wear with A Trench Coat?
The correct way of learning how to style a trench coat is to focus on your style first, and compatibly later. In other words, the outfit you wear should look stylish and complete even without the trench coat on top.
Luckily, the second step of this process is much simpler than you might think. Despite their large and imposing stature, leather trench coats are surprisingly compatible. They work great with almost everything you can throw at them.
There is a much better way of styling trench coats, though, and it involves a little planning. For starters, most basic and plain items in your closet will work perfectly. A pair of white sneakers, for example. It’s simple yet highly effective against dark-colored trench coats. The same goes for plain blue jeans and solid-colored button-ups.
Then there are items that contrast or complement your trench coat due to their color and shade. For instance, a khaki trench coat fits perfectly over a gray turtleneck and casual black leggings. As for the type of items, here’s what you need before you learn how to style trench coats.
- T-shirts, button-ups, crop tops, turtlenecks, and sweaters for uppers
- Jeans, leggings, and long skirts in legwear
- Heels, sneakers, and knee-high boots as footwear
- Dresses and onesies for quick outfits
Styling A Trench Coat
The best way to learn how to style a trench coat is to observe the existing example. These outfits are some of the best that trench coat styling has to offer. You can emulate them one-to-one and enjoy a whole suite of gorgeous ensembles. Or, you can use them as inspiration and add in some personal flair to create outfits that are completely unique to you.
That said, we can also sort these examples into a number of categories based on their defining characteristics and what each of them stands for.
Based on Style
These are the examples for when you’re aiming for a certain style and want to integrate your trench coat into it.
Vibrant Street Style
If calm and collected is not your style, how about something that declares panache and glamor? The trench coat itself is quite simple, with a darker khaki shade performing the best. Everything around the coat, however, is as vibrant as it gets without going overboard.
The ingredients for this street-style casual trench coat outfit are a pair of maroon or red leather pants, a light blue knit turtleneck, and shiny black combat boots for women. If you want to learn how to style a trench coat in such vibrant outfits, start thinking about color in terms of contrast and nothing else.
Elegant & Casual
Elegance and trench coats go hand in hand. Crafting an elegant trench coat outfit is really quite simple, and almost everyone can do it. The hard part is mainlining that sophistication for a casual look. The trick this time is fitting.
The best way to understand how to style a trench coat in this manner is with an example. An ideal ensemble in this still features an oversized top gray top tucked into a pair of distressed gray jeans. Slightly loose, straight-cut jeans are a perfect choice here.
Lastly, cover it all up with an off-white double-breasted trench coat. You can rock this same outfit with a peacoat as well, but the peacoat vs. trench coat is a debate for another time.
Casual Everyday
Having gorgeous outfits for special occasions is necessary, but you also have to look chic with your day-to-day fashion. The best part about this is that once you understand how to style a trench coat for daily use, you have limitless options to try and choose from.
A great example of such an outfit would start with a basic khaki trench coat. Underneath the coat is a pair of black jeans with a pair of high-top black sneakers under that. Finally, a brown tunic or wrap top will compete with the look.
Effortless Hottie
Looking cute in a women’s trench coat outfit is easy. All you need is an oversized outfit with baby pink as the primary color. Learning how to style a trench coat with the intent of looking hot requires a bit more effort. The key ingredients here are your upper/shirt and footwear.
A pair of high-waisted dark blue jeans works flawlessly for this look, and so does a light khaki trench coat. As for the upper, pick something that’s more “dressed-up” than revealing. A brilliant example here would be a cobalt blue ruffle front button-up. On the other end, there is no better choice than light blue stiletto heels.
Based on Situation
These are the ideal trench coat outfits fit for situations that you’ll likely encounter in your day-to-day life.
Confident Office Lady
Let’s start with a look that you can only achieve with a trench coat. You can consider this a neutral outfit that’s mostly intended for a professional work environment. But you can use it as a casual trench coat outfit as well.
As for the outfit’s composition, it’s quite simple. All you need is a plain light-colored button-up with dark dress pants. Don’t forget to add a shiny navy blue or black tie to complete the look.
A pair of well-polished black oxfords will complete the look. You can honestly stop here and look stylish. However, wrapping it all up in a knee-high black trench coat will elevate this good outfit into a jaw-dropping one.
The sheer confidence and authority oozing from this finished look are exhilarating. Some might even consider this the ultimate method of how to style a trench coat for work.
Comfort Weekend Ensemble
Say you have to go grocery shopping on a weekend. You want to be as comfortable as possible, but you also don’t want to look like you just got out of bed. This is where the cozy side of trench coats comes to your rescue.
Start this comfy ensemble with a fluffy light gray trench coat with a hoodie. Rock a warm fur-lined white sweatshirt and a pair of classic blue jeans under that. Finally, put a pair of white low-top sneakers will keep your feet comfortable, while a brown leather bag will keep your hands free.
Based on a Specific Item
Following trench coat outfit examples are meant to revolve around an item of clothing rather than a style. This central item can be a specific trench coat, a top, or even a certain type of footwear.
Casual Camel Coat
If we were to make a list of the best trench coats for women, a camel coat would be around the top. It personifies everything that makes classy trench coat outfits so endearing and amplifies it all to eleven. Plus, you can style casual camel coat outfits to be cute, mature, and everything in between.
The simplest way of how to style a trench coat like this is with a turtleneck and jeans. Cream-colored or white turtlenecks can work, but you’ll get the most out of a dark gray or black one. As for jeans, going black will be the easier choice. But, choosing blue instead will make this outfit a lot livelier.
Long Coat for the Cold Days
The length of a trench coat makes it the ideal outerwear for winter. So, why not lean into that a bit further for a majestic long leather coat outfit? First, you need a trench coat that’s long enough to at least cover your calves halfway. You can go longer, but this is the minimum.
As for how to style a trench coat this long, forget about the upper/shirt. A basic plain turtleneck is more than enough as it won’t be seen anyway. The front of the coat will be closed all the way down with a fluffy winter scarf wrapped around your neck. Also, tight-fit blue jeans are the best choice for legwear.
The aspect of this outfit that needs the most care and attention is your footwear, and you have several options to choose from. Ugg boots would look incredibly cute with this duster coat outfit, but you can also go with knee-high boots for a more confident vibe.
Coat & Dress
Dresses are one-piece outfits that look gorgeous on their own. Craft the ideal coat over dress outfit, and you’d have a near-perfect look for late fall and early spring. The only hurdle is matching the right dress with a trench coat based on their color, silhouette, and pattern.
A prime example of this combo would be a white and black flared A-line dress with a cornflower blue trench coat. The best way to learn how to style a trench coat based on its color is through practice and experimentation. If you don’t have time for that, get a black leather trench coat. It will work with virtually any dress in your arsenal.
As a side note, you can opt for trench coat style dresses to achieve this style during the hotter days of the year.
FAQs
The fit and finish will affect how to style a trench coat, so make sure to get it right. The shoulders should be just the right width, with the overall trench coat being a bit loose.
Depending on the outfit around it, you can wear a trench coat to work, to a party, to a get-together in winter, and even in your casual day-to-day life.
Trench coats work flawlessly with heels, sneakers, flats, and higher boots.
Final Words
There are a lot of methods that teach how to style a trench coat. One thing that they all have in common is the inherent style and classiness that comes with these long coats. You can wear them over almost anything and call it a day. Or you can learn how to style them properly and expand your personal fashion possibilities by a lot.
