I did my best Inspector Gadget / Lloyd Dobbler cosplay in an a trench dress, tank watch, and timeless jewelry.
brief background of the trench coat
The roots of the trench coat go back to British (and French, though lesser documented) military circa WWI. The style was an alternative to the heavier military issue coats. Gabardine, as developed and brought to market by Burberry, was the preferred fabric of which to construct the iconic style. Thanks to a coating of lanolin to the wool fabric, gabardine has waterproofing properties, allowing trench coats to stand up to wet conditions.
the Banana Republic trench dress
Due to this dress being of the suede variety, I will not be taking it on a test drive of rainy or snowy conditions. I only wear it when there is not even a hint of moisture in the forecast. As it is single breasted, it varies from the classic trench coat style but retains the shoulder flap and belted waist.
I bought this dress at the end of last year and by some miracle, it is still in stock in many sizes. Because this frock is a version of the timeless outerwear style, it will never feel dated or tied to 2021 or even the 2020s. I can imagine someone super chic wearing this in nearly every decade I have lived through.
In an effort to save money, it is worth waiting for this dress to go on sale. Full candor: it is often excluded from promotional pricing. I scored mine half off circa holiday 2021 and at this point, I recommend waiting until this holiday to pull the trigger.
This dress is available in a tall size range and I am wearing a size large tall.
the Cartier tank francaise watch
After over a decade of sporting my Timex Weekender, I finally invested in a Cartier Tank watch. It is one that I am sure some people think is a luxury “starter” watch, but I love it and will keep it in perpetuity. It fulfills all of my needs: both gold and stainless steel toned metals, appropriate size, dependable.
This was not a purchase I took lightly. As always, in order to get comfortable with the price, I did the math on how many hours it would take me to earn the watch at my post-tax hourly break down. Though I considered an entry level version, I really had my eye on this one for awhile and even noted the price increases through the years. I picked the dual tone gold and steel so that I could wear it no matter what jewelry I select on any given day. I even considered the small version, but alas it felt too petite for me.
Finally I thought, the sooner I buy it, the sooner I can wear it and start lowering the price per wear. While I procured my at the designer’s outpost in Tyson’s Gallerias, there are options available on the secondary market. As always, if you chose that route do your due diligence to make sure you are purchasing the real thing.
dress: Banana Republic • heels: J.Crew • sunglasses: Krewe (also here) • earrings: J.Crew • initial necklace: Maya Brenner via Baublebar • rings: J.Crew • X cuff: David Yurman • pearl cuff: David Yurman • watch: Cartier (also here) • purse: Louis Vuitton (mused about here)