Image credits: Getty Images

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Before you rush to store your trench coats away for the summer that's fast approaching, we would urge you pause, and think again. Whilst, for obvious weather-related reasons, coats, trenches and large jackets are typically pushed to the back of our cupboards and forgotten about during the warmer seasons, a strong argument for finding a place for the trench coat in our summer outfit rotations is being made by some of the international style set's most influential names—and we're inclined to think we should be listening. 

When Kendall Jenner stepped out to attend the Gucci Ancora ready-to-wear spring 2024 at Paris Fashion Week in late September, she showed us the true, understated elegance of a mini trench coat dress. Then again, at The Row, the model made yet another style statement by wearing a classic grey-green double breasted trench coat tucked into a tight black midi skirt. 

Effortless, and the very definition of coincidental casual-chic, Jenner sparked the trench coat for spring and summer ‘23/‘24 debate twice in one week. But more specifically than the trench as a garment alone, the model gave us pause to wonder, in what new, novel ways can we rework and style differently the traditional trench coat to make it work for us not just in the cold weather, but all year round?

Image credit: Getty Images

Earlier this week, actor Katie Holmes attended a book launch event in New York City and her chosen dress for the evening solidified what Jenner's trench variations had us musing. The khaki Junya Watanabe dress that Holmes wore for the occasion hails all the way from the designer's ready-to-wear spring/summer 2020 runway, in which the major design focus throughout the whole collection was, surprise, the deconstructed trench coat.

Seemingly torn apart and sewn back together in senseless and dramatic fashion, Holmes' Watanabe sleeveless dress retained signature design elements of the traditional trench coat—a belted waistband, large pockets and tortoiseshell double breasted buttons—but was cut to resemble something closer to a vest or harness, layered over a khaki accordion pleated maxi.

Deconstructed trench coat looks at Junya Watanabe ready-to-wear spring/summer 2020. Image credits: GoRunway

Though on first glance you might be led to believe that Holmes' dress is nothing more than the clumsy remnants of a ripped up trench, looking back over Watanabe's vision for that collection, a bold, purposeful direction behind the desiccated garment becomes clearer. By altering and reinterpreting the traditional coat design with innovation, Watanabe produced a wholly complete wardrobe that comprised a wide array of summer wear, including dresses, skirts, tops and more. Through the reassemblage of the coat, the designer took the distinctive, and best, parts of the garment and gave them a place in a statement summer wardrobe. 

Image credit: Getty Images

Of course, if the abstraction and avant-garde nature of reworked trench coat is a bit too much of a statement for your liking, you can always revert back to a Jenner and Hailey Bieber approach, and look to incorporate the traditional coat in its original form into your summer wardrobe by way of smart styling.

Bieber has long been a fan of keeping her coats close during the summer. Thanks to the lightweight nature of the trench in comparison to other winter jackets, pairing something simple and breathable with crop tops, singlets and denim shorts is as stylish as it can be weather appropriate. Given that summer dressing is so often lacking in bold silhouettes and layers in large part due to the lack of appropriate outerwear, a light trench might in fact be the answer to all our summer jacket wishes.

Summer variations of the trench coat at Sacai ready-to-wear spring/summer 2024 (left) and Dries Van Noten ready-to-wear spring/summer 2024 (right). Image credits: GoRunway

If Bieber's style choices alone fail to convince you, you need only look to the most recent spring runways to be assured that the trench belongs in your warmer weather wardrobe. At Sacai, midi knee-length trench coats were layered over summery dresses, proving that a slight alteration in the length of a coat can easily transition it from being worthy and accessible in one season to the next.

On the runway at Dries Van Noten, classic trench coats remained, paired with light, open button ups, shorts, bikinis and one piece swimwear, proving that a kaftan and a robe aren't the only strong contenders for beach to bar coverings. 

If there's anything that marks the current mood when it comes to seasonal dressing, is that there by and large is no definitive answer to seasonal dressing anymore—the values of personal style, experimentation and boundary-pushing fashion demand an open-minded, trans-seasonal approach to timeless dressing—and the summer trench coat could very well be the perfect example of a new way of stylishly bending the rules.

SHOP NOW: Burberry layered sleeveless trench coat dress, $3,790 from Farfetch

SHOP NOW: Sacai sleeveless double-breasted trench coat, $970 (originally $1,940) from Matches Fashion

SHOP NOW: Aere cropped trench, $180 from The Iconic

SHOP NOW: Sandro vino pleated trench coat, $1,095 from Farfetch

SHOP NOW: Third Form time again relaxed trench, $420 from The Iconic

SHOP NOW: Alexander McQueen A-line pleated trench coat, $6,515 from Farfetch

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