famous (blue) raincoats

and a bonus coat of many colors

A recent post by

Angharad Jones

about dressing for wet weather, as well as the near-constant drizzle this past week inspired me to evaluate my own rain gear selection. I really don’t like umbrellas. I would rather walk in the rain than use one, which is what I often do. Depending on my destination and where we are on the drizzle-torrent gradient, I sometimes arrive inappropriately soaked. I relied on my Barbour jacket for years (used store credit to buy a new men’s one at J.Crew in 2013, which my husband has fully taken over helped me wear to pieces), and I still love it, but it’s a bit heavy (literally and figuratively) and tends to dictate the tone of whatever outfit it’s worn with. I’d like a more modern, streamlined if not sleek, waterproof garment for winter rainy days.

I met up with my husband in Norway this past summer while he was there for work. I knew it might be rainy, but our trip coincided with a historically big storm (our train back to Oslo was unceremoniously canceled due to flooded tracks that took weeks to replace.) And so I found myself in a department store in Bergen (Illums Bolighus—an absolute joy to wander) hunting for a raincoat. I landed on this number from Ilse Jacobsen, for which I think I paid about $100 USD.

(me, about to get soaking wet on my way to—and actively sick during—dinner… I promise the trip was good!)

I still think it’s a cool raincoat, but there are a couple major issues (both personal and structural.) This jacket is NOT WATERPROOF. It is *at best* water resistant—still useful for drizzly walks with the dog, but not for a rainy day of exploring a new city. Also, see this zipper? This is not a practical way for a raincoat to close. Ideally, there would be a snap closure at the waist, and snaps and/or a zipper all the way down, but to just have a zipper? It boggles the mind. To actually protect my torso from rain, I have to zip this baby up from ankle to chest. Not great! And personally, I’d like something thicker and more structured.

I loved the trench Angharad shared, and have been passively looking for one, but to be honest, that just doesn’t fit in with my wardrobe right now. And if I’m in the market for a somewhat waterproof khaki-ish long and light coat—well, that’s what I already have, if not the most perfect version.

So, for a proper raincoat, these were my requirements:
-Classic and basic
-Not athletic-wear-looking but almost?
-Long enough to cover the butt but not long enough to be a trench
-Big enough to accommodate a sweater underneath
-Casual enough for dog-walking but classic enough to wear with trousers or a skirt

Here are a few decent options I found on the RealReal. No guarantees on the waterproofing, but Rains and Hunter are both pretty reputable brands. If you are more of a trench girlie, these are both great.

At this point, I almost consider primary colors to be neutrals—I think these Hunter jackets make a pretty convincing case.

The Rains jackets are too close to what I already had, though I longed to upgrade (Rains is definitely more water resistant than the current raincoat I own.) The Hunter ones were possibilities, but ultimately they felt a little too close to my nebulous definition of “athletic.” The hunt continued.

On Poshmark and eBay, I discovered some Hunter pieces from a Target collab. Though I was briefly charmed, I’m a little distrustful of a raincoat in white, as I suspect it yellows with age and use. Normally, I like contrast piping, but something about the white just isn’t doing it for me. (Lots more of the plain colorful Hunter ones on Poshmark, though.)

Also found a couple good Uniqlo Lemaire trenches (can’t tell if they are the same ones Angharad was recommending, but stylish nonetheless if you are in the market for a trench.)

I ultimately went with this one from the RealReal.

Anddddd there’s just something about it in person that I wasn’t wild about. It might be a size too big, though I think going any smaller wouldn’t have allowed for much bulk underneath. But the arms are much too long and I think I’d like it to hit just at or above the knee. So—back it goes. The search continues. One raincoat at a time I will eventually find my Goldilocks!

Raincoat recs welcome.

(Here’s that bonus coat of many colors, also. Not waterproof but incontrovertibly joyful.)

<3 E