I bought my first trench coat on a total whim about eight years ago, on a rainy afternoon when I was supposed to be buying a birthday present for my sister and instead came home with a coat for myself. Classic me.
But tbh – best accidental purchase of my life. A good trench just goes with everything, and once you own one you sort of start collecting them (I now have four, which my husband thinks is excessive and I think is entirely reasonable).
So if you’ve been staring at your trench and wondering how to actually wear it, here are 20 outfit ideas to get you going.
20 Trench Coat Looks to Try This Season
Black Trench With White Jeans
This is the one I reach for again and again, honestly. A crisp black trench coat outfit with white jeans is such a clean, sharp combination, and it looks expensive even when it isn’t.
Add a plain tee underneath and some loafers and you’re done.
Cropped Beige Trench With Maxi Skirt
A short trench coat outfit paired with a flowing maxi skirt gives you that lovely long-and-short balance that just works. The cropped jacket keeps the whole thing from swallowing you up.
I wore a version of this to a lunch date last spring and got two compliments from strangers, which for me is a very good day.
Long Brown Trench With Bootcut Jeans
Brown is so underrated. A long trench coat outfit in a warm chocolate brown with bootcut jeans feels a little bit 70s, a little bit chic, and very cozy.
Tuck a chunky sweater under it and you’ve got the perfect coat for a cold market morning.
Green Trench With Cream Trousers
Green trenches are having a moment and I am HERE for it. This green trench coat outfit with cream trousers is so soft and pretty, especially in an olive or sage shade.
The cream keeps everything light so the green gets to be the star. My friend Dana has one in a mossy shade and I’ve been not-so-secretly trying to borrow it for months.
Grey Trench With Knit Dress
Of course I had to include a grey one. A grey trench coat outfit thrown over a ribbed knit dress is the definition of easy dressing. One dress, one coat, done.
Add tights and boots when it’s cold and you have a look that takes about ninety seconds to assemble but reads as effort.
Short Black Trench With Leggings
Now, this is my errand-running uniform, I will not lie to you. Leggings, a longline tee, sneakers, and a cropped black trench on top. Comfy but not sloppy.
The short trench is key here because a long one over leggings can look a little unbalanced. The cropped length keeps the proportions right.
Beige Trench With Lace Skirt
Here’s where a classic beige gets a bit romantic. A beige trench coat outfit with a delicate lace midi skirt is such a lovely mix of structured and soft.
The stiffness of the trench against the pretty skirt is the point. Contrast makes an outfit interesting, and this one has it in spades.
Brown Suede Trench With Denim
Suede takes a trench up a level without even trying. A brown suede trench coat outfit over simple blue denim looks so rich and warm, and it pairs with pretty much anything in your closet.
Yes, suede needs a bit of care and you can’t wear it in a downpour. But on a crisp dry day? Nothing better.
Long Grey Trench With Ballet Flats
A long grey trench with ballet flats is that quiet, French-girl kind of look that never really goes out of style. Slim trousers, a fine knit, flats, and the long coat over the top.
I always feel taller in a long trench, even in flats. It’s the vertical line of it, I think. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.
Cropped Green Trench With Wide-Leg Jeans
Wide-leg jeans are back and I could not be happier about it. A cropped green trench over roomy wide-leg jeans is such a fun, modern combo, and the proportions are spot on.
Cropped up top, wide down below. It just balances. Add a little heeled boot if you want a bit of lift.
Black Leather Trench With Midi Dress
A leather trench feels like a splurge, and it kind of is, but if you find one you love it earns its keep. Over a floaty midi dress it does that hard-meets-soft thing so well.
I don’t own one yet. I keep circling one online like a hawk. Maybe this is the year.
Beige Funnel-Neck Trench With Trousers
The funnel neck is such an easy upgrade because it keeps your neck warm without a scarf, which as someone who forgets scarves constantly, I appreciate.
Pair the funnel-neck beige trench with tailored trousers and you have a smart look for the office or a proper lunch. Simple, polished, warm. All the things.
Long Green Trench With Monochrome Knits
Monochrome dressing under a long green trench is a sneaky little trick. Wear all one color underneath, like head-to-toe oatmeal or grey, and let the green coat sit on top as the only pop.
It looks so intentional. It also takes zero thought because you just grab everything in the same color. Lazy genius, that’s what I call it.
Brown Trench With White Denim
White denim isn’t only for summer, I promise. A brown trench over white jeans in the cooler months looks fresh and a little unexpected, in the best way.
Warm brown against bright white is such a clean pairing. Add a tan bag and you’ve tied the whole thing together nicely.
Short Grey Trench With Mini Skirt
A cropped grey trench with a mini skirt and tall boots is such a good cool-weather outfit for when you still want to show a little leg but stay cozy up top.
Opaque tights make this one wearable well into the colder months. And the short coat keeps the mini from disappearing entirely, which is the whole idea.
Belted Black Trench With Riding Boots
Cinch that belt! A belted black trench with riding boots is the outfit I picture when I picture autumn, honestly. Skinny jeans tucked into the boots, coat belted at the waist, and you’re ready for anything.
The belt is what makes it, though. Left open a trench can look a bit shapeless, but tie it in and suddenly there’s a waist and a shape and a whole different vibe.
Oversized Beige Trench With Straight Jeans
Sometimes you just want the big, slouchy, borrowed-from-someone-taller coat. An oversized beige trench over straight-leg jeans and a tee is that relaxed, thrown-together look I love on a weekend.
Roll the sleeves a bit so it doesn’t look like you got lost inside it. And keep everything else fitted so the coat gets to be the loose piece.
Long Brown Trench With Slip Skirt
A silky slip skirt under a long brown trench is one of those combinations that photographs beautifully and feels lovely to wear. The slip does the movement, the trench does the structure.
Add a fine knit tucked into the skirt and some little boots. This is a dinner outfit, a gallery-wander outfit, a feel-good outfit.
Green Trench With Bootcut Trousers
Tailored bootcut trousers under a green trench read so grown-up and pulled together. There’s a slight retro feel to bootcut, and green plays into that nicely.
Keep the trousers in a neutral like camel or black so the green can shine. A pointed shoe peeking out from under the flare is a nice finishing touch.
Grey Trench With Pointed Boots
And last but not least, a grey trench with sleek pointed boots. This is my go-to when I want to feel a little bit sharp and a little bit unbothered at the same time.
The pointed toe lengthens the whole line of the outfit, especially with slim trousers. Grey and a good pointed boot is a combination I come back to constantly.
