How to properly tie a classic Burberry trench coat knot in two ways in photos (Unisex)
This is the end result folks to get you excited.
Looks cool right?
I usually just knotted it normally in a double tie, but then I realized there’s a Burberry way to tie it.
(Gosh.. I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid!)
It’s simple once you know how it’s done, but damn, if you try and Google this crap and watch videos on YouTube to learn how it’s done, you’ll never get anywhere if you’re anything like me (an idiot, naturally.)
You don’t even need a Burberry trench to do this (obviously). Try it on a bunch of others.
HOW TO TIE A CLASSIC BURBERRY KNOT IN YOUR TRENCH – ORIGINAL VERSION
This is how it starts. It’s a lot simpler than it looks.
PULL THE STRAP WITHOUT THE BUCKLE A BIT LONGER
Cross the buckles over each other
Put the buckled one underneath the other strap without a buckle.
Start making a simple knot
Simple Knot is done
Loop the strap under
Now here’s where the easiest but trickiest looking part starts.
Turn the strap without the buckle underneath the other one with the buckle..
Get ready to loop it over
Looks like this before you start looping it through:
Lift it up and over
And set the strap to go through the loop that has been created by the simple knot.
Pull the strap through the loop
You should now start pulling it through the loop..
TAH DAH!
Loosely, it looks like this. You can still adjust it to make the straps shorter or longer, or at least even!
Tighten, and it should look like this at the end with the ends flared out!
HOW TO TIE A CLASSIC BURBERRY KNOT IN YOUR TRENCH – ALTERNATE VERSION
The second version ends up looking like this, the ends are not as flared out.
I ended up creating this knot because I couldn’t tie the original one (duh!), and it gives it another look if you don’t want something quite so flared.
Let’s start with the step everyone knows:
CROSS THE BUCKLE-SIDED STRAP OVER THE NON-BUCKLED-SIDED STRAP
I like putting the strap with the buckle OVER the strap that has the pointed end and no buckle.
You will need to thread the strap you put underneath through the knot, so without a buckle makes it easier to loop it through.
Make sure you make the buckled strap a little bit shorter, and the non-buckled strap longer, or else you’ll run out of space on the other side as you’re doing all this folding and knotting.
(You can do it the other way too, I’m just trying to save you the trouble.)
Even if you make it too short or too long, it’s easy to adjust it at the end to make it even.
FOLD THE NON-BUCKLED STRAP
The non-buckled strap as you can see (with the point), will now fold in half over the buckled one.
Following me so far?
SHIFT THAT STRAP DOWN AND STRAIGHTEN IT
Make the folded, non-buckled strap straight (you pointed it up before, now straighten it).
FOLD THE STRAP UNDERNEATH THE TWO STRAPS NOW TO CREATE A KNOT
Now you wrap that non-buckled strap underneath both to create the start of the knot.
TWIST THAT FOLDED STRAP UP STRAIGHT SO THE POINT IS GOING UP
Keep everything from step 4 AS IS, and just move the strap to point UP behind the knot.
This is the crucial part!
I kept missing this part in watching those crappy Youtube videos and ended up with this alternative of a knot.
PULL THAT STRAP DOWN THAT WAS POINTED UP, THROUGH THE FOLD
There. Hard part done.
PULL THROUGH AND TIGHTEN THE KNOT
Even if you make it too short or too long, it’s easy to adjust the straps before really tightening them.
Just pull on one end or the other to make it look even at the bottom.
TAH DAH!!!!!
Version 2. 🙂
Choose the one you like.
LOVE THIS?
Don’t miss out on my other style posts such as my Minimalist Outfit Remixes, or How to get a Parisian Fashion Wardrobe (Part One).
BURBERRY TRENCH COAT DUPES
If you don’t care about it being Made in China, or the supposed step up in quality in a Burberry trench, I offer you these options:
BANANA REPUBLIC IS THE BEST OF THE LOWER COST OPTIONS
Shop the trench here.
J. CREW HAS A DECENT ICON TRENCH COAT
Shop the exact J. Crew Icon Trench Coat .. Some people really love it.
BROOKS BROTHERS WOULD BE A SOLID PICK
It looks very close to a Burberry trench, and has a very beautiful feel to it.
COACH MAKES A SERIOUS BURBERRY DUPE
Coach also has a nice looking trench coat here as well.
I like the weight of this one, and I’d say it is the closest in DETAIL to a Burberry – with the cuffs, the buttons, etc.
I personally find it the nicest of all of them.
THE ONE TRENCH EVERY BLOGGER RAVES ABOUT…
Everlane Drape Trench Coat is probably the closest dupe to a Burberry you’re going to find. I touched it in person in NYC and rather liked the weight and feel of it. It is of course NOT a Burberry, so if that is really your thing – I suggest you buy Burberry.
This one however, is quite close.
23 Comments
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Sherry of Save. Spend. Splurge.
It is close enough for people who cannot afford a Burberry, nor care enough to.
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Steph
Thanks for the very useful and informative guide to knotting your trench coat. I’ve done it and it looks great.
The other great brand of British trench (slightly older than Burberry) is Acquascutum: http://www.aquascutum.com/
They cost considerably less and are of equal quality. They are just less known internationally. With the current all time low on the US Dollar / Pound Sterling exchange rate there’s never been a better time to head to London and pick one up 🙂
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save. spend. splurge.
Excellent recommendation! I have only owned vintage Acquascutum but you are right in that they’re an old, venerable British brand.
I do recall however that for anyone who is interested, a Chinese company owns them now and is trying to revive the brand. (YGM Trading).
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Ethel
I just bought a Coach Modern Trench (not the outlet version, which is not that great). It is almost (95%) as nice as my Burberry in a different color, and it actually fits me better, as there is a bit more room in the chest. Definitely one to consider.
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Cash
«Unisex»??? WWI soldiers in the trenches were men… Trench coat were and are for men, and that’s the right way. Adieu!
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D. Summers
Seriously??? You need to give your sad outdated, and frankly, sexist head a good shake!! Obviously , no one else in the world believes this, especially Burberry. …You sound like a fool.
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Heather
Just a comment regarding the vintage Burberry trenches – I actually think a lot of people would have these versus other vintage clothes. They’re very well made, so they last forever. The style is classic, and coats from the 70s look very similar to the coats sold today. My old roommate had a black Burberry trench that was her mother’s from the 70s – it looked like a normal trench. I think that these coats are the types of things that get passed down to the next generation because they are so classic. I’ve had the same one for 15 years and will probably give it to my daughter one day if she wants it!
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Zar
(Re: How can one tell if its a Burberry trench)
I know this is an old ‘thread’ but im adding my 2 cents anyway hehe and here goes – I thought one can simply tell by the “D” ring located on the trench belts? I have a few Burberry belted trench including lambskin ones and they all have that “D” ring on the belts themselves and i have looked at other similar high-end brands such as Gucci, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela etc yet none of them have any kind of rings and oh BTW im a dude, so im not sure if the Womens Burberry have the same hardware as the mens. So pardon the ignorance there. Cheers ladies!-
save. spend. splurge.
I don’t think we can go just with the D ring as many counterfeit brands use the same hardware. You have to check for the type of metal use, the stitching, the attention to detail.
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Loribyn
You “check the buttons to make sure”, do you? Hmm! Well I wouldn’t call you a snob dear, just uninformed — the buttons on a vintage trench from Burberry’s didn’t have the company-name stamp-engraved on them, for over-branding, and monograms other than one’s own, both used to be considered rather tasteless.
So before you accuse anyone of faking it, even if just in your own mind, you really should ask them how old their trench is … but a true connoisseur would be able to tell just by looking. After all, someone in their vintage Burberry might think yours is a fake, because your buttons are different to what they know are genuine.
Read all that as tongue in cheek of course, but something to bear in mind, perhaps? 😉
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save. spend. splurge.
All good points, but the chances of someone wearing a vintage Burberry trench is low. How many people do you know, wear vintage, let alone vintage Burberry?
Not to mention that you can also tell if something looks old or new, and even the styling would be different from the past versus a modern cut from today.
I know that the buttons on vintage items are not the same as the ones today, but my post was more that if it was a modern looking trench, about 99% of the time I can even pick out what brand it is (usually Banana Republic) because I can tell by the way the cotton creases and rumples with those little bumpy marks that it is not of the quality of good, treated cotton which is what Burberry has done to their trenches (even vintage ones).
Just the look of the fabric and the way it crumples/creases tells me about its quality.
Then, I check the buttons, and as I mentioned above, vintage-wearing folk are rare.
Thanks for coming by.
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Loribyn
I have one (she whispers in a tiny voice). Truly. 🙂
And they are becoming more popular all the time, because of their sheer quality.
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save. spend. splurge.
Kudos!!! I can’t seem to find any I like or that fit me 🙁 I also like a more fitted trench and less boxy.
Where did you find yours??
(I’d probably be able to tell it is a killer trench. I have an old vintage Burberry skirt and it is indestructible)
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Tania
Thank you! I always fuss with mine and can never get it to look right. I’m going to try this when I get home. I have a petite Burberry Brit packable nylon rain trench and a Juicy Couture khaki. I also have a short little swing cropped army green one that I love from a Japanese designer in Hong Kong. Have had it for ten years and still love it. I used to wear it tied but I can leave it open too without fussing so much.
Btw, Juicy makes really cute trenches, coats and blazers too but yeah I think made in China. They used to be USA when they first came out but I’d be surprised if they could maintain that once they grew so big. The great thing is they have styles that aren’t marked petite but can work for a petite (or someone taller who is small boned). Because some petite brands are quite old looking and mumsy.
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
I’d agree that finding a trench for a petite is hard. It is just a shame my only choice is China.
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Cassie
My preference is the first knot, mostly because the second one I find is just reminiscent of tying a tie, and the first one gives it the look I’m more accustomed to. I just usually knot and go, so I’ll have to try using this actual tying a proper knot look. I thought it was interesting that you showcased the knots on the back of the trench, because that’s where I’ve been tying the knot during the summer months (gives it a more airy look when unbuttoned).
I’m guessing you’ve been to the art of the trench on the Burberry website? It’s full of pictures of people styling their trenches in different outfits.
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
I always tie my knots at the back 🙂 That way it takes away the bulk and makes it look like less material.
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MelD
This made me laugh – the first way is how I always tie my scarves so that the knot is outwardly smooth and the second way is a basic tie knot that I had to do for years on my school tie (which is why it flares less), as did my mother before me; it’s one of the few things she actually taught me.
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The Everlane coat is not close to a Burberry trench coat at all. Just because you’ve touched it in person? No — dear it is missing the epaulets, the wrist straps, and it has no D rings. Actual Burberry trench coat owners can see from a mile away it is not a Burberry.