Coat/jacket for Europe trip?

I keep on thinking about outerwear for my upcoming trip to Europe - 10 days in London and Germany in early June. I don't /think/ I need a heavy duty raincoat or something superwarm, but I'm not sure what I do need. I'd like something rain-resistant with a hood if possible, but that would look decent and not too slicker-ish if it wasn't raining.

My mom suggested a fleece, but those are so gearish, and maybe too warm anyway? Jean jacket is heavy and not great for the dressier occasions...

13 years ago

Shopping

10 replies

Latest reply was from Ingunn

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Laura, do you have something like a pleather jacket? They are pretty nice for being rain-resistent and I only have one that has a hood. If it's chilly, I just wear a scarf as well!

And of course, when it's sunny, you just look rockin' with your "leather" jacket

13 years ago

Isabel

Veteran

Laura, would you consider something like this ? I have a similar version in the teal ( mine is a tad shorter ) and my sister has two versions ( one long, one short ). It looks like a nice trench material but is waterproof and good in a windy situation too. I LOVE the light wool liner too that can be zipped out.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop.....ngth-rainc

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13 years ago

Anonymous

I hope that other, more knowledgable members chime in here but I remember London being quite cold and rainy in June and having to buy a wool sweater and socks to keep warm in southern Germany in late June.

13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

The weather can be variable, I'd say. You might get warm temperatures and sunshine, or it might be cloudy, cool, and rainy.

What about a trench? Here's a fun one Angie has in the store.

13 years ago

Mia

Veteran

Trench is always good if lightweight and can pack down and hood is a bonus. On my recent trip I took a short quilted jacket (Burberry is the icon but they come at every price) and a lightweight trench. Quilted jacket great for warmth without weight and can be used as a pillow on the plane when rolled up! I wore it a lot. On the Vivienne files blog she often includes them in her travel wardrobes (the older posts). I can now see why. Not at all trendy though.

The other suggestion I would have is to google "street style' for your destination and see what comes up. London for sure seems to have a "uniform" every time I go there.

13 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. They are all trending toward colder weather/warmer coat than I was envisioning, so I need to do some further research about what I will really need. (And maybe revise my clothes, too!)

I am not much of a traditional trench person, all the double-breastedness and tie belt is not great on my shape, but there are some things called trenches out there that might be more flattering. Unfortunately, ti seems like anything with a hood, even a foldaway one, looks more gear-like than I had hoped for.

13 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I'd probably go with a lightweight, raincoat weight trench, or else a hooded utility style jacket if you want something more casual. I'm actually looking for a lightweight hooded raincoat myself, so here are some from Nordies' that I have an eye on.

Turquoise utility style:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bu.....veforlater

Other anorak type jackets:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la.....0?origin=c

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la.....32?origin=

Rainforest jackets are supposed to be great for packing and traveling:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ra.....;contextua

Classic trenches:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/el.....32?origin=

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ga.....58-0-1-5-2

Another trench. This one has a hood and zip-out liner but it might be too boxy for you.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/lo.....m-exclusiv

Here is a trench-shape but with a zipper:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/co.....categoryid

13 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I was also going to suggest a trench or raincoat, Laura. Temps can vary so much in these parts, and even if it's nice and sunny it cools off rather quickly at night. I personally would never travel to the UK or Germany without a "real coat".

I like the coat Suz linked to.
Here are some more ideas for belt-less styles:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/il.....;contextua
(I prefer the navy)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/my.....83361?orig

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/na.....#038;fashi

http://www.kohls.com/product/p.....id=shoppin
(green)

http://www.zappos.com/ivanka-t.....ench-coral

http://www.trinaturk.com/Marci.....=pepperjam

http://www.landsend.com/pp/wom.....;cm_mmc=CJ

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/w.....renchcoats

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQ.....n&cre

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/.....8;LinkType=

13 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Great suggestions from Diana too (we posted at the same time:-).

13 years ago

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I don't have any particular suggestions, you've got a lot already. But I think you should stick to the idea of a light jacket, easy to layer and pack away. Bring a cardigan of sorts, too, as the temperature might be all over the place in June.

13 years ago

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