In most cases, a trench coat should be buttoned. Doing so keeps out the wind and rain and provides a sleeker look as well. It is also in style to leave your trench coat open with a cute outfit to display underneath.

How to Properly Button and Style a Trench Coat

Trench coats were originally designed for soldiers as a top layer. They are worn to protect you from weather conditions such as rain or wind, not necessarily to keep you warm. If you want to be able to button your trench coat, you can still wear layers underneath but not several thick layers.

Which Button is Unbuttoned?

Usually, the bottom button is left unbuttoned. Today, the reason to leave the bottom button is different than where it originated from. It was more practical to leave the bottom button unbuttoned because the men who wore them rode horses. Leaving the bottom button on your trench coat unbuttoned allows for more freedom of movement.

You can button none or all of the buttons depending on how you like your trench coat to fit. There is a rule of thumb called the "sometimes, always, never" rule. What this means is the top button should be buttoned sometimes, depending on your preference. The "always" is referring to the middle button or buttons meaning you should always button those.  The "never" is in reference to not buttoning the bottom button.

How to Style a Trench Coat

Trench coats go with a lot more than you would think. They match well with a floral dress or skirt that is longer than the bottom of your coat. It doesn't have to be longer than your dress or skirt though.

More Ways to Style Your Trench Coat

As for styling a trench coat with jeans, straight leg or skinny jeans are preferred. This is because the slimmer jeans balance out the flow and shape of a trench coat.

Last but not least, you can style your trench coat by adding accessories to match it. For instance, you can sport a wristlet wallet or a small cross-body purse. You can add a scarf for a pop of color to dress it up a bit.