This is the pivotal year of my young life. I am turning 25, which means I need to upgrade. I am upgrading friends, my closet, my tastes and best of all, my personality. Gone are the days of shopping at Forever 21 and Claire’s for clothes and jewelry.
My fondest memory is my grandfather buying me a trench coat; not just a trench coat but an Aquascutum trench. At that time, I was not very familiar with the brand. Growing up in Ghana, we were surrounded by everything British. American made clothing was not very prominent in our daily lives. My grandfather raised me in luxury. I had the finest things; for example riding in a Rolls-Royce to school, having the best clothes sent from the UK, United States and sometimes Paris.
I am a lover of fine things and nothing says ‘finer things in life’ than a nice Burberry Trench. I got one a couple of years back and loved it so much. There is nothing like it. A couple of months back, I decided to buy a new trench for the spring. Naturally I inched towards the waterproof kind. The question became, should I buy a cheap one, or a more expensive yet quality trench/raincoat. Then it dawned on me, upgrade babe, upgrade. So I decided to buy a nice Burberry trench. Shelling out over a grand for a trench isn’t my idea of an impulse buy so I started doing my research. During my quest, I discovered another label, one that I was familiar with growing up in Ghana but had completely forgotten about when I moved here. Aquascutum.
Aquascutum was the originator of the London trench look. They patented the waterproof trench and have outfitted kings, princes and celebrities. The Prince of Monaco is a fan and so are Michael Caine and Sophia Loren. Aquascutum is not as main stream but in my opinion the label is a lot more classy and sophisticated than Burberry. I tried on the Darcey trench and fell in love. The coat has vintage feel but is modern at the same time. Sure you can get that look anywhere but not the luxurious texture of the fabric.
I remember my grandfather used to have a lot of tailored pieces by Aquascutum but never really thought of it as a brand for ladies. The label hired two new designers to upgrade and catapult the line into the new millennium. As a result, fans get fresh vibrant colors and classic tailored looks that can take you from day to night. I am a fan of their Regina dress as well. It comes in a dark muted gray that flatters every woman. If you want quality and something that not a lot of women in the DC area are wearing, go for Aquascutum. Don’t forget to check out their vintage coats. You have to put yourself on a waitlist but I bet it’s worth it.
Image Credits: www.Aquascutum.com
