Mackintosh Dunoon Trench

Available via Mackintosh.com and high-end retailers like Mr Porter and Matches Fashion. The waterproofing technique cannot be replicated by other brands due to the bonded-cotton patent process.

The Mackintosh Dunoon is the only trench in this comparison that's actually waterproof rather than water-repellent. Bonded cotton with hand-glued seams (a technique invented by Charles Macintosh in 1823 and unchanged at the Cumbernauld factory). It rustles when you walk and feels stiffer than the Burberry. It is, however, the only one here built to keep you dry through a sustained downpour. Buy this for utility, the Burberry for heritage.