Someone, get the smelling salts ready! I am truly excited about this trench - not just from the standpoint of a gal who loves a good gadget and gimmick, but also from the standpoint of an increasingly picky Youlookfab protege. Rather than a usual keep/return, I thought I'd do a proper review in case anyone is considering this for the future.
I'm crushing on the color *hard.* Not quite orange, not quite red, and not quite brown, yet is has the qualities of all three for me. It's saturated and unique.
The fabric is 100% polyester, but it's nice and matte and looks almost like cotton. Definitely not slicker or rip-stop material. It's soft to the touch, has a nice drape, and resists wrinkles - you know how I hate wrinkles. Construction is solid and clean. From a fashion standpoint, I wish the buckles on the waist and sleeve belts had been black to match the buttons, but it doesn't bother me. The buttons and buckles could also have been a weightier material - however, the buttons are on par with the $200 trench I tried from Madewell, so this could just be the reality of the price point. Also, I imagine Scottvest might have wanted to keep the trench light, as they specialize in travelwear. The trench is fully lined in a nice, silky fabric - Zapotee is right: that feels much better over clothes than cotton lining.
Fit-wise, I was pleasantly surprised. I kept my expectations low at first, because the trench does not come in size XS and does not come in knee-length. I was afraid the shoulder seams would sag off my frame and that the hem would not comfortably cover my rear and the sleeves would be ridiculously wide and baggy. In reality, though, the fit is very similar to the Madewell trench of the same size. The shoulders and sleeves are maybe a bit wider, but the drape helps that a lot IMO. The drape also saves the day when tying the belt behind the back to wear the trench open - I can create a much slimmer silhouette with the Scottvest trench. From the picture, I also feared that the trench would be drop-waisted, but it seems to work just fine at my natural waist.
The fun part? 18 crazy pockets grace the coat's lining - enough to stuff in all your travel essentials and then some. You can thread your mp3 and phone headphones/earpieces *through* the lining (yep, no ripping of cords when you stuff your arms in in a hurry); you can clip your keys to the included bungee cord in an outer pocket (magnetized, which helps keep a clean line and add security); you can clean off your glasses with the attached glasses cloth in an inner pocket.
Picture 10 shows the coat loaded up with more than I'd ever use: an old-school, single-use film camera; oversized sunglasses; large wallet; cellphone; passport. There is a decently sized bulge that you can see on the left side of the picture, near my waist. Those are my shades - but as I said, they are oversized. One drawback is that the glasses are placed so near the waist that you may have to take care not to crush them in a fit of frenzied belting. On the other hand, the indent of the waist helps disguise the bulge of the glasses. It is a trade-off.
Finally, pictures 11-12 are side-by-side comparisons of the Scottvest trench and the Madewell trench.
I have not worn this coat outside yet, but I can already tell it is warmer than the other (no shock with the polyester). I held the end of the belt under the faucet, and the water rolled right off. Assuming the forum let's me keep it, I will have to do a follow-up on the breathability of the material.
So... what do you say? I'm leaning very heavily towards keeping this, unless there is a very good argument against it.
ETA a minor detail... the product link:
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_s.....l#pd_video
