[Pr B]

My son is buying his "grown-up, adult wardrobe." He does NOT want to do eBay.

For trench coats and overcoats, his price-point suggests London Fog or Ralph Lauren. Both brands are available in his size via Amazon, which is a definite plus.

Okay, which is the better coat: London Fog or Ralph Lauren?

 

[JBierly]

It probably depends on the price point of the items. Ralph Lauren has some very expensive items so it may require a bit of work to make sure its a fair comparison.

 

[At Law]

It probably depends on the price point of the items. Ralph Lauren has some very expensive items so it may require a bit of work to make sure its a fair comparison.

I agree. I am a big fan of RL and have worn their clothing for years. This being written, there is a large discrepancy in pricing / quality within the brand.

If you are comparing LF to RL, you are comparing LF to RL's "Lauren" brand. Which is typically well-built clothing for the money. In fact, they are typically fairly high-priced at retail, however, commonly discounted heavily.

I have a number of RL "Lauren" blue blazers and random sports coats. They are great for every day wear and hold up quite well. Especially at 50 percent off.

I have two "Blue Label" Polo suits which are very expensive, and very good quality. They are typically in the $2,000 plus range.

Back to the coat you are purchasing for your son. I would strongly suggest the RL "Lauren" coat over the LF brand.

 

[Pr B]

Correct, the RL on Amazon are "green labeled" "Lauren Ralph Lauren."

 

[eagle2250]

When choosing (more affordable) Trench coats and limiting those under consideration to London Fog or Ralph Lauren, my choice, hands down, would be London Fog. They are well made, they look good and are remarkably durable for the prices asked!

 

[SG_67]

Such garments falling into the category of outerwear, functionality should be a consideration as well.

Are the pockets easily accessible if one is wearing gloves?

Inside as well as outside pockets?

Is the closure sufficient to protect against wind and rain?

I don’t have experience with either brand so this assumes that both are relatively similar in terms of quality.

 

[London380sl]

I'd recommend you son visit a couple of thrift stores in your area first. Trench coats are pretty common in them and are usually sold at a pretty decent price - they are about $15-$20 around here. You can often find London Fog coats and the older coats are superior to new ones.

 

[London380sl]

SG_67 has given some good advice. I would also add - make sure the coat length is to the knees and not mid thigh - unless he likes wet pants.

 

[Howard]

I would definitely choose London Fog.

 

[SG_67]

I'd recommend you son visit a couple of thrift stores in your area first. Trench coats are pretty common in them and are usually sold at a pretty decent price - they are about $15-$20 around here. You can often find London Fog coats and the older coats are superior to new ones.

Isn't a thrift shop just another variant of eBay?

If he's going to go the thrift shop route, he may as well do eBay. Greater selection to be had and a better chance of finding that hidden gem.

 

[Tim Correll]

I agree. I am a big fan of RL and have worn their clothing for years. This being written, there is a large discrepancy in pricing / quality within the brand.

If you are comparing LF to RL, you are comparing LF to RL's "Lauren" brand. Which is typically well-built clothing for the money. In fact, they are typically fairly high-priced at retail, however, commonly discounted heavily.

I have a number of RL "Lauren" blue blazers and random sports coats. They are great for every day wear and hold up quite well. Especially at 50 percent off.

I have two "Blue Label" Polo suits which are very expensive, and very good quality. They are typically in the $2,000 plus range.

Back to the coat you are purchasing for your son. I would strongly suggest the RL "Lauren" coat over the LF brand.

For $2,000, you can have bespoke, but that is very hard to find at that price, which is the minimum starting price. Bespoke is an average of $3,000 or $4,000 to start.

 

[derum]

You can not make a generic comparison between London Fog and Ralph Lauren. There are 4 prime considerations for each: Type, Fabric, Colour, Style.
When you have a coat from each label which meet the same parameters you can choose which is best for you.

 

[At Law]

For $2,000, you can have bespoke, but that is very hard to find at that price, which is the minimum starting price. Bespoke is an average of $3,000 or $4,000 to start.

My blue labels are not bespoke. They are purchased from RL and I had them tailored by my own tailor.
If you are sharp and wait for a friends and family RL discount, they can be purchased in the $1,200 range. A very fine suit for the money.

 

[London380sl]

Isn't a thrift shop just another variant of eBay?

If he's going to go the thrift shop route, he may as well do eBay. Greater selection to be had and a better chance of finding that hidden gem.

Or is eBay another variant of a thrift shop? The biggest advantages I see of a thrift shop over eBay are:

1) Thrift shops are generally much cheaper especially once you factor in freight.
2) You can inspect and try on the product on before you buy it. It's the opposite with eBay.
3) Instant purchase gratification if you find what you like.

eBay does have a vastly bigger selection and is valid option if you can't find local.

 

[Matt S]

My blue labels are not bespoke. They are purchased from RL and I had them tailored by my own tailor.
If you are sharp and wait for a friends and family RL discount, they can be purchased in the $1,200 range. A very fine suit for the money.

Are you talking about the old suits? The line was changed a few years ago and now the suits cost less than that at full retail.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

I find the classic London Fog raincoat with zip out lining to be a timeless great deal. I still see them in nicer department stores. In the realm of trench coats I think you need to be pretty well versed on the details you want before you pull the trigger. Sometimes the fabric is too stiff, sometimes they are too short, sometimes they have or lack details you want. I am currently using a trench from J. Peterman that I like as well as the Burberry I outgrew, plus it was about 1/8 the price.

 

[At Law]

Are you talking about the old suits? The line was changed a few years ago and now the suits cost less than that at full retail.

They are in the era of 2013-2014. I call them Blue Label as they are labelled with their "blue label" v Lauren's "green label."
They are presumably 1/2 canvas and are Lora Piana wool. Very nice builds.

 

[Matt S]

They are in the era of 2013-2014. I call them Blue Label as they are labelled with their "blue label" v Lauren's "green label."
They are presumably 1/2 canvas and are Lora Piana wool. Very nice builds.

I think that was the end of the old Polo blue label suits, the suits made by Corneliani. They're not as fancy now, nor do they have the same classic fits.

 

[At Law]

I think that was the end of the old Polo blue label suits, the suits made by Corneliani. They're not as fancy now, nor do they have the same classic fits.

They may have been ending their run in 2014 of this suit. I was able to buy a navy pinstripe and a grey pinstripe in 44L at 50% off from Polo's website.
That was quite unheard of for staple colors and a common size.

I frankly haven't purchased a Polo suit since. I stick primarily to Brooks when they have their sales. The 1818 is a pretty good work-horse for day-to-day office wear.

 

[Tom3]

Two trench coats over the past 52 years: London Fog (which I loved!) and Burberrys' (which I love even more - very long with button together vent in back). I didn't know very much about cloth, cut, or quality when I bought my London Fog but got lucky. London Fog turned out to be a great place to start for me. Best of luck,
Tom