FIVE WAYS TO WEAR: raincoats

This week, Mr Donnie Little, a 38-year-old session guitarist and motorcycle enthusiast from Glasgow, generously spared a few hours to model versatile ways to wear this spring's essential outerwear, the raincoat. Whether it's pleasantly warm or bucketing down, there are few situations this coat can't handle.

the facts

The raincoat may conjure up images of rubberised cloth and florescent vinyl, but here at MR PORTER it has us thinking about that enduring menswear classic, the trench. Originally created for British soldiers during the First World War, this style of raincoat became popular in the civilian world when returning troops continued to wear their army-issued coats for everyday. Since then, the trench has become a timeless wardrobe staple, largely because it was originally designed with function rather than fashion in mind. Although the trench's characteristic 'D' rings are no longer used to attach map cases and other vital equipment, the wide-lapelled, double-breasted design has changed little over the past century.

During that time the trench became prominent in popular culture, appearing countless times on celluloid (Mr Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca being the most obvious example) and on the backs of style icons from Mr Jean-Paul Belmondo to Mr David Hockney. Along the way the trench coat also picked up shady underworld associations, but here we look at how to wear it with more dash than flash...