The trench coat is a cotton gabardine design and almost every feature on it was decided by rain. The double-breasted front, the storm flap across the shoulder, the belt that stops wind coming up underneath. Cut the same pattern in leather and you keep all of it and gain a material that never needs re-proofing.Leather trench coats hang differently from fabric ones. The weight makes them fall in a straight column rather than swing, which is what makes them read as a coat rather than a raincoat. Unbelted they look oversized; belted they create a defined waist with the skirt falling away below it. One coat, two silhouettes.These are cut above the knee rather than full length. A floor-length leather coat puts a lot of weight on the shoulders and limits your stride. Above the knee covers a dress and keeps the wind off your legs while still letting you walk and sit down in it.Size a coat over the thickest thing you intend to layer underneath, and send that shoulder measurement to info@cordwainleather.com.