Unless you live somewhere as hostile to precipitation as Los Angeles, chances are you’ve already been introduced to this year’s reign of spring showers. Forecasts will call for rain to dampen on a nontrivial amount of your days, but that doesn’t mean your fits have to be dragged down by a functional but swagless raincoat.
A dumpy trench coat or uncomfortably yellow joint may do the trick for some, but you’re here to find something significantly more stylish. The perfect raincoat should be something you look forward to wearing, not a necessary evil in a bid to stay dry. Gorpcore, which still shows no signs of slowing down, provides an obvious solution — but we’re going to dig deeper to prove you don’t need to look fresh from a hike to keep the elements at bay either.
We’ve gathered the eight slickest raincoats we could find, ranging from muted staples to prints louder than any roar of thunder. Most are waterproof, but even those that are just water-resistant should be enough unless you plan on spending an extended amount of time in a downpour. The key is to look good from point A to B while still protecting everything underneath that matters.
Stone Island’s expertise in materials and dye processes has produced this cotton and nylon weft with far more features than meets the eyes. Every zipper is hidden, and so too is a back vent should you need a little more room to breathe.
Arc’teryx’s more style-oriented Veilance line takes ultralight Gore-Tex and applies it to a silhouette that has more in common with menswear than outdoor gear. It’s so light and breathable you’ll have no trouble wearing it through to the end of summer.
This highly technical zip-poncho jumps beyond gorpcore to land in the galaxy brain realm of technical gear. Dyneema fabric is dummy light but still strong, and we’re especially into the oversized look for this collaborative solution for city-ready weather protection.
London-based label Ahluwalia sourced the polyester for this dazzling raincoat entirely from post-consumer plastics. Add the matching shorts and you’ll even want to rock it when it isn’t raining.
If this looks like a raincoat fit for The Matrix, you’re not wrong. Trinity rocked an Alyx jacket in Resurrections, and just about everything from the label wouldn’t look out of place in any of the four films.
Why this bold pullover is labeled a shirt is beyond us, but many people would also ask if leopard print belongs on a raincoat. Engineered Garments and we dare say, absolutely.
Like all things Acronym, this coat boasts so many details to nerd out on. Asymmetric front zip, an abundance of perfectly placed pockets, and four removable components including storm hood and sling — they all come together for one of the most advanced pieces of outerwear you’ll ever see.
