Burberry, Explained: The Trench, the Check and the Bags Worth Buying

Burberry is the London house that invented gabardine, and outerwear is still the best reason to buy from it. If you are starting a Burberry wardrobe this fall, buy a gabardine trench in the fit and length that suit your frame, add a check cashmere scarf, and only then think about a quilted jacket, a Cotswolds bag or a pair of riding boots. This guide covers where the house and its check came from, who runs it now, how to choose a trench and get the size right, and which quilted jackets, capes, scarves, bags and boots are worth owning.

A short history of Burberry, from Basingstoke to the trench

Thomas Burberry was a 21-year-old former draper's apprentice when he opened his first shop, at 20 Winchester Street in Basingstoke, in 1856, according to Burberry's own history of the house. Rainwear then meant heavy waxed, oiled or rubberized cloth; he wanted one that kept the rain out and still breathed, and in 1879 he arrived at gabardine, a tightly woven cloth patented in 1888. The first London store opened at 30 Haymarket in 1891, and the Equestrian Knight emblem, dated 1901 in the house's timeline, was chosen through a public competition.

In 1912 Thomas Burberry patented the Tielocken, a coat fastened with a single strap and buckle that the house says is widely regarded as the forerunner of the trench. During the First World War, Burberry developed the trench coat for military use, with the epaulettes, D-rings, storm shield and gun flap it still carries. In 1972 the company formally acquired its factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, where it says all its Heritage trench coats are made. If you shop vintage, older labels read Burberrys: the house dropped the final s in 1999. For its 170th anniversary this year it launched a gabardine capsule collection and a trench campaign of black-and-white portraits by Tim Walker, and in London the V&A's free display The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon, open until January 3, 2027, follows the coat from military dress to the runway.

The Burberry check: where it came from and how to wear it

The check began as something you were not meant to see. Burberry introduced it in the 1920s as the lining of its rainwear and says it drew on the fashion for checks and tartans that followed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Scottish retreat at Balmoral, though it is not itself a tartan. It came out of the coat in 1967, when a buyer in the Paris store, preparing a presentation for the British ambassador, used the lining fabric to wrap luggage and cover an umbrella; in Burberry's telling, that is how check accessories began.

The version most people picture has a sand-colored ground crossed with black, white and red lines, a shade Burberry now calls archive beige. The house also weaves the pattern at giant scale on scarves, stitches it as a tonal micro check into quilted jackets and makes it in darker grounds such as oxblood and treacle brown. Four rules keep it looking considered rather than branded:

• One check you can see from across the street. A check scarf with a plain trench, or a check-sided tote with a solid gray coat. The lining that flashes when a trench falls open does not count; a check scarf with a check bag does.
• Keep everything else solid. Stripes, florals or a second plaid beside it look busy.
• Match the scale to the distance. Giant checks suit scarves, capes and totes; close to the face, a finer or paler check looks more expensive.
• Change the colorway, not the pattern. If archive beige feels too recognizable, a black, oxblood or stone check keeps the house signature without the logo effect.

Who designs Burberry now, and what the house is betting on

Burberry's collections are designed by Daniel Lee, the Bradford-born designer the house named chief creative officer in 2022, and the company has been run since 2024 by Joshua Schulman. Schulman's stated strategy is "value for money in a luxury context," which the Guardian's review of Lee's September show reads as a retreat from selling Burberry handbags at Hermès prices. The same report credits the focus on outerwear as part of the turnaround and notes that this summer Burberry reported its first revenue growth in three years.

The bags changed most. According to the Guardian's May 2026 report on the Cotswolds bag, Burberry phased out its expensive Knight bag in favor of the lower-priced Cotswolds line, and Schulman said totes that mix leather with the check had helped drive the house's best bag sales since 2023. The approach he replaced, with bags at "pinnacle price points without recognisable brand signatures," did not work, he said. For a shopper, that means the house codes are back on the bags, at prices below the Knight's.

Lee's newest collection, for Summer 2027, closed London Fashion Week on September 21: a one-off collaboration with the textile designer Celia Birtwell, who hand-painted a looser version of the check. It reaches stores next year; what is in stores now leans on outerwear, which is where we would spend too.

Which Burberry trench to buy

Every classic Burberry trench starts from the same double-breasted, belted pattern, so the decisions are the label, the fit, the length and the cloth. Our trench coat buying guide compares Burberry's fits with other houses' trenches, with measurements; this is the short version for a Burberry buyer.

• Heritage, or not. Burberry says all its Heritage trenches are made in England, at Castleford, and its listing for the mid-length Heritage Kensington describes cotton gabardine woven at the Burberry Mill with the full working set: a throat latch, a gun flap, a storm shield at the back and a leather-buckled belt and cuffs. Other versions can be made elsewhere (in our edit, a leather-trimmed Kensington in Italy and a cashmere-blend one in Poland), so read the country on the label, not the style name.
• Fit, by frame. The Kensington's set-in sleeves and structured shoulder give shape to narrow shoulders and sit cleanly over a blazer. The Chelsea, the house's closest-fitting style, suits a small frame and sits best over dresses and fine knits. The Waterloo's raglan sleeves flatter broad or square shoulders and leave room for a chunky sweater.
• Length, by height. Under about 5'4", start with the short Kensington or the cropped Mayfair, since a long coat swallows the leg line. From about 5'4" to 5'8", the mid-length, which ends around the knee, covers most skirts. Taller than that, go long, or choose the Waterloo, which Burberry cuts long. If you wear midi skirts, the hem should cover them at any height.
• Color. The classic fits come in honey, black and coal blue, a very dark blue. Honey is the one people recognize, and it works with navy, black, gray, cream and denim; black looks sharper at night; coal blue disappears over dark tailoring, which is the point.

Cloth, for real weather. Burberry calls its gabardine shower-resistant, not waterproof: it sheds wind and passing rain, but in a long downpour the shoulders wet through, so carry an umbrella. As a rough guide, a gabardine trench is comfortable over a shirt into the 50s Fahrenheit, and over a fine cashmere sweater through most of an October in the Northeast; colder than that, switch to a quilted jacket or a cashmere trench, which spots in heavy rain and is best on cold, dry days. Tropical gabardine, which Burberry calls its lightest signature cloth, is the one to buy where fall stays mild, as in Los Angeles or Miami.

Compare every house's version in our trench coat shop, and for outfit ideas see our guide to how to wear a trench coat.

Beyond the trench: Burberry quilted jackets, capes and car coats

From October to Christmas, a trench is not always the most useful Burberry coat. The house's history dates its capes and its first car coat to the 1880s and its quilted jackets to the 1980s, and a quilted jacket or a cape is often a smarter second purchase than another trench.

• Quilted jackets. The Fernleigh is the classic: diamond-quilted, slim and lined in the check, with a collar that hooks closed and button-tab cuffs. It ends around the hip, so it works over jeans, trousers or a knee-length skirt. The boxy, cropped Floriston and Tiffield suit wide trousers or a midi skirt; the Abbeydale puts a gun flap, a rain shield and a belt on micro-check quilted nylon; the belted Darliston reaches mid-thigh, for more coverage without the weight of a trench.
• Capes. They come in one size and are made to wrap over a sweater, not a coat. The Tay, crafted in Scotland according to its listing, has a check lining and a self-tie belt that keeps it closed in wind. Balance the volume with straight trousers or knee boots, and carry a crossbody under the cape or a top-handle bag, since a shoulder bag slides off.
• Car coats. The Camden, a single-breasted car coat with raglan sleeves and concealed buttons, is the plainest coat Burberry makes, for anyone who finds a double-breasted trench too formal.

Browse other houses' versions among our designer quilted jackets, and see our guide to wearing a cape coat for more on proportion.

The Burberry check cashmere scarf

If the trench is Burberry's coat, the check cashmere scarf is its signature accessory, and demand for it is high: Burberry's cashmere scarf was fourth on the Lyst Index list of the hottest products for the last quarter of 2025, a ranking Lyst builds from searches, page views and sales on its platform and from social media mentions. The scarf is not new: Burberry's history records that in 1988 it produced more than 280 kilometers of cashmere scarves, roughly the distance from London to York.

• What you are buying. The classic is a fringed scarf in pure cashmere, about a foot wide and five and a half feet long, enough to loop once and let the ends hang. Most of the cashmere scarves we checked were made in the UK, and the listing for the lavender one in our edit says it was woven on traditional looms at a Scottish mill founded in 1797, then brushed with teasels, dried flower heads that raise the soft nap. The reversible and wool-and-silk scarves in our edit are made in Italy.
• Which check and color. The giant check, with wider bands, reads bolder than the classic. Archive beige is the one to buy if you want only one. Ivory or stone brightens a black, charcoal or navy coat. Oxblood and treacle hide makeup and wear on a scarf you reach for every day, and quartz pink or lavender is kind to the face in low winter light.
• How to tie it. Fold it in half, drape it around the neck and pull the ends through the loop for a flat knot under a buttoned coat; under an open trench, let it hang straight so the vertical lines lengthen the body.

Keep cashmere folded in a drawer rather than on a hook, and follow the care label; every scarf we checked says dry clean. For other houses' designs, see our guide to the best designer scarves or browse all designer scarves and wraps.

Burberry bags: the Cotswolds, the Bloomsbury and the rest of the lineup

Burberry's bags have changed more than anything else it makes, so buy the lines the house is building rather than whatever carries the logo. When we checked on September 29, 2026, Burberry's US site grouped its women's bags into seven collections: Check, Cotswolds, Highlands, Horseshoe, Bloomsbury, B Clip and Margate.

• Cotswolds. Structured totes in grainy calf leather with a check-engraved closure, metal feet and a detachable strap, in mini, small and medium sizes. It is the line Schulman credits with lifting Burberry's bag sales, and the most polished one for work.
• Bloomsbury. A reversible tote, plain leather or suede on one side and the House Check in a cotton-linen blend on the other. The tan one in our edit is shown on its check side; turn it over and it is plain suede.
• Highlands. Shoulder, tote and bowling shapes jacquard-woven in the sand check, with what Burberry calls a technical finish inspired by its outerwear, plus softer washed-leather versions stamped with the Knight.
• Horseshoe. A light crossbody inspired by the house's outerwear, on a webbing strap woven with the check, in quilted nylon or, on a chain, in quilted leather.
• B Clip. A curved messenger or shoulder bag inspired by equestrian saddles and named for the engraved "b" dog clip on its front pocket; it debuted on the Summer 2025 runway.
• Check and Margate. The Check collection gathers bowling bags, totes and vanity cases in the pattern. The Margate is raffia palm crocheted by hand into the check in Madagascar, a summer bag to leave until spring.

Which hold up to daily use. Grainy calf hides scratches, which makes the Cotswolds the easiest to carry every day, and its metal feet keep the base off wet floors. The small one in our edit is about 12 inches wide, room for a wallet, phone, keys and a small pouch; for a full workday's load, the medium Bloomsbury is about 15 inches wide. Coated check, as on the bowling bag, wipes clean, while woven check is best kept out of the rain and away from dark denim, which can rub off on pale fabric. In wet weather, carry the quilted-nylon Horseshoe or the B Clip, whose check is woven in a water-repellent cotton blend. Compare other houses' shapes among our designer tote bags.

Burberry boots and shoes for fall

The shoes follow the coats, equestrian in mood, with the check used as a panel rather than all over. The Cavalier is the one to know, a pull-on riding boot with pull tabs and a buckled ankle strap, in smooth leather or suede, plus a version with check canvas panels on a molded sole. Burberry's calf-leather Chelsea boots set the check into their elastic sides, the Huntley buckles a check strap around the ankle, and the Hampstead puts check side panels on a block heel. For real downpours, the Marsh is a rubber boot that Burberry says draws on traditional wellies, and the leather-soled check penny loafers are for dry days. Every pair we checked was made in Italy.

Styling. Tuck slim ecru or gray jeans into a brown Cavalier, or wear it with a knee-length skirt so the top of the shaft meets the hem. Blue jeans go into the black-footed check version. A flat Chelsea boot is the everyday answer under a trench and straight trousers, and the Hampstead's block heel adds height while staying steady on uneven sidewalks. See more styles in our guide to the best fall boots, or browse designer knee-high boots.

Burberry sizing: how the coats, jackets and shoes fit

• Trench coats. Burberry's own listing for the Heritage Kensington says it fits true to size, while some US retailers note that the Kensington runs large and suggest a size down. Listings mix US sizes, UK sizes and bare numbers; even Burberry's US site sells the coat in US sizes but gives its length for a UK 10. As a general guide, a UK 8 corresponds to a US 4 and a UK 10 to a US 6, but stores convert differently, so use the size chart on each listing.
• Quilted jackets. Letter sizes, from XXS to XXL. The Fernleigh is cut slim, though one retailer notes that it runs large; the Floriston's listing calls its relaxed fit looser than Burberry's classic fit.
• Shoes. Most listings on Vêtir give US sizes with half sizes, and some give Italian or EU sizes. One retailer's Chelsea boot listing pairs EU 37 with US 7, so convert with that store's chart rather than a generic one. Some retailers also note that Burberry shoes fit slightly small and suggest half a size up.
• Capes and scarves. One size.

How to wear Burberry this fall: five outfits

1. Wet city morning: a honey Kensington trench over a gray cashmere crewneck and straight dark jeans, with black leather ankle boots and an ivory check scarf looped once under the collar.
2. Office: a coal blue or black trench over charcoal tailoring, a black Cotswolds tote and black loafers. The check shows only on the bag's side panels and in the trench lining.
3. Country weekend: a beige Fernleigh quilted jacket over a cream cable-knit sweater, ecru jeans tucked into brown Cavalier riding boots and a Highlands bag in the sand check.
4. Cold, dry evening: a light gray cashmere Kensington over a burgundy knit dress, with black knee boots and a black Horseshoe chain bag.
5. Weekend in the rain: a black Tay cape over a gray turtleneck and black trousers, black Marsh rubber boots and a black quilted Horseshoe crossbody worn under the cape.

The rule in all five: one check you can see from across the street, and everything around it plain. To build the rest of an outfit around a Burberry piece you already own, ask our AI stylist.

Caring for gabardine, cashmere and check

• Trench coats: Burberry's listing for the Heritage Kensington calls for specialist dry cleaning. Between cleanings, brush the cloth, empty the pockets, hang the coat on a wide wooden hanger and let it dry at room temperature, away from radiators, after rain.
• Quilted jackets: follow the label, since some listings allow hand washing, and never store them compressed, or the fill flattens.
• Cashmere scarves and capes: rest them between wears and lift pills with a cashmere comb.
• Bags: wipe coated check with a barely damp cloth, keep pale woven check away from dark denim, and brush suede in one direction, with a protective spray before its first wet day.

Is Burberry worth it?

For the Heritage trench, yes. A gabardine coat made in England by the house that invented the cloth is still the benchmark, and its details work rather than decorate. The check cashmere scarf is the best-value way into the house, pure cashmere worn for many winters. A quilted jacket or a wool cape is the smart second purchase, for cold a trench cannot handle. Bags are easier to justify now that the house has pulled back from its highest handbag prices, but judge any bag on its leather and construction rather than on the check. Be more selective with runway pieces, which date faster than the coats, and if a coat or bag no longer suits you, Vêtir's pre-owned resale can find it a new owner.

If you like Burberry, look at these houses too

• Max Mara: the other great coat house, known for camel hair; our Max Mara coats guide compares its best-known styles.
• Ralph Lauren: American heritage dressing with the same love of country clothes.
• Barbour: British waxed jackets for weather a gabardine trench cannot handle.
• Toteme: pared-back trenches and scarves at a lower price.
• Loro Piana: cashmere and outerwear without a visible logo.

How we chose

We started from what Burberry itself presents as its core this fall: the trench in its main fits, quilted jackets and capes from its outerwear archive, the check cashmere scarf, the seven bag collections on its US site and boots built for weather. Every piece is new Burberry stock that was live on Vêtir when we checked it on September 29, 2026, and nothing is pre-owned. For the coats we read each listing for the cloth, the fit note and the country on the label, which is why the edit shows an Italian-made leather-trimmed Kensington and a Polish-made cashmere one beside the English gabardine. We looked at every photograph before choosing, and left out a cashmere Kensington listed as claret that photographs pale pink. Raffia bags, sandals and poplin dresses stay out because this guide publishes in October.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Burberry's creative director?

Daniel Lee, who became chief creative officer in 2022 and designs the collections in stores now; his latest show, for Summer 2027, closed London Fashion Week in September 2026. Joshua Schulman has been chief executive since 2024.

Where are Burberry trench coats made?

Burberry says all its Heritage trench coats are made at its factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, which it formally acquired in 1972. Other trenches can be made elsewhere, including Italy and Poland, so check the country of manufacture on the listing.

Do Burberry trench coats run large or small?

Burberry lists the Heritage Kensington as true to size, while some US retailers say it runs large. Listings use US or UK sizes; as a general guide a UK 8 is a US 4, but check each listing's size chart, and try the coat over your thickest sweater before choosing between two sizes.

Which Burberry bag should I buy first?

A small Cotswolds in black or another neutral leather. Grainy calf, a check-lined interior, metal feet and a detachable strap make it the most practical everyday bag in the lineup. For a lighter bag you can wear hands-free in the rain, choose a Horseshoe crossbody in quilted nylon.

Is a Burberry cashmere scarf worth it?

Yes, if you want one Burberry piece you will use every winter: it is pure cashmere, most of the ones we checked are made in the UK, and the check does not date. Store it folded and follow the dry-clean label.

When did the Burberry check first appear?

In the 1920s, as the lining of Burberry's rainwear. It became an accessory pattern in 1967, when a buyer in the Paris store used the lining fabric on luggage and an umbrella.

Keep reading

• The best trench coats for women
• How to wear a trench coat
• The best designer scarves
• The best fall boots
• Max Mara coats, compared