Summertime sadness. DYC Team See-Through Trench Coat reviewed.

Huge pockets, boxy fit and a soft, recycled fabric makes this a unique, summery trench coat.

When is a trench coat not a trench coat?

Taiwanese brand DYC Team has been offering idiosyncratic takes on the classic garment these past couple of seasons, and this summer’s See-Through Trench Coat may just be the most quirky iteration yet.

A trench coat is traditionally not what you would wear to the beach. Well, unless you’re an officer in Dunkerque on a windy day in 1940. But this cropped, lightweight, perforated rag is more of a breezy happi than a heavy coat.

That’s not to say it’s not protective at all. It comes with PFC-free Scotchgard DWR treatment, and will function as a weather-resistant overshirt against a bit of wind or a drizzle. But the fabric of this shirt is a light, mesh-like polyester, made out of recycled PET bottles. But comfort is the main priority. The coat has a lovely hand, soft and nice against the skin. As the name implies, it is indeed see-through if you hold the fabric up against the light; still, it’s reassuringly opaque when worn.

The roomy fit and pleasant fabric invites wearing this jacket without a shirt underneath, which I like to do on hot days when walking to the lake for a swim. In all honesty, I have never worn the jacket fully buttoned up “against the elements”. Regardless of nomenclature, tha’s not my use case for this jacket. The single buckle closure is enough to keep it casually closed while losing none of its relaxed cool, and sustaining air flow.

DYC Team’s sizing is difficult to figure out. I’m wearing this jacket in medium, which is my regular size at 180 cm. I enjoy the fit: sharply cropped on the y axis, oversized on the x and z axis, with slightly cropped sleeves. The jacket also looks good on my 165 cm tall daughter however, for an even more oversized look. In other words, true to size is fine, but if you’re deeply into the oversized game, don’t hesitate to go up. Anyway, the cut is very forgiving.

This jacket was sent to me from ShellSoul, and they were kind enough to also send me the See-Through Pants. These are made from the same lovely fabric, slightly cropped with cargo pockets; seemingly excellent summer pants. However, I’m generally a small in pants but these were too small even in medium, barely closing at the waist and hugging my calves much too tightly. This was especially surprising as my previous pants from DYC Team fit me well in medium.

A feature I love is the enormous pockets. There’s a big chest pocket and two enormous hand pockets. They are the kind of pockets where you’ll find missing things. Big things. I was puzzled the other day when arriving at the grocery store, checking my pockets and finding I had forgotten to bring my face mask – only to find, a minute later, that even though I had checked my hand pockets, the mask was in the front-most part which I had not reached into.

Every piece I own from DYC Team has rock-solid build quality, although they don’t always use the most well-known fabrics. This recycled polyester goes by the moniker Seawool, and it’s wonderful. It does have a tendency to attract some lint, but the breathability, softness and drape makes for a beautiful, comfy garment. It has just enough structure that the huge pockets are actually useful, although the jacket may fall strangely if you cram them with Ipads and hardcover books. I stuffed a bathing towel into one of the pockets once – that’s how big they are – but it did not look great.

So, is this a trench coat? No, it’s a summer jacket humming a trench coat melody. And that’s delightful, especially when cut into a hypermodern, boxy streetwear silhouette. Classical drama meets contemporary playfulness. As suave and bitter-sweet as a Lana Del Rey song. No wonder DYC Team’s thirst for the trench coat aesthetic seems unquenchable.

The See-Through Trench Coat is $163 at Shellsoul.com. Great price if you’re into the look. 

Form: 9/10

Relaxed and interesting. DYC Team’s love for modern streetwear and the trench coat aesthetic results in a stunning summer jacket.

Function: 7/10

While it lacks typical trench coat weather protection, it’s a soft, comfortable overshirt/jacket, with cavernous pockets.