A NEW exhibition charting the history of a key fashion garment is to come to Basingstoke’s Willis Museum.

Trench Coat: From Field to Fashion arrives at the Top of the Town building on April 11 and will run until May 31.

The story of the trench coat reaches back into Basingstoke’s history.

Inspired by woven smocks worn by shepherds in the fields, Hampshire’s contribution to the trench coat began in 1879, when Thomas Burberry developed a weatherproof cloth 'gabardine' for use in outerwear.

In the centenary year of the First World War we can reflect on its military connections and its signature qualities which have endured over a century.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The trench coat was developed by many companies into a reliable piece of equipment bought by officers to offer protection from the harsh conditions in the trenches of Northern France and Belgium.

The exhibition charts key directional moments, illustrated by original garments, to tell the ever-evolving story of a coat which has survived its utilitarian roots to become an iconic fashion garment.

This timeless classic evolved, taken up by film stars, celebrities and super models, to be found on the catwalks of fashion houses across the world.