Review on Stylish and Waterproof: Introducing the Columbia Women's Pardon My Trench Rain Jacket by Julie Smith

Raincoats are difficult for my pear body type. If it's waist-high I'll swim in it, if it's high-rise I can't damn thing shut it. While trench coats are a great solution for figures who need a waist, they traditionally lack a hood, making them useless as raincoats. With its trench coat style and practical rain protection features, this jacket is the perfect solution. The strap provides the definition I need to not look like a drop top but still provide a comfortable fit on my hips. The other part I like is that the zip is reversible so you can make a gap at the bottom if you need extra hip room. You can also simply close the jacket with a zipper and thus receive sufficient protection. Overall the style is great, I can wear it with both business and casual wear which makes it very versatile. feet and I am 5 feet 6 inches tall. XL sits perfectly on the hips with room. Sizing wise, I have another raincoat from Columbia that is an XL size that hugs the hips, so I ordered the same size for this jacket and found it fit. I would recommend checking the Columbia sizing chart and possibly speaking to someone in the customer service department for actual dress measurements if in doubt. If you can find a place to try on Columbia jackets, in my limited experience you can probably get your size with that brand that way. I don't find this jacket fits any differently than other raincoats I've had or tried on in the past. As a raincoat, it's fairly waterproof and keeps me dry. I live in the Pacific Northwest and most rain is more like cloud sweat than a real downpour. In some climates, it rains with increased humidity, which may explain the humidity levels people experience. Didn't experience it in the cooler climate of PacNW but definitely did when I was in Spain (and it was very humid there). Sweating usually does the same. This is not a high performance athletic jacket. So if you sweat a lot and need something that breathes well and also repels water, spend more money on a jacket made of this material. I think the focus of this jacket is to offer a more fashionable alternative to the basic rain jacket. I have two flaws. First, my sleeves are too long and there is no easy way to adjust them. You cannot roll them up due to the details of the cloak. There are two buttons around the cuff so I can use the smaller one which helps a bit. Not critical, but at least on another jacket I can roll up or roll up my sleeves. The second gripe is that the zipper is quite sticky and uncomfortable.