History Main / ConspicuousTrenchcoat

* Even ''{{Godzilla}}'' used this trope once, in Marvel's licensed series. To evade pursuers, the [[BrattyHalfPint Kenny]] of this series dresses Godzilla in a hat and trenchcoat. Admittedly, it only works for about two minutes, at night, but it was enough to fool two criminals, who attempt to mug Godzilla (yeah, that goes about as well as you'd expect.)[[hottip:* :''Godzilla, King of the Monsters'' #19 (1978)]]

* ''{{Buffy}}'' once wore sunglasses and a trendy short trenchcoat while tailing a suspect ("Me Robot, You Jane"?).

* Lampshaded in ''HotFuzz''.

* ''FantasticFour:'' The Thing and the Silver Surfer have used this method to disguise their unique appearances.
** Also, in an issue where the FF have to testify at a congressional hearing, a bunch of mentally-manipulated, D-grade villains enter the room, dressed in trenchcoats and hats, and attack them.
* Namor liked these also, both as villain and hero. Even more conspicuous for his taste in high quality fabric and tailoring.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* The ''Sailor Moon Expanded'' [[FanVerse Fan Verse]] has two examples of this trope:
** Magnesite the alien/youma, a fanfiction creation of one of Beryl's generals from the first Sailor Moon season, becomes so enamored of [[HumphreyBogart Humphrey Bogart]] movies that when he is imprisioned he keeps reviewing them in his mind to avoid [[FateWorseThanDeath death by boredom]]. The result several hundred years later is a person who uncontrollably acts like the Bogey, spending his (unlife) trying to bring private detective work and noir to sparkling-white Crystal Tokyo. His trenchcoat is his trademark, something all the Senshi know.
** Ferrite, also a fanfiction creation, is a cursed human from the Silver Millennium who keeps being reincarnated throughout history until he finally meets up with the Sailors in [[SailorMoon Sailor Moon]]. His former Guardian powers change into a trenchcoat with infinite pockets, the ability to throw yellow roses from the trenchcoat similar to Tuxedo Mask, and he uses an ancient blunderbuss that can kill with one shot. Ferrite's alter ego calls himself Trenchcoat Mask in the modern day.
[[/folder]]

* [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/5300-garbage-pail-kids The Garbage Pail Kids.]] {{Lampshaded}} by TheNostalgiaCritic:
-->"''How come in movies no one can ever see past a trenchcoat and a fedora hat? Is it like [[ClarkKenting Clark Kent's hypnotizing glasses]] or something? Do they just make people stupider?''"

* {{TheNostalgiaCritic}}'s review of [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/2685-godzilla-1998 Godzilla]] poked fun at how easy it for Zilla to hide in NewYorkCity by cutting to a picture of the monster wearing a trenchcoat and dark glasses. No one seems to notice the six ton behemoth when he's wearing that!

* ''SchlockMercenary'': [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010108.html Somewhere far, far short of "inconspicuous." You may be lucky to find trenchcoats of "incongruity." and dark sunglasses of "incompetency." Our heroes found them on their first attempt.]]

* Lampshaded on [[YesMinister]] when Bernard, after saying too much to the press, attempted to sneak past reporters in a trenchcoat, hat, and shades. On the hottest day of the year, according to the novelisation. Needless to say, the press were very interested in this strange man entering a government building.

* Brilliantly [[spoiler:subverted]] in the ''{{NCIS}}'' season six two parter, "Cloak and Dagger". The pickup man for an espionage operation shows up as pictured above, and is instantly made. However, his inept attempt at being inconspicuous [[spoiler:manages to help convince them that he was an innocent pawn rather than the mastermind behind the operation.]]

This one started out as TruthInTelevision. From the late 1930s to late 1950s, a trenchcoat and fedora were the standard outerwear for a man who was neither upper-class nor extreme lower-class. Consequently, they were the natural choice for spies, detectives and anyone wanting to blend in. But as this style fell out of fashion with the general public, it came to be exclusively associated with said spies and detectives, whose continued use of this fashion would [[RevealingCoverup make them more conspicuous]] [[SomebodyElsesProblem if anyone]] [[FailedASpotCheck were paying attention]].

->''"Looked like sort of a big turtle... In a trenchcoat."''\\
--'''Taxi driver''', ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles: TheMovie''

Not to be confused with BadassLongcoat or TrenchcoatBrigade. Lawmen or vigilantes wearing these do not count unless they are deliberately trying to avoid notice.

* [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/5300-garbage-pail-kids The Garbage Pail Kids.]] {{Lampshaded}} by TheNostalgiaCritic :
->''"How come in movies no one can ever see past a trenchcoat and a fedora hat? Is it like [[ClarkKenting Clark Kent's hypnotizing glasses]] or something? Do they just make people stupider?"

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

Modern version of BlackCloak. Variant of CoatHatMask.

* Almost every main character in Frank Miller's Sin City dons a trench coat at some point. Marv especially likes them and often takes them off of the bad guys he kills. Usually, they are packing guns, spying, snekaing around, or otherwise being conspicuous.

* When not on stage, Malice Mizer/Moi dix Mois guitarist Mana shows mild to moderate symptoms of this. Most pictures of him in public show him with a large hat and sunglasses, combined with, at various points, large, dark scarves, tops, skirts, boots and- yes- trenchcoats. Due to his habit of AlterEgoActing, it isn't publically known whether he dresses like this to try to avoid attention or whether he just likes the style, but it's most likely to be the latter, because his clothes do a pretty pants job at masking his identity. If anything, they make him more recognisable offstage.