Recently, I decided that I needed to add a classic trench coat to my already burgeoning collection of outerwear and turned to the original purveyors of the iconic coat in my quest (Burberry outfitted the British forces that fought in the trenches of World War I, hence the name).

I paid a visit to Burberry's flagship store to get a reference point for good fit and quality. A salesgirl quickly led me to the trench coat section, tucked away in a corner next to the children's wear. I zoomed in on the double-breasted, knee-length trench coat after realizing that full-length trenches make women shorter than 5'8" look like children trying to play grown-ups. The fit was unbeatable. The lines were crisp and flattering and the 100 percent cotton material was soft, but still had a reassuring weight to it. Buttoned up, half-buttoned up with flaps down, collar up, undone with the belt hanging freely-it all looked good. After about half an hour of admiration, I asked for the price- RMB 14,095. At my look of shock, the salesgirl stated the obvious, "mei guanxi, it'll never go out of style,"-true, but unlikely to win over the credit card company. I handed the jacket back and muttered something about having to think about it.

That evening I returned home and did some research. On Net-a-Porter, I found the Burberry London Islington trench coat, basically a nylon version of what I had just tried on, selling for GBP 335 (RMB 4,950). Intrigued, I continued my bargain hunt at Saks Fifth Avenue's online store and found the Burberry Irene cotton trench coat in a slightly darker shade than its Beijing cousin being sold for USD 795 (RMB 6,310). Nordstrom was selling their version for USD 1,175 (RMB 9,320). In any of the above scenarios I would be saving thousands of RMB, enough to pay for a flight to the US if I wanted to try the jackets on in-store!

But even those price tags are still a bit high (read: completely unaffordable). Thankfully there are excellent Burberry alternatives in Beijing and Nali Mall is where to go. Zin (Store 013) was carrying a beautiful Max Azria navy silk trench coat (right), with a 10-inch softly pleated skirt-hem (RMB 800). Just across the way, Moon (Store 002), my favourite Nali store, has several coats that offer zany twists on the trench coat such as floral-prints, soft velvets, or brass buttons. Their pink Marc Jacobs piece (above) is fun and flirty, with detailed side stitching to flatter the waistline (RMB 580). For decent Burberry imitations, Mix and Mango in Wangfujing's Oriental Plaza carry a cotton (RMB 1,999, less 20 percent as there was a sale at the time of writing) and nylon (RMB 729) version respectively. Pair your newest finds with some over-sized glasses from the huge selections at Xidan or Yaxiu (RMB 30 and up) and you have a perfect, modern outfit for acting out your favourite Holly Golightly fantasies.

Burberry's flagship store
Location: Beijing Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchang'anjie, Dongcheng
Tel: 010-85152278