What happened to the Trench Coat Mafia?

After the shooting, was the Trench Coat Mafia still a thing? Did students wear trench coats around school, or did that become taboo and no one did? I wonder if mafia members were avoided due to guilt by association. Any thoughts?

I'm sure someone else on the forum can give a better answer as far as the people in the TCM but I think that most schools in the US including Columbine banned trench coats after 4/20/99. There's an image somewhere on the forum showing this part of the Columbine dress code, though I'm not sure how to find it.

cicero wrote:

There's an image somewhere on the forum showing this part of the Columbine dress code, though I'm not sure how to find it.

Trench coats are banned at Columbine High School. I found that powerpoint on the school's website.

I don't think the TCM was ever a thing outside of Chris Morris and a few others and it was more of a joke than anything.

TCM died before the shooting, only E+D wore tc's towards the end. The others stopped doing it in late 1998. The group did still hang out but they didn't wear the coats anymore. I don't think anyone would dare to wear on there, or any other American school as it would be tied to this. There is still gothic/alternative kids who wear dark clothing and boys with long hair though atCHS.

dont worry, the trench coat mafia will be revived one day. they'll be back, they always come back.

I was in High School from 2003-2007 and we weren't allowed to wear trench coats or any kind of long coat for that matter.

We also weren't allowed to wear hats but I'm not sure if that was Columbine related...

It's crazy to think how Columbine 1000+ miles away could change school rules nationwide

Wow I didn't know trench coats were banned in some schools. Kinda stupid tbh. The coats don't cause any shootings...

o7p7a wrote:

Wow I didn't know trench coats were banned in some schools. Kinda stupid tbh. The coats don't cause any shootings...

I don't think it's so much about thinking trench coats caused the shootings than it is about the ability to hide weapons under them (which is what E&D did). At least in the state I grew up in (Deep South US), pretty much all public schools adopted a strict uniform dress code that explicitly prohibited any kind of clothing they thought you could hide weapons under. No baggy/saggy pants, must wear a belt (or have teachers zip tie your pants up), any jackets had to be kept unzipped/unbuttoned any time you were in the school (so no pull-over hoodies or anything like that). The environment in the US school system after Columbine was basically that kids could not be trusted. I heard some schools even installed metal detectors & searched kids bags upon entering.

Oh and we also were not allowed to have cell phones at school AT ALL. You would get suspended or possibly even expelled if caught with one because they were afraid kids would somehow use them to detonate bombs.

We had kids who wore Trench Coats in my HS, they were considered chic and cool. I always wanted one but I'm 5 foot even so they swallow me up. Our school 2,000 miles away banned them after and made everyone with a trench go to the office for a talking to.

Screamingophelia wrote:

We had kids who wore Trench Coats in my HS, they were considered chic and cool. I always wanted one but I'm 5 foot even so they swallow me up. Our school 2,000 miles away banned them after and made everyone with a trench go to the office for a talking to.

I am also short, 5'1, it sucks sometimes finding clothes that make you not look like you are playing dress up in an adults clothes. Seriously most capris look like jeans on me.

You should have seen me in my first suit for my first office job LOL, I also look a lot younger. I have an interview next week and I have to wear business clothes and I have NO clue what to wear. Hoping I can find a black dress to wear with my loan blazer and my red heels...

It was so cold where I grew up and I always asked for a trench coat because my legs were freezing ALL the time. Then after Columbine my mother was like "she was bulled AND wanted a trench coat.. uh oh"

Screamingophelia wrote:

You should have seen me in my first suit for my first office job LOL, I also look a lot younger. I have an interview next week and I have to wear business clothes and I have NO clue what to wear. Hoping I can find a black dress to wear with my loan blazer and my red heels...

It was so cold where I grew up and I always asked for a trench coat because my legs were freezing ALL the time. Then after Columbine my mother was like "she was bulled AND wanted a trench coat.. uh oh"

Me in heels is a very scary thing.    I have only worn them a few times, as I am very clumsy and accident prone. They seemed to only increased the likely hood of me seriously injuring myself or others around me.

I have a leather trench coat, they are allowed at my school. So far I've had no unpleasant reactions while wearing it, everyone seems to be okay with it. My dad bought it 30 years ago, it's still in a good shape because it was barely worn. Are trench coats still a taboo in the US?

1Mare1 wrote:

I have a leather trench coat, they are allowed at my school. So far I've had no unpleasant reactions while wearing it, everyone seems to be okay with it. My dad bought it 30 years ago, it's still in a good shape because it was barely worn. Are trench coats still a taboo in the US?

In most schools they are against the dress code.

The Trench Coat Mafia was blown way out of proportion right after the shooting. They were looking for answers on why the shooting happened. Same with the whole bullying excuse. The media made it sound like Eric and Dylan were getting tortured every single day but they weren't bullied no more than anyone else who gets picked on in high school.

ColumbineBully wrote:

The Trench Coat Mafia was blown way out of proportion right after the shooting. They were looking for answers on why the shooting happened. Same with the whole bullying excuse. The media made it sound like Eric and Dylan were getting tortured every single day but they weren't bullied no more than anyone else who gets picked on in high school.

Trench Coat Mafia disbanded before 4/20. There are documents in the 11k and witness interviews proving how Eric and Dylan were bullied.

cicero wrote:

The environment in the US school system after Columbine was basically that kids could not be trusted. I heard some schools even installed metal detectors & searched kids bags upon entering.

Instead of searches my school adopted a policy where you had to be able to see into any school bag. There were these mesh bags with a drawstring that were kind of popular at the time for carrying gym clothes or something light, and a lot of us used those.

AestheticDeath wrote:

cicero wrote:

The environment in the US school system after Columbine was basically that kids could not be trusted. I heard some schools even installed metal detectors & searched kids bags upon entering.

Instead of searches my school adopted a policy where you had to be able to see into any school bag.  There were these mesh bags with a drawstring that were kind of popular at the time for carrying gym clothes or something light, and a lot of us used those.

The schools in my area had that policy for a little while. You could carry everything by hand or use a mesh bag. The clear back packs were an option too. But it didn't last very long, maybe one year at the most.

1Mare1 wrote:

ColumbineBully wrote:

The Trench Coat Mafia was blown way out of proportion right after the shooting. They were looking for answers on why the shooting happened. Same with the whole bullying excuse. The media made it sound like Eric and Dylan were getting tortured every single day but they weren't bullied no more than anyone else who gets picked on in high school.

Trench Coat Mafia disbanded before 4/20. There are documents in the 11k and witness interviews proving how Eric and Dylan were bullied.

There are also accounts which suggests that they were not.

I just looked through my school's handbook and it appears that we are allowed to wear trench coats at my school. Catch me getting a burberry trench tho.. cause its fashun..