Unless you hail from a sun-drenched holiday hotspot, a paradise island or the middle of the desert, getting soaked to the bones by pouring rain is just an occasional fact of life. So why is it that waterproof top layers so often take a back seat when it comes to stocking our wardrobes?

Perhaps it’s because people see them as boring. They’re practically uniform for trainspotters, birdwatchers and old men in pubs, so they haven’t enjoyed the same kind of history as, say, a biker jacket. Don’t judge so quickly though, because if you buy right and style it thoughtfully, you may find that a raincoat is exactly what’s been missing from your wardrobe this whole time.

In practical terms, a raincoat is an essential if you live somewhere with a rainy climate says Tom Bettinson, UK manager for aptly named Danish outerwear label Rains. “A good raincoat is lightweight, waterproof and will fit neatly into your bag; making sure you’re covered when the weather turns.”

And they aren’t just one-size-fits-all. From rubber coats inspired by vintage workwear, through to cutting-edge, tech-packed shell jackets designed for scaling mountains – these waterproof top layers are a diverse breed with a style to suit everyone. They’ve even crept their way into the notoriously snooty world of high fashion over the years – and we’re not just talking about a timeless Burberry trench. These days you’re likely to see a hyped-up Vetements raincoat at fashion week more times than you can shake an umbrella at.

The raincoat’s roots can be traced back to ancient China, where early versions were fashioned from things that actually had roots – namely straw and bamboo. People were still getting wet, but by the beginning of the 1800s, a Scotsman by the name of Charles Macintosh had come up with a solution.

Macintosh was a chemist whose experiments with a substance called naphtha (a byproduct of tar) led to the invention of a truly waterproof fabric. It worked by sandwiching a piece of rubber between two pieces of fabric and once made available it quickly became popular. Macintosh launched the first Mackintosh coat in 1824 and the world hasn’t looked back since. That’s why all sorts of waterproof coats and jackets are now referred to as ‘Macs’.