New York ? Fashionistas and rain have never been friends.

The stylish set tolerates an occasional shower since it’s an excuse to trot out a trench coat, but rain mostly has been an excuse to stay inside. After all, soaked leather loafers aren’t very appealing, and galoshes are probably the one pair of shoes not inside a fashion junkie’s closet.

London Fog's Cambridge coat is made of WBS Comfortzone. The WBS stands for waterproof, breathable and stretch, which combine for a stylish coat that makes a nice rainy-day alternative to a slicker.

But there is a chance that a better relationship will blossom this spring, thanks to high-tech fabrics and fabric treatments.

Many of London Fog’s coats are weatherproof or waterproof, says the company’s director of merchandising, Frederick Hackett, but he’d rather just call them “coats.”

“If you looked at the garment, it looks like a ‘coat,’ not like a ‘raincoat,”‘ he says.

Rain is no reason to give up super-soft cashmere, says designer Ron Leal, who uses a water-resistant version from Loro Piana for a coat, skirt, handbags and shoes in his pamela/roland Sterling line.

The fabric’s exterior boasts the luxurious feel one expects from cashmere, but it has been bonded with a synthetic film dubbed “Wind Stop” that often is used in ski gear, Leal explains.

The fabric is so supple, according to Leal, that it drapes well, allowing it to be used in the most fashionable silhouettes.

London Fog’s trademarked WBS Comfortzone fabric is waterproof, breathable and contains stretch, hence the “WBS.” It is intended to hold its shape even when wet, and it’s put into a feminine-yet-fitted style for women that’s appropriate for office and evening. The feminine, fitted coat hits just below the knee, covering most skirts.

London Fog also has a fabric it calls Weathercloth, a blend of polyester to help keep its shape, cotton to give it a natural hand and nylon to keep it wrinkle resistant, he explains. It’s used in a classic A-line women’s coat that almost reaches the knee.