Why a trench is your best shortcut to timeless chic
BuyIng a coat can be stressful. I hate to sound dramatic, but think about it. you need to find something you’re happy to wear from now until next May.
It’s never cheap (if it is, it’s useless in the cold) and so needs to be a brilliant multi-tasker that looks great with workwear and weekend jeans.
I bring you the perfect solution: the trench coat. our saviour for 2017. And 2018. And beyond.
It’s not often we can truly say a piece of clothing is timeless. Hemlines rise and fall, trousers cinch in and billow out, while jacket cuts veer between boxy and slimline. But the trench coat has earned its place in our hearts as the hardest working and most stylish perennial there is.
Although its roots are in sensible, buttoned-up military attire, the trench was a star turn on this year’s autumnwinter catwalks.
Luxe, playful re-imaginings of the style included a buttery blue leather version at Celine and one that draped sexily off the shoulders at Balenciaga.
It’s virtually impossible to get the trench coat wrong, but if you want to be oh- so-very2017, then oversize it.
Let it envelope you, puffed up at the shoulders and cinched in around the waist. It’s a chic way to tap into the season’s obsession with masculine tailoring. Pile on as many winter layers as you like underneath.
NATurALLy
the High Street is running with the trend and having huge fun with it.
For my money, you can’t beat the classic caramel shades that just look right with anything else you wear. It’s hard to think of a better example than the sturdy trench by JW Anderson (now £59.90, uniqlo.com).
And when you do get bored with the colour, this one is reversible, switching to reveal another huge trend — bold tartan. With this coat on top, no outfit could look drab.
Similarly, you can’t go wrong with the beige beauty from H&M (£99.99, hm.com). The slouchy shoulders and huge pockets tap into the season’s obsession with oversized looks and the shade is perfect.
Another colour that works surprisingly well as a ‘neutral’ is khaki. I own a pure cotton trench, (£79, marksandspencer.
com) and I pair it with black, white, red, navy and even pink outfits. It’s cotton but still reassuringly heavy and surprisingly warm. If you already own a trench in a useful, neutral colour this is all the excuse you need to buy a colourful new one this winter.
you could try the striking red number from Phase Eight (now £89, phase-eight.com) or the white version from uterque (£200, uterque.com). White is, incidentally, a major colour for coats this year.
Inspired by the catwalks, different fabrics and textures abound for 2017’ s trench coats, too. The blue, leatherlook style from Mango (£89.99,
mango.com) will not only be hard-wearing in the cold, wet months ahead, but will also bring a pretty pop of colour to your winter blacks and greys.
To add simple chic to your look, the unstructured trench from AllSaints (£ 278,
selfridges.com) is a winner. The chunky stitching and asymmetric hem are the kind of details I look for to give a classic style a bit of an edge.
There’s no way I’ll be able to resist the long version from H&M’s new sister brand Arket (£250, arket.com). It’s a pleasingly heavy wool, and navy is so much more flattering than black for my pale winter face.
Choose a trench you love and not only will it serve you well all winter, it will add so much polish to any outfit that, well, it really won’t matter much what you wear underneath!