The trench coat is almost certainly one of the top ten items every woman should have in her wardrobe. It's the ultimate in easy-chic dressing. You can throw one on over pretty much anything and look immediately stylish in an understated, model-off-duty sort of way. In terms of versatility, it's the biker jacket's grown up, classier sister. And given that the ultimate champion of the trench coat is none other than my favourite ever designer, Christopher Bailey, it's safe to say I'm a pretty big fan.
This year Burberry launches its bespoke trench coat service, where super-rich clientele can pretty much design their own version of the iconic piece, deciding on its colour, length, fabric and additional details. A-mazing. A couple of months ago Burberry muse Emma Watson debuted her personalised version, a ridiculously beautiful pale grey number with black leather sleeves. She also stepped out in three other amazing Burberry trenches in the same week; see how to imitate my favourite of the four looks here. And of course Emma isn't the only celebrity who favours a classic smart trench to update any outfit; check out Elleuk.com's Starstyle feature to see six lovely ladies showing us all how to wear this incontrovertibly brilliant fashion item. My favourite of these comes from model-of-the-moment and current Burberry darling Cara Delevigne (see her modelling in the latest Burberry Prorsum campaign here). I love that Cara has styled her trench in a very Burberry S/S'11 way: simple white tee, luxe black leather leggings and a tangerine bag to add a vibrant shot of colour. I will definitely be channelling this look when wearing my own trench this spring.
Talking of which, let's move on to where to get your own Burberry-alike (of course, if you can afford the real McCoy, then go for it, and I envy you greatly). Sadly, for many of us Christopher Bailey's designs are a little out of reach financially, but luckily, as with all great iconic fashion items, the trench is in no short supply on the great British high street. My own favourite trench coat is actually from Primark; it cost a mere £13, but has been one of my go-to pieces of outerwear ever since I bought it a couple of years ago (see me wearing it here). It's tan, short, single-breasted and with a flared skirt. I love this style but I'm also looking to add a slightly more classic stone double-breasted version to my collection. Of course, that's the beauty of the trench: you can reinvent it in a thousand different ways but it never fails to look classic and timeless. So the style and colour is entirely up to you; the only thing I draw the line at is hems that fall below the knee: just don't go there, or you will look like Sherlock Holmes (and not in a yummy Benedict Cumberbatch kind of way).
Unsurprisingly, there are hundreds of high street trenches to choose from, but here are a few of my favourites. Starting off at the classic end of the spectrum, we have Asos' double breasted trench, reduced from £50 to just £22. Available in classic stone or black, or a slightly more adventurous khaki or blue, you surely couldn't get anything better for that price. Uniqlo's long trench coat is also a very classic style, and I especially like the pale grey version. If you're in the market for a slightly more feminine take, then Topshop's camel belted capelet trench coat, £95, is the one for you. Or, if you'd prefer a military-inspired version, I love Dorothy Perkins' navy colour block trench coat, reduced from £75 to £45. Moving into the slightly more imaginative interpretations, then, first up we have Zara's leopard raincoat, £79.99, for the feline-inclined among you. Next, taking inspiration directly from Burberry's spring/summer catwalk, is Karen Millen's posh trench coat (rubbish name though), a little more expensive at £225, but surely worth it for the wonderful black piping. And lastly, for the very brave, there is Oasis' leather trench coat, reduced from £150 to £90, available in navy or grey.
This year Burberry launches its bespoke trench coat service, where super-rich clientele can pretty much design their own version of the iconic piece, deciding on its colour, length, fabric and additional details. A-mazing. A couple of months ago Burberry muse Emma Watson debuted her personalised version, a ridiculously beautiful pale grey number with black leather sleeves. She also stepped out in three other amazing Burberry trenches in the same week; see how to imitate my favourite of the four looks here. And of course Emma isn't the only celebrity who favours a classic smart trench to update any outfit; check out Elleuk.com's Starstyle feature to see six lovely ladies showing us all how to wear this incontrovertibly brilliant fashion item. My favourite of these comes from model-of-the-moment and current Burberry darling Cara Delevigne (see her modelling in the latest Burberry Prorsum campaign here). I love that Cara has styled her trench in a very Burberry S/S'11 way: simple white tee, luxe black leather leggings and a tangerine bag to add a vibrant shot of colour. I will definitely be channelling this look when wearing my own trench this spring.
Talking of which, let's move on to where to get your own Burberry-alike (of course, if you can afford the real McCoy, then go for it, and I envy you greatly). Sadly, for many of us Christopher Bailey's designs are a little out of reach financially, but luckily, as with all great iconic fashion items, the trench is in no short supply on the great British high street. My own favourite trench coat is actually from Primark; it cost a mere £13, but has been one of my go-to pieces of outerwear ever since I bought it a couple of years ago (see me wearing it here). It's tan, short, single-breasted and with a flared skirt. I love this style but I'm also looking to add a slightly more classic stone double-breasted version to my collection. Of course, that's the beauty of the trench: you can reinvent it in a thousand different ways but it never fails to look classic and timeless. So the style and colour is entirely up to you; the only thing I draw the line at is hems that fall below the knee: just don't go there, or you will look like Sherlock Holmes (and not in a yummy Benedict Cumberbatch kind of way).
Unsurprisingly, there are hundreds of high street trenches to choose from, but here are a few of my favourites. Starting off at the classic end of the spectrum, we have Asos' double breasted trench, reduced from £50 to just £22. Available in classic stone or black, or a slightly more adventurous khaki or blue, you surely couldn't get anything better for that price. Uniqlo's long trench coat is also a very classic style, and I especially like the pale grey version. If you're in the market for a slightly more feminine take, then Topshop's camel belted capelet trench coat, £95, is the one for you. Or, if you'd prefer a military-inspired version, I love Dorothy Perkins' navy colour block trench coat, reduced from £75 to £45. Moving into the slightly more imaginative interpretations, then, first up we have Zara's leopard raincoat, £79.99, for the feline-inclined among you. Next, taking inspiration directly from Burberry's spring/summer catwalk, is Karen Millen's posh trench coat (rubbish name though), a little more expensive at £225, but surely worth it for the wonderful black piping. And lastly, for the very brave, there is Oasis' leather trench coat, reduced from £150 to £90, available in navy or grey.
But personally I'll be holding out for Topshop's leather sleeved trench, which I featured as 15th January's "today I want". As you can see from the above spread, taken from last week's Grazia, it will cost £120 and looks amezzing (bottom right corner of the pic). I'll be saving my pennies and waiting for the day it lands in stores. But whichever trench you choose, you can't go far wrong: that's the beauty of this perennial fashion failsafe. However, if you aren't quite sure how to wear yours, just look to Burberry Prorsum S/S'11 (below) for inspiration. Quite simply amazing.
Pictures of Burberry Prorsum S/S'11: Uk.burberry.com
I love how Christopher Bailey managed to turn Burberry chic again. The ss collection is really inspirational, the belt´s vivid colours accentuate the trench perfectly.
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