So here we are again, caught up in seasonal changes and on the verge (almost) of summer. And, as the evenings start to shave off some of their dark hours so our wardrobes start to discard a few of their layers.
But it's all too simple to think of spring and summer dressing as nothing more than crisp white cottons, for our minds to focus on sunny holiday clothes rather than the practicalities of modern city life. Those first hopeful rays of sunshine unleash our inner romantic - and some wildly impulsive kaftan buying. But let's be realistic. As liberating as it is to toss off our winter coats the truth is we can't be without a coat altogether.
That’s why every woman needs a good trench.
Take a look a gallery of celebrities stepping out in trench coats.
They are smart, slightly mysterious and, above all, highly practical. They look just as good worn loose with jeans and trainers at the weekend as they do over your suit on office days. Say goodbye to soggy woollen coats and dark denim jackets that bleed into your new white shirt when it pours with rain - the trench coat has come into its own. Open the fashion pages of any glossy magazine and you will be confronted by every permutation of mac imaginable. These coats fall into my favourite category of garments, being both practical and also deliciously glamorous.
The look has drawn inspiration from a multitude of film stars down the years. Such resonating images as Marlene Dietrich dressed in a tightly belted black trench and matching beret - the epitome of androgynous glamour - in Manpower, and Lauren Bacall simmering in a beige version in Key Largo are frequently imitated. Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve are among the many other actresses who have appeared on screen in sleek beige coats, tightly belted to accentuate their minuscule waists. The classic trench is, of course, beige - think Kate Moss in those Burberry ads - but this spring there are plenty of colourful options to choose from, too.
The Christian Dior spring/summer 2010 collection contained several beauties in gold and bronze lame, abbreviated trenches in pale blue popped up at Burberry and Marc Jacobs opted for neat and zippy styles in hot pink. But for ladies who may shy away from making such a bold style statement a black trench is an altogether sexier proposition. Men will wonder whether you are wearing anything underneath it, especially when you team it with high heels and a pencil skirt whose hem falls just above the coats.
Still, black maybe little boring when a trench coat is the perfect opportunity to experiment with a little colour. The best coloured trenches are at Debenhams, Dunnes, Marisota and Marks & Spencer, and come in an array of shades including red, pink and turquoise. If a knee-length trench is too Inspector Clouseau for you, then Jane Norman has the perfect alternative: the white mini-trench, which falls neatly to the hip. This looks best with trousers, especially spring's new, cropped length. At the other end of the scale, Wallis has a selection of chic belted trenches that fall to just below the knee in classic beige or tan. Or if you’d like a designer look- but without the wallet numbing price tag, check out the black and white belted mac by Giles Deacon for New Look – a steal at only €89.
But the simplest trenches, which are beige and belted, are, arguably, the most chic. The perfect blend of masculine and feminine, they provide an aura of mystery - as though you might be wired up for a meeting with a mobster. How you wear a trench is crucial. Although they look better on the long and the lean, when they are neatly belted, well-cut trenches can hide a multitude of sins. As to what to team them with, well, if the naked option seems a little too chilly, you could always follow the example of Sarah Jessica Parker (trench coat plus jeans and heels). Or you could put them to their original use: protecting you from the rain and the wind, with a sturdy pair of leather boots - and a confident disregard for mud.
Pick the right style and you will not regret it. Trench coats are a wardrobe classic and get top billing as spring's must-have purchase. Even if you are just wearing it to work in the morning to ward off the rain, it is nice to strut down the street with a little of the style of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (headscarf and sunglasses optional). Well, a girl can dream.
