Katie Holmes Is In This Year’s Biggest Fashion Trend – And Here’s Where To Shop It

Your top half is permanently swaddled in cashmere, while your bottom half hasn’t seen a zippered waistband for what feels like months. But here’s an idea for re-energising your dressing: leather. This might seem like an odd suggestion on the morning of the second national lockdown, but since all our socialising is now going to based outdoors for at least the next month, a durable fabric like leather isn't sounding like such a bad idea is it? Especially since the queens of great coats - Katie Holmes - just wore the most perfect leather trench coat.

Leather has been ripe for a revival. After percolating as a trend for three seasons thanks to Bottega Veneta – as well as appearing on the catwalks at Burberry, Gabriela Hearst and Hermès for next season – it’s gotten a third wind thanks to Meghan Markle, who wore two pairs of faux-leather trousers in as many weeks (both were Stella McCartney) last month. Meanwhile, Irina Shayk has discovered the trans-seasonal power of a leather blazer (great for sharpening up a silky slip skirt), and also wore a double-breasted leather coat with wellies just last week.

The most compelling reason is still that it's actually pretty cold out there. Back in September, Tan France posted the following observation on Instagram: ‘It’s almost leather weather. Sweater weather’s sluttier friend.’ It seems like ‘almost’ has officially arrived.

The biggest choice is whether to go faux or invest in the real thing. Frame’s leather collection, spanning coats, button-up shirts and trousers, has almost entirely sold out. On the high street, Arket has a special section dedicated to its leather pieces, all of which are made using a chrome-free tanning process; while Joseph’s leather offering has always been consistently excellent.

As an early pioneer of vegan leather, Nanushka’s Sandra Sandor is also part of the leather revolution. Her pieces, including vegan leather puffer jackets and wrap dresses, are a long-standing hit on the influencer circuit, where her fans include Tamu Mcpherson and Tiffany Hsu.

‘The way we wear leather has changed a lot in recent years and people are not afraid to experiment with it. The development of alternative leather, vegan leather and regenerated leather gives designers and customers more options; one doesn’t need to compromise any more. I’ve worked with vegan leather for a couple of years now and the one we use is butter-soft and a great fabric for ready-to-wear pieces. They are not rigid or restrictive in any way.’

Finally, the best thing about leather? It’s so sharp that you can wear it with sweats and still look polished for that walk.