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The best men’s coats for autumn and winter: 48 favourites for £200 or less

From a puffer made of old fishing nets to a trench worthy of Bogart, these are the coats worth braving the cold for • The best men’s shirts for every occasion No one remembers the suit Humphrey Bogart wore at the end of Casablanca, but everyone remembers the trench. The same goes for you this winter: from November to March, your coat is your first impression, so it’s worth getting right. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune: the coats in this list cost £200 or less. The trick to choosing the best coat for you is buying something you’ll still be happy to wear in five years. If you’re f

Style

From the overblown to the ordinary? Met Gala 2027 to celebrate ‘poetics of everyday’

Event regarded as Oscars of fashion industry replaces John Galliano retrospective with homage to the ‘extra ordinary’ A few months after the planned John Galliano Met Gala retrospective was cancelled amid a backlash focused on the designer’s past, a more commonplace theme has been announced: “extraORDINARY: fashion and the poetics of the everyday.” It has left some commentators speculating that celebrities might replace the couture “omelette dresses” and four-part red-carpet performances with jeans and a nice top. While the dress code for the next Met Gala, which will be held on 3 May 2027, is

Travel

Walking with spirits in Cambodia’s sacred forests

Former loggers and poachers have embraced ancient traditions to promote and protect the Cardamom Mountains’ ever-threatened natural wonders I’m two hours downriver from the Chi Phat community ecotourism camp, in the Koh Kong region of Cambodia, when my phone signal fizzles out completely. It’s dawn and we’re chugging through the snaking Preak Piphot River towards the starting point of a 9-mile (15km) overnight trek into the country’s sacred, spirit-filled Cardamom mountain range. The region, a six-hour bus ride west of the capital Phnom Penh, recently made global news for being home to a raft

Style

‘Minimal look, maximal politics’: why the black T-shirt signals modern power

The look – worn by Abdul El-Sayed, Andy Burnham and Volodymyr Zelenskyy – radiates authority and no-nonsense masculinity, say fashion experts For years the black T-shirt was consigned to the clothing category of plain basics. A hidden layer rather than the main event. But modern politics has pushed it to the frontlines as a sartorial shortcut to signal power. The progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who this week became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate in history, made a tight black T-shirt his signature look throughout his year-long campaign. Styling it with jeans and friendship brac

Travel

Albania’s restored stone houses throw open the doors to visitors

A project to convert the country’s traditional kulla houses into guesthouses offers a true flavour of ancient hospitality in a part of the country almost untouched by tourism Sunlight pours through a tiny stone window, causing the wooden floorboards to creak as they warm up. The sound of sheep’s bells filters in from a passing flock. The scent of baking bread mingles with smoke from the previous evening’s fire. I wake up feeling I’ve been transported back to another time – but in reality I’m in modern-day Albania. I’m staying in a kulla, one of the traditional stone tower houses that are found

Style

Martine Rose appointed creative director at Balenciaga

Fashion house move marks breakthrough in white, male-dominated industry For the first time in its 109-year history, the fashion house Balenciaga is to be led by a woman, with the British designer Martine Rose appointed as creative director of the brand. Her appointment at Balenciaga marks a breakthrough in the white, male-dominated fashion industry. Rose is only the second Black woman to lead a major European house. Her appointment follows Grace Wales Bonner, who in 2025 was announced as the men’s creative director at Hermès. Continue reading...

Style

Prince, the pope, and autumn 2026: purple is hot this season

Spotted on Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino catwalks, purple is having a moment. If you really want to stand out, wear it with red The colour purple has links to royalty, the Catholic church, Prince, Gordon Brown’s ties and Barney the dinosaur and it now has a new association – autumn 2026. It has been deemed fashion’s favourite colour having been spotted on autumn/winter catwalks, with Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino showcasing all-purple designs. Continue reading...

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Faux fur, funnel necks and timeless wool: the 47 best women’s coats for autumn and winter

Long, short, tailored or sporty, there’s a great jacket for everyone – here are our favourites • Jess Cartner-Morley’s November style essentials It’s November, which means your thick tights and cosiest jumpers have emerged from that box under the bed. And while winter weather brings with it a whole host of wardrobe-related challenges, few can’t be solved with the addition of an outstanding coat. A coat is the easiest way to add a stamp of your signature style to an outfit. They bring sophistication, drama, and (for some, most importantly) warmth. Elevate a simple jeans-and-tee outfit with a st

Style

Jess Cartner-Morley’s November style essentials: fancy flats, sexy knits and a Christmassy pigeon

Whether it’s a two-in-one coat or a truly delicious handbag, add some fun to getting dressed during the cold, dark months with our expert’s favourites • The best women’s shoes and boots for autumn The clocks have gone back. The mornings are cold and the evenings are dark. The world seems to be doing its level best to discourage any fashion ambition beyond the need to stay alive and warm enough to function. But clothes – even in winter – are not just about staying alive. They are about staying alive alive. Alive inside. So this month’s edit is about finding the fun in getting dressed when the w

Travel

10 spine-chilling places to visit in Britain for Halloween

Ghostly shipwrecks, an abandoned nuclear bunker, a haunted folly … we dare you to visit these weird and ghoulishly eerie sites A derelict, 24-metre tall redbrick and flint folly outside Chichester, Racton Monument (known locally as Racton Ruin) is said to be one of the most haunted places in Sussex and has been the site of many paranormal investigations. George Montagu Dunk, the second Earl of Halifax, commissioned the folly, but there is no conclusive account as to why he had it built. Some say it was as a summerhouse, others a viewing point to watch ships come in from the Solent. A ghostly w

Style

Why M&S director Kathryn Turner is the ultimate ‘Gay Halloween’ costume idea

Product development boss at Marks & Spencer inspires niche outfits after unexpected success on social media She is not the most likely viral star. But with 310,000 followers on TikTok and 270,000 on Instagram, Marks & Spencer Food’s director of product development, Kathryn Turner, has suddenly become one of the year’s big hits on social media. Her videos take the viewer with her as she goes in-store to look at new dessert launches, including its banana, caramel and pecan pudding, or taste test its latest products, such as its cherry and chocolate cookies. Turner is part of Marks &

Style

Basketweavers get in a twist over Alexander Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband

Why is he not made of willow? Why is he plaited and not woven? World’s basket makers have plenty of questions Hollywood heart-throbs are known for their good looks and charisma. But in a classic plot twist, the latest big-screen dreamboat causing viewers to get hot and bothered isn’t even human. Alexander Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband character in the romcom Wicker has sent the internet into a frenzy. Continue reading...

Style

DIY socks, messy collars and cummerbunds: nine wardrobe updates from the catwalks

High fashion looks without a big budget? Follow our frugal guide to pinch the biggest autumn/winter ‘26 catwalk trends for free • Don’t get Fashion Statement delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Dark mornings, darker evenings and the end of Celebrity Traitors. It’s easy to feel a bit meh at this time of year. However, without sounding too TikTok life coach, just as you are encouraged to winter-proof your morning routine (light a breakfast candle, make your favourite cup of tea) to start your day on a brighter note, the same approach could be applied to your wardrobe. An outfit you look forwar

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Travel

‘Expect goosebumps!’: to celebrate Halloween, readers choose the spookiest places in the UK

From a ghostly hill fort on the South Downs to a haunted farmhouse in remote Northern Ireland, you guide us to some frightfully scary places • Tell us about an escape in the wilds of Scotland – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher Dunnottar Castle, perched on cliffs above the crashing North Sea, is one of Scotland’s eeriest places. The most haunting part is the Whigs Vault, where more than 160 prisoners were confined in dreadful conditions in 1685. Standing in that dark chamber, it’s impossible not to imagine their fear and suffering. With my Fraser ancestry, the castle’s history feels esp

Travel

Cycling in the wild heart of the Netherlands: an autumnal break in the Veluwe

The untamed, magical landscape takes in a vast national park, palatial houses and a sculpture garden and museum stuffed with Van Goghs – all easily accessible by bike One minute I’m cycling through an expansive dusty pink stretch of heathland with sloping sand dunes in the distant horizon, the next I’m winding through a fragrant Scots pine forest as sunlight filters through the branches of red-barked trees to make a kaleidoscope of white shapes on the trail floor ahead. I’m in Hoge Veluwe National Park, a 5,400 hectare (13,000 acre) nature reserve in Gelderland, about an hour and a half from A

Style

From five-fingered trainers to the shoeless shoe: what’s with all the freaky footwear?

‘Ugly’ shoes, once the preserve of the catwalk, have gone mainstream. Why are so many people taking a walk on the wild side? Until recently, a busy commuter train would be packed with people wearing low-key, unobtrusive shoes. An elegant and inoffensive pump, a sporty trainer or a polite and basic ballet flat, they were the type of shoes that said background extra rather than main character energy. But now change is afoot. Deliberately strange designs are reaching new heights of desirability. Polarising rather than pretty, these shoes tend to be flat, a little bit orthopaedic and, according to

Style

‘A form of anti-status status’ – how much would you pay for a plain tote bag?

The ubiquitous carrier has been given a four-figure makeover. But why has an everyday bag associated with running errands and US supermarkets become so aspirational? • Don’t get Fashion Statement delivered to your inbox? Sign up here If you were in the blessed position of having £500 to spend on a bag, what would you look for? Would it be made of cotton? A nice light shade bound to sully quickly, like “paper white” or ecru? Would you want something that looks a lot like those ubiquitous totes sold by a certain US supermarket chain for a couple of dollars? No, thought not. But there are plenty