Croc trenches and ankle skimmers excite this winter

The only good thing about this time of the year is being able to get cossetted in cosy, warm clothes as we gaze out at the darkness at 4pm once the clocks go back this Sunday morning. And I’m certainly looking forward to pulling out my wee collection of coats from the back of the wardrobe after two months of rain during the summer.

If you have yet to invest in a winter covering, and let’s face it the milder weather so far this Autumn hasn’t inspired a trip to the shops yet, there are some rather interesting trends. Floor-length coats are big in this year, which aren’t exactly the most practical for Galway rainy winter days.

But you’ll look cool and won’ have to worry about coordinating what’s on bottom.

Very tailored, long, long coats were a feature in the collections of Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Michael Kors and Victoria Beckham.

If that’s not your bag, bomber jackets are going to be very popular on the rails, with a huge selection of brown ones appearing in almost all of the High Street offerings for Autumn Winter 23.

I find bombers are not very forgiving if you have a big bust – I absolutely loved Joanne Hynes’ black one for Dunnes but the shoulders were enormous - so I’d rather opt for the other jacket choice of the designers this season, a classic blazer, with striking lapels and double breasted.

Many of them are oversized so you can still wear your knits underneath for that layering effect. I’ve personally never owned a trench coat in my life but this is the year to invest if you have a penchant for that 80s wardrobe staple for working men and women. Labels like  and  featured ankle-skimming  in tonal colours.