Cognac leather trench over bone wide-leg trousers

The coat does the talking: a floor-length trench in smooth cognac leather, notched lapels, buckled sleeve straps and a back that catches the light on every step. Worn open, so it reads as a column of colour rather than a layer. Under it, a black ribbed scoop-neck tank and bone wide-leg trousers with a pressed crease and front pleats, high-waisted and long enough to skim the floor. A black skinny belt with a plain gold oval buckle marks the waist. Cognac pointed pumps finish the line in the same tone as the coat.

This is a cold-morning outfit for days that end at dinner: the tank keeps the top quiet, the trousers do the elegance, and the trench carries the whole thing through a draughty office and a restaurant with good chairs. Autumn and early spring, no scarf, nothing else on top.

The pumps match the coat on purpose. Coincidences take planning.