Ena Sharples, Style Icon

Coronation Street women make the most unlikely fashion icons.  First off it was the “Stout in the City” look for New York women when British granny chic became high style in the city a couple of years ago. Katie Grand, an acclaimed fashion stylist, told New York Magazine: "There's something interesting about working-class Britain in the early 1960s. It's just rich with texture and shape.”  Tweeds, blouses, sensible skirts, frumpy shoes, even hair curlers, were all in high fashion with the New York style-conscious urged to adopt the Ena Sharples look. A photo shoot for American Vogue featured a group of elderly, blue-rinsed matrons sitting around a table in a bar. The picture could have been taken in the Rovers Return - however, instead of a glass of stout the ladies were sipping Martinis. What would Annie Walker have made of it all?  And if that wasn’t enough, Dolce & Gabbana showed a faux leopard coat on the catwalk last year, heralding the return of fashion in the style of Bet Lynch. 

Faux leopard print remains this season’s must have, dahling, and if you’re not wearing it, you’re just oh, so, last Wednesday week.  Here’s how to get the look, according to The Irish Independent -  Top Shop offers a leopard-print gilet with capped sleeves to be worn over long-sleeved blouses and tops. Oasis have fur-belted gilets, Miss Selfridge has a faux fur cropped jacket, which will definitely keep you snug (in the Rovers snug) and if you want a touch of this trend rather than the full monty, you can opt for faux fur-trimmed bags, collars on coats or trimmed gloves, from Debenhams and Marks and Spencer. So think on and wrap up warm and if you’re wearing a fur coat, don’t forget your knickers.