This often overlooked detail is the secret to a truly chic trench coat - just ask Amal Clooney

This is my perfect kind of weather. Beautifully sunny but still chilly enough for a coat can mean only one thing - it's officially trench coat season.

Amal Clooney's coat collection has to be one of the best I've ever come across, so I'm looking to her for inspiration on how to style a trench coat. The thing that stood out to me from these images taken back in 2018, was the one detail that really takes her trench coat to the next level - even if she's only carrying it artfully over her arm!

Hers if of course a Burberry trench coat. The giveaway? The instantly recognisable check print lining. It's such a simple but striking detail that elevates an otherwise simple piece, and it's a feature that as a fashion editor, I know I always look for when shopping for trench coats.

I've found a classic Burberry option you can buy if you want to follow in Amal's footsteps, or alternatively you could try one of the designer lookalikes I've found to keep everyone guessing.

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My own favourite trench coat is a khaki style from Alexa Chung's M&S collection, purchased years ago. That has a striking blue tartan lining, and it really is such a talking point. I often get asked if it is by Burberry!

With the cuffs turned back and the coat left untied, a statement lining really will be a feature of any spring ensemble you put together. Particularly when blustery spring days makes your trench coat flow out behind you!

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You might be asking what's the difference between a mac and a trench? Freelance Fashion Editor Antonia Kraskowski was the one who explained it to me: "a trench coat is double-breasted, usually with two rows of buttons, large lapels and has a belt at the waist.

"While a Mac - or Mackintosh to give it its proper name - has a single row of buttons, no belt or lapels and either a simple collar or none at all."