16 Leather Trench Coats, The Outerwear Trend Beloved By Katie Holmes & Zendaya

In November, Katie Holmes joined the ranks of Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, and Zendaya when she stepped out in New York City wearing one of this season’s most sought-after outerwear styles: a leather trench coat.

Courtesy of Polish designer Magda Butrym, the coat is belted and Bordeaux-colored. With it, the Dawson’s Creek star wore a white, ruffled blouse, black jeans, black ankle boots, and her signature Strathberry two-tone tote bag (which is currently for sale at Nordstrom and Shopbop). Like those who wore the outerwear style before her, Holmes made her trench coat the star of the show, wearing it untied and casually open.

As with most trends, the leather alternative to trench coats — which allow the silhouette to be worn throughout winter, when traditional cotton styles are no longer weather-appropriate — first debuted on the runway. During the fall ‘19 season, Stella McCartney introduced a menswear-esque vegan leather style with broad shoulders and a tapered waist at her London Fashion Week show. Later that season, Fendi included a patent leather trench coat in its collection during Milan Fashion Week, as did Balenciaga in Paris. Six months later, Louis Vuitton debuted a purple, knee-length leather trench coat on the catwalk at its spring ‘20 show. It wasn’t long before celebrities followed suit. 

Though other A-listers, including Lily Rose-Depp, Gigi Hadid, and Lady Gaga, have all re-embraced the ‘90s outerwear trend since its return to the fashion month circuit, given how popular Holmes’ street style has been in 2020, we’re betting her stamp of approval will be the one that really counts. (The actress has already made a case for cut-out sweaters, blazers paired with sweatpants, and Canadian tuxedos this year.) Without further ado, shop our favorite leather trenches for the season ahead.