“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool,” says Philip Seymour Hoffman as the fictional magazine editor Lester Bangs in the 2000 film, Almost Famous. While he’s talking about people, it’s an concept that arguably applies to fashion trends, too – after all, the sign of a worthy fashion investment is that you love it even when snarky TikTok influencers declare it “dead” or a middle-aged politician wears it to a news briefing.
Well, for me, the Almost Famous-inspired ’70s coat is a staple that has stood the test of time. And it just so happens to be a style that is proliferating this winter, spotted on fashion folk and A-listers (Bella Hadid, Suki Waterhouse and Madonna, to name but a few) alike, thanks to its “I’m with the band” appeal.
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Described by Vogue’s features writer Daisy Jones as the “groupie” look, the Penny Lane coat comes in various forms, but is broadly identifiable by its fluffy collar and cuffs, snug fit and leather or suede fabrication. Kate Hudson’s Almost Famous character, Penny Lane, shot the style back into the spotlight in the Noughties with a brown suede iteration featuring a shaggy, cream-coloured collar that blended perfectly with the character’s mane of corkscrew curls. She was the girl we all wanted to be. The iconic image of Hudson in the coat is probably more, well, famous that the film itself these days.
