When actors Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Jamie Bell appeared at the Prada men’s wear show in Milan last month, a paparazzo could have been forgiven for thinking he had taken a wrong turn at the Duomo and stumbled on to a red carpet instead of a runway.

However, to the rest of the audience it was clear that the real stars of the collection were not the celebrity models but the overcoats they wore. Indeed, the British bespoke tailor Timothy Everest labelled the collection “genius”.

According to Jason Broderick, head of men’s wear at Harrods, a smart coat revival is underway. “An evening coat has become increasingly popular with our customers because of the clarity and simplicity of its design,” he says. “An ideal coat is sleek and timeless and should be seen as an investment piece because it gives the wearer a lean, angular silhouette. It has become prevalent in collections from Prada and Gucci to Corneliani as a nod to tradition with a modernist update.”