IS it possible for the average midlife woman to wear this season’s biggest trend – expertly illustrated by Claudia Winkleman in Traitors?
Clemmie Fieldsend shows how to pull it off
Farmer fashion is on the up, pictured Claudia Winkleman on The TraitorsCredit: BBC
Alexa Chung making country core look chicCredit: Getty
Unless you’ve been living under a bale of hay, you’ll have spotted that dressing like a farmer is suddenly the cream of the crop.
Barbour-style barn jackets — once reserved for herding sheep in muddy fields — are now appearing on celebs on front rows.
is wearing fingerless fair isle gloves and lug boots to present the country’s biggest TV show (, not ).
And, of course, never one to miss a fashion , has recently appeared on the cover of Country Life magazine in a variety of flat caps, wellies and tweed blazers.
The man even held a shepherd’s crook in his hand.
But while Claud, Becks, and even celebs such as and are making country core look chic, can anyone pull it off?
One wrong move and you risk looking less like a glossy A-lister and more like those two ruddy-cheeked farmers’ wives from French and Saunders’ famous sketch. Or Compo from Last Of The Summer Wine.
Most fashion trends are not new — and neither is this one.
If you remember it the first time round, you may wonder, can you really pull off the country bumpkin look again without looking like an eccentric old lady?
Mucking out pig pens
The trend harks back to the Sloane Ranger of the Eighties and Nineties.
It was when upper-class Londoners would stalk the streets of the capital’s poshest boroughs clad in wellies, woolly knits and waxed jackets, before cramming the kids into their Range Rover — aptly named the Chelsea Tractor — to head off to their country pile.
Think , with upturned shirt collars and decked out in perfectly tailored tweed.
It was a none-too-subtle way of saying: “Yes, I live in a wealthy part of London . . . but I also have a pad in the Cotswolds because I’m THAT rich.”
Of course the look caught on to the masses, in a more subtle way — think rugby shirts, cosy oversized cable-knits and jodhpurs.
It’s likely that the kids who grew up in the Eighties are the ones now behind the scenes leading the charge to bring back the look today — working in fashion houses or as stylists.
There’s certainly been a reinvention at Barbour HQ. Eighties child turned Noughties It Girl Alexa Chung was appointed creative director in an obvious move to pull in millennials.
David Beckham dressed ready for a day working in the countryside, for Country Life magazineCredit: David Beckham Instagram
Princess Kate donning a stylish brown jacket and skirtCredit: Getty
Country-core is nostalgic — a reminder of the glory days when life was simpler.
It’s definitely a trend we can all embrace, but there are a few things to bear in mind.
Firstly, this look is aspirational. It’s Lord and Lady of the manor, not mucking out the pig pens.
It’s more Rivals, rather than — although, to be fair, , right-hand man, has recently released his own clothing line.
Definitely invest in a Barbour coat — or Farbour which is a Barbour dupe. This is the key item for the modern country look.
Definitely invest in a Barbour coat — or Farbour which is a Barbour dupe. This is the key item for the modern country look
But you don’t need a heavy waxed number if you’ll mostly be heading to the high street or hopping out of the car to collect the kids from school.
, Tu at and have stylish, shorter and lighter versions if you don’t have £249 to splash out on Barbour’s classic beadnell waxed jacket.
Modern tailoring
Also, you don’t have to plump for a traditional sludgy coloured coat. There are brighter barn jackets available.
Alexa’s new collection with Barbour includes a red trench and a bright beige number, too. Such shades will lift your complexion.
If you do opt for a traditional colour, brighten it up with the rest of your outfit.
Recently, the Princess of Wales visited a cider farm in Portadown, County Armagh, wearing a black Barbour with a brown skirt and cardi.
She looked the part but this combo would look drab elsewhere.
Moving on from the jacket, less is more.
Now I love Claudia’s style on Traitors, but in real life, would we wear a tweed, multi-pocket jacket, ludicrously impractical frilly blouse and riding boots, all at the same time?
If you wore that to Lidl, people would ask where you’d parked your horse.
For a modern take, keep it less costume and more cool.
If you wear tartan, go for updated and on-trend silhouettes, like a bomber.
The X collection has a check number with faux leather collar, £28, that is a double for a £148 Barbour style.
Or take style cues from American actress who mixed the traditional with modern recently — teaming a quilted Barbour with a classic pair of black jeans, a white T-shirt, denim shirt and snake print boots.
Model Adwoa Aboah also looked cool at in a Barbour with loose-fitting blue jeans and a sleek black belt.
Throwing in modern tailoring with a heritage piece is a great way to give a nod to the trend and look fabulous rather than farmer.
Frankie Bridge stuns in some lovely earthy coloursCredit: Getty
M&S short version of BarbourCredit: M&S
Country style jacket from Sainsbury’s Tu clothing rangeCredit: Tu
One wrong move and you risk looking less like a glossy A-lister and more like those two ruddy-cheeked farmers’ wives from French and Saunders’ famous sketchCredit: BBC 
