Specialising in exquisite tweed coats, Cyprus-born Katherine Hooker is one of London's most sought-after designers. But her inspiration came completely out of the blue. She stumbled across a coat in a Jerusalem junk store when she was 18, which immediately sparked her interest. "It was black silk and made for a 14-year-old Hasidic boy. It was high cut under the armpits and looked amazing on. I wore it to death," she said. The coat eventually wore out, but her interest carried on and she tried her hand at designing, creating several patterns. Katherine took these patterns to a clothes manufacturer who agreed to produce them and the rest is history. She now counts celebrities such as Jerry Hall and Sarah Brown as her most famous enthusiasts. However, it is the future queen Kate Middleton who has significantly raised the designer's profile. Katherine's structured outerwear has been a staple of Kate's wardrobe since they met in 2005. And the princess-to-be loved her beige, tailored herringbone coat so much she has worn it on two separate occasions. Katherine describes the style of her semi-bespoke jackets and coats as 'natural elegance'. Her secret is in the cut. The clothes are narrow-shouldered and fitting under the armpits, providing a long, lean and flattering silhouette. The creations are reasonably priced, retailing from £425. "My coats are custom-made but affordable. They look good on everyone and tap into people's individuality," Katherine says.
