The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word RED-HAIRED
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
E
D
-
H
A
I
R
E
D
More clues leading to the result RED-HAIRED
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Strikingly-topped" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case strikingly-topped = red-haired.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RED-HAIRED mean?
RED-HAIRED adjective- Having red hair