M&S’s New Autumn Collection Has Arrived – And It Could Be The Best One Yet

Apart from the past two days of dizzyingly hot temperatures, the weather, and the fact that schools went back this week, have had us in the mood for autumn. This is excellent news for M&S, who has already seen strong sales of its new-season outerwear, from the faux-fur bomber to the fleece-lined parka, as customers start thinking about their wardrobes after a long time spent in sweatpants.

The pandemic arrived at precisely the wrong moment for M&S, just as the womenswear business, according to Jill Stanton, women's, kids and beauty director, was gaining momentum but it has, on a positive note, given her and her team the opportunity to make some much-needed changes. ‘How can we be more important in [our customer’s] casual wardrobe?’ is now a major focus, while the shop’s more formal offering has been reinvented. ‘Those racks of black trousers are now gone,’ says Stanton, who admits that she struggled with the idea of putting outfits together after spending so long in loungewear, hence why there’s much more emphasis on what goes with what in physical stores.

And there is lots to get excited about wearing this autumn, with a refined collection that is less about bells and whistles (read: trends) than about wearable pieces that don’t sacrifice on style. The onion-quilted coat in khaki, belted at the waist and falling just below the knee, isn’t so much an ‘It’ coat, like the famous pink sell-out that became a high street legend, as something that can be worn for this winter and the next five without losing its appeal. This move away from one-hit-a-season wonders, which drive customer demand but also disappointment when they sell out, is intentional, says Stanton. ‘We’ve always been known for one item. We're shifting our focus to getting the wardrobe right.’

If you’re looking for what to go underneath that quilted coat, take your pick from long-sleeved floral dresses with cleated boots (Chelsea and hiking styles with contrast laces are big news for autumn) or a balloon-sleeved white shirt, a sweater vest and wide-leg jeans. Denim has always been a big seller at M&S, and while its customer still loves their skinny jeans, they’re slowly branching into boyfriend styles and barrel legs. ‘The first thing we did was focus on the right denim, wash, rivets, zips and fit,’ says Stanton. ‘Since she has started to believe in us, [so has her] confidence in buying fashion fits. The wide-leg, the boyfriend and the barrel are really driving volume.’

You don’t want to miss out on the high-waisted, tapered-leg jeans that are part of Per Una - styled with a burgundy ruffled blouse and slouchy mid-calf boots, the whole outfit has a hint of Isabel Marant - or the straight-leg styles that can be worn with turn-ups to show off those hiking boots.

Another timeless hero that's emerged is the shacket, and the collection has a longline style in a spearmint green, as well as a grey checked number with a fringed hem, that would look lovely over a pair of jeans, a pleated skirt or even a pattered dress while the weather holds.

The knitwear is also as reliable as you'd expect and this season the most wantable styles include a chunky red and cream turtleneck (part of the festive edit and ideal for the office party if there is one) and a cable-knit cardigan with what Lisa Illis, head of womenswear design, calls 'cottagecore' detailing, an embroidered flower on the left breast.

That pretty much sums up M&S: aware of what trends are going viral on TikTok, but clever enough to make them desirable for its broad range of customers. So the next time you swing by to pick up tights or a Colin, make sure to visit the clothes. You might not find another pink coat, but there's plenty more magic where it came from.