M&S Autumn Winter Love

I have to stay out of M&S for a few weeks as there is just too much I want to buy! They have really gotten their act together this season, not just in certain places but right across all the brands, including Per Una. Yes, even Poor Una (as I like to call it - the unfortunate unstylish sister of the Limited Collection) has stuff you'd want to buy!

I headed there last week with a couple of blogging friends (Katrina & Nic) for a meet up and a collective browse. It's great shopping with other bloggers, especially Katrina from Sugahfix, who's a stylist too. She has such a great eye and picked out a few items that I would have walked past. But more on that in a minute - here's what I wore..

Black Boucle Jacket - Gok @ Tu - AW12
Boyfriend Jeans - Gap
Cream Silk Blouse - Boden (via Joanna Poppy's Style's blog sale!)
Necklace - M&S Current Season
Leopard Pumps - M&S SS13 (similar below)
The Prada Baby

Here are my highlights from the current selection..starting with a bit of leopard. I've come right round to leopard since I got my pumps and scarf. I may add to my collection this season. Just don't wear it all at once!

Clockwise from top left:
Autograph Suede Asymmetric Pumps, Autograph Leather Hobo Bag,
Limited Leopard Top, Autograph Leather Pointed Flats

Zips featured heavily and the coat below was worn by Mollie King (from the Saturdays) over the weekend, making it an online sell out. It's very similar to the Zara one from last winter but is a much better quality for the same price. The tartan dress is another great piece for those of us shy of tartan. It's a much more modern take on the trend. I could almost wear it. The pleather detail on the neckline gave it a nice edgy look.

Clockwise from top left:
Limited Zip Wool Coat (sold out online), Autograph Zip Hobo in Burgundy,
Limited Edition Fit & Flare Dress, Classic Trench Coats 

Visually, I'm loving the displays around the store - they really help you to put the outfits together. Believe it or not, I'm not that good at styling up outfits when I'm shopping. I tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer selection in big stores so I rely a lot on store merchandising. The three mannequins in a row all dressed the same pleased me greatly - I must be more OCD than I thought!

M&S Collection Sequin Jacket - beautifully merchandised!

I can recommend the colour and cut of the bum-lifting skinny jeans. Again, selling out fast!

M&S Collection Faux Leather Tweed Jacket,
Pleather Detail Tweed Skirt (not online),
Sculpt & Lift Skinny Jeans 

If I didn't already have about 10 pairs of ankle boots (note the 'about' - I don't even know how many I have!), I would have added all of these to the collection. The black pair (top left) have a real Newbury look about them and are super comfy. The Autograph pewter boots are a great neutral alternative to black or brown this season. And you know wedge trainers are mainstream when M&S gets them in. It must be time for me to reveal the pair I bought over the summer...

Indigo Collection Leather Ankle Boot, Autograph Pewter Leather Chelsea Boot,
Limited Edition Platform Wedge Trainer, Indigo Suede Boot (not online)

Finally a couple of items that had to be tried on. First up, Katrina pointed this coat out to me as she'd used it on a fashion shoot recently. She called it the match everything coat. Now I would have walked past it another day (Per Una) but we held it up to all our outfits and a few nearby items and indeed - it matched them all. It's an unusual mix of purple, blue, brown, grey. Could be that versatile winter coat you've been looking for? Just a couple of caveats - it's prone to pulling (check the feedback on the link) and it's obviously not waterproof. But I could live with both of these for a go-to warm coat like this...

Per Una Large Collar Textured Coat

The last item that I loved was this knitted, pleather sleeved cross between a jacket and a cardigan. It's very Zara-esque and great for wearing now or for layering up in colder weather. It's got a knitted, mohairy style body with an asymmetric zip and pleather quilted lightweight sleeves). Looked better zipped up and was neat in fit (I needed a 12). Check out Nic (Strawberry Blonde Beauty Blog) trying on a leopard knit from Limited.

Limited Edition Quilted Sleeve Cardigan
Limited Edition Leopard Knit (not online)

So know you know why I'm staying away - at least until after next week's wedding! Which has caused me major outfit dilemmas over the past few days. So much so, I've dedicated an entire post to it. Watch this space :)

Will leave you with a little group shot of myself with Nic and Katrina...

a lovely morning of catching up - thanks girls!