How M&S became the chicest label on the high street: best bits to buy this autumn

If you have looked up in your local M&S recently you will have noticed that there has been a sea change at the once staid retailer. No longer a graveyard of school uniforms and new knickers, their fashion department has lurched forwards and, having seen their new autumn collection — the first of which launches today, it is set on an upwardly chic trajectory. The stats are great (in May, M&S announced pre-tax profits up 41 per cent to £672.5 million, with clothing and home sales up 5.3 per cent) and the clothes, though sometimes lingering in knock-off purgatory, hit every trending point.

Maddy Evans, womenswear director (formerly of Topshop), has been credited as the woman behind its stylish renaissance. “We’re trying to focus on modern mainstream — less about age, more about attitude,” she says. While the target customer is 35 to 50, Evans stresses “ we don’t want to alienate any of our customers — we just want to broaden the appeal.” As for what to buy this season, these are the pieces to add to your basket (before the rest do):

The word is M&S cannot keep their animal print products on the shelves. Whether that’s a scarf, ankle boot, boyfriend jean or trench coat, all of which are coming in leopard this AW24 drop. People (who have likely caught the wild-printed bug from Copenhagen label Ganni) are set on leaning in. It figures; at the end of August, Google searches for leopard jeans were up 2,899 per cent. Do not buy if you want to stand out.

The key trend from the Paris collections for AW24 was all things bohemian, mostly thanks to the “new” Chloe designed by its incoming creative director Chemena Kamali. It is a look best summed up as Sienna Miller in a floaty dress. M&S already capitalised on this buzz with a Miller-designed capsule in summer. It continues at Jaeger, which M&S bought for £6 million in 2021, for the colder months. “There are notes of femininity — the ruffled dress and blouse, which is a nod to the boho,” says Suzi Avens, head of Jaeger. Elsewhere, it’s Jaeger’s masculine edge that’s flying. Their top seller is a Liam Gallagher-style parka trench (£175, marksandspencer.com) which dropped last week and has become the fastest selling product from Jaeger since M&S bought it. “It’s selling like hot cakes — we bought a chunky volume because we knew it would be good, but it has far exceeded our expectations. It’s functional and stylish.” 

The M&S brigade are very excited about their denim — and, admittedly, rightly so. In one season they increased from a 12 per cent market share of denim sales to 18 per cent. Figures, then, that this is the key focus for AW24. There is a hot cut for everyone: from carrot legs to horseshoe and a particularly festive sparkled studded pair. Their bestseller right now (holding front-of-shop at outlets across town) has been a new shoelace tie blue pair, which are all but sold out. The advice: if you try a pair you like, buy them there and then. 

At the upmarket Autograph line (“the customer exit point,” says Evans, meaning most expensive), leather is the “important go-to for the customer”. While sales in this section have focussed on premium basics before (the perfect white T-shirt and smart work trouser), Evans explains they are pushing to promote more interesting pieces. “Not in a way that’s trend lead, but we are modernising the offer from where we previously had it,” she says. Enter the Midnight Cowboy fringed leather jacket. At £299, the leather is butter soft and tassels extra-long for maximum impact. For later in the year, there is an Autograph sequin-panel skirt (which is very Prada) paired with shocking teal-tinsel sweaters — certainly a twist for those after their M&S Christmas party look. 

Silver was the undisputed street style king last year — one pair of silver metallic slacks in particular. “This is a bring back from a bestseller we had in silver last year,” says Evans, pulling a soft-to-touch pair of straight legged leather trousers from the rail. “We are backing gold this year — not in a bright, tarnishy way, but a prettier, softer shade.” They have styled them with a £179 trench coat, and it’s a more than achievable look. There is also a gold trainer not dissimilar to shiny styles from Loewe or Onitsuka Tiger, available for those wanting a jolly pop.