M&S fashion Autumn drop 2024: the best bits to buy this year

If you’ve looked up at your local M&S recently you’ll have noticed a sea change in the once staid store. There is no burial of school uniforms and new clothes, the fashion department has moved forward and, after seeing the new autumn collection – the first of which was launched today, it is set on an excellent trajectory. The stats are impressive (in May, M&S announced a 41 percent rise in pre-tax profits to £672.5 million, with clothing and home sales up 5.3 percent) and clothes, although sometimes in knock-off purgatory, hit every trend point. .

Maddy Evans, the womenswear director (formerly of Topshop), has been credited as the woman behind the glamorous renaissance. “We’re trying to focus on the modern mainstream — it’s less about age, more about attitude,” he said. While targeting 35 to 50 customers, Evans insists “we don’t want to alienate customers – we just want to broaden our appeal.” As for what to buy this season, here are the pieces to add to your cart (before anything else):

The word is that M&S ​​can no longer keep animal print products on the shelves. Whether it’s a scarf, ankle boots, boyfriend jeans or a trench coat, everything comes in this leopard print AW24 drop. People (who have likely caught the bug wild-printed from Copenhagen label Ganni) set on leaning on. It is a figure; at the end of August, Google searches for leopard jeans were up 2,899 percent. Don’t buy it if you want to stand out.

The main trend from the Paris collection for AW24 is all things bohemian, mostly thanks to the “new” Chloe designed by incoming creative director Chemena Kamali. This is a look best summed up as Sienna Miller in a floaty dress. M&S has amplified this buzz with a Miller-designed capsule over the summer. Continue on to Jaeger, which M&S is buying for £6 million in 2021, during the colder months. “There is a note of femininity – ruffled dresses and blouses, which are boho-esque,” says Suzi Avens, head of Jaeger. Elsewhere, a flying Jaeger male edge. The best seller is the Liam Gallagher-style trench parka (£175, marksandspencer.com) which dropped last week and has become Jaeger’s best-selling product since buying M&S. “It sold like hotcakes – we bought a chunky volume because we knew it would be good, but it has exceeded our expectations. It’s functional and stylish.

The M&S brigade are excited about denim – and, of course, rightly so. In one season they increased from 12 percent market share of Denim sales to 18 percent. Figure, then, that this is the key focus for AW24. There are hot pieces for everyone: from carrot legs to horseshoes and studded sparkle pairs are especially festive. The current best-seller (holding a store front in stores across the city) has been the new pair of tie-dye shoelaces, which are already sold out. Advice: if you try a pair you like, buy it there and then.

In the upmarket Autograph line (“customer exit point,” says Evans, meaning the most expensive), leather is the “go-to essential for customers.” While sales in this segment have previously focused on premium basics (the perfect white T-shirt and smart work trousers), Evans explained that they are pushing to promote more interesting pieces. “Not in a trendy way, but we’re modernizing the offer from where it was before,” he said. Enter the Midnight Cowboy fringe leather jacket. At £299, the leather is butter soft and extra-long tassels for maximum impact. For later in the year, there is an Autograph sequin-panel skirt (which is very Prada) paired with a teal-tinsel sweater surprising – certainly a twist for them after the appearance of the M & S Christmas party.

Silver was the undisputed king of street style last year – especially a pair of silver metallic slacks. “It was the best-selling item in silver last year,” Evans said, pulling a pair of straight-leg leather pants off the rail. “We’re encouraging gold this year – not in a bright and gaudy way, but in a nicer, softer color.” He styled it with a £179 trench coat, and looked even better. There are also gold trainers not unlike the shiny styles of Loewe or Onitsuka Tiger, available for those who want a jolly pop.