Checked Joggers and Chunky Knit Sweater

COAT: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  SWEATER: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  PANTS: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  SHOES: Ann Taylor  |  BAG: Phillip Lim  |  NECKLACE: Maps by A. Jaffe

One of my best friends grew up in London and has the most amazing style.  As many of you know, I  have a particular fondness for British style, so whenever I see Meghan, I’m often interrogating her on where she found whatever amazing thing she’s wearing that day.  Just this past Saturday night when we were out for a girls dinner in Soho, she was wearing the most beautiful coat (super similar to THIS ONE) and, like innumerable gems she has sported in the past, she informed me that it was of course from Marks & Spencer, another one of Britain’s greatest gifts to the world.  I spent the rest of our dinner contemplating methods of pilfering the coat, which included at least one failed attempt at bribing the coat check attendant to tell her it was lost.  FYI, for all of you New Yorkers, the coat check guy at Le Turtle has zero chill.

After hearing about the magic that is Marks & Spencer for so many years, I had to finally check it out for myself.  Enter these AMAZING checked joggers, this perfect chunky knit sweater, and this navy double-breasted coat with cool faux fur collar.  I have to say, perusing their online store was an extremely dangerous experience (consider yourself warned).  This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my online purchases from them.  It’s entirely possible that I only wear Marks & Spencer clothing from this point forward.  The love is real.

But let’s chat price point for a hot sec:  I have to say I was a bit skeptical about the quality of the pieces because if you take a quick spin through their site, you’ll see that their prices seem to be in the “way too good to be true” range.  However, I’m thrilled (and shocked) to report that the quality of the garments is strikingly good.  To top it all off, their packaging was so nice that I did not have to iron a SINGLE THING that I’m wearing between ripping it out of the box like a rabid five-year-old on Christmas morning and wearing it to work the next day.  I mean, just take a look at those pants!  The drape of the fabric, the quality of the tailoring, the pleating detail at the waist and the cuff at the hem—I’ll take one in every color, please.

And not to wax on about these pants too much, but not only are they beautifully constructed and amazingly comfortable, they’re also my absolute favorite alternative to traditional workwear pants.  With the classic check, pleating, and cuffs, they are that perfect mix of classic and trendy—appropriate for every office environment, while still maintaining a little of that extra stylistic oomph with the modified drawstring waist and loose “jogger” fit.  If all of that isn’t enough, let me just close with these three words: hidden elastic waistband.

By all means, go ahead and take a moment to compose yourself.

Just like the pants, they spared no detail when it comes to this chunky sweater or double-breasted coat.  The sweater is exactly the perfect oversized knit that’s as comfortable and effortlessly chic at the office as it is with ripped jeans on the weekends.  It has an amazing cuffed sleeve and a notched hem with a longer length in the back—a particularly clutch detail for mastering that half tucked/half untucked look.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s $30?  That’s 3-0 dollars.  I repeat, it’s THIRTY DOLLARS and comes in four perfect colors.  Run don’t walk.

As for the coat, the faux fur collar breathes new life into the classic peacoat style, yet the masterminds at Marks & Spencer ingeniously made the collar detachable so you can remove it when you’re going for a more classic, streamlined look.  That little touch makes such a huge difference and truly makes it seem like you own two completely different coats.  Feel free to high-five your wallet on this one.

COAT: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  SWEATER: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  PANTS: c/o Marks & Spencer  |  SHOES: Ann Taylor  |  BAG: Phillip Lim  |  NECKLACE: Maps by A. Jaffe

Thanks to Shopping Links and Marks & Spencer for partnering on this post!