Style Theory: This Autumn/Winter for me is all about beautiful jumpers, floral skirts mixed with cool outerwear, denim and a healthy dose of practical footwear. I love to be comfortable but at the same time look like I have made a little effort and these looks, all head to toe Marks and Spencer, are all those things I can move around in but also look like I have spent longer than 2 mins getting ready (genuinely for these photos I had taken 2 mins getting ready..nothing a slick of red lipstick can't fix!)

If you follow me on Instagram you will know I have worn this skirt loads. I love the print and the length, it feels elegant but is also really easy to wear and can be mixed and matched with so many tops, I have worn it with the red jumper (as in these photos) a navy jumper, with a grey hoody and trainers and with a navy blouse and heels for a 'grown up' smarter look. It has an elasticated waist so is super forgiving at dinner, I am wearing a size 10 but could possibly have gone down to a size 8.

Jumper - M&S Cashmere Jumper £75
Skirt - M&S Per Una £39.50
Shoes - M&S £39.50
Bag - M&S Pure Leather Bag £79

The shoes are incredibly comfy, they look great with ankle length jeans and a red blouse or with a simple tee. The cashmere jumper is the ultimate in luxury, a beautiful shade of red and so so soft, I am wearing a size 12 here as I like my sweaters to be generous. I fell in love with this bag as soon as I spotted it, it is looks designer-esque, is the softest leather and stays on your shoulder without immediately slipping off (my bugbear!) I love walking around in this outfit, it is practical but you can really feel quite ladylike in it..

A trench is a 'must have' for Autumn, this M&S Trench looks great on, it is cut beautifully (fits good on the shoulders..important for a trench) and is the perfect length (I am wearing a size 8 - size down for a neater fit).

Trench Coat - M&S £45
Belt - M&S £15
Jeans - M&S £29.50
Trainers - M&S £49.50
Leather Bag - M&S £79

I added a belt to make the trench look expensive and tailored and the deep red leather bag is beautiful, a really useful chic bag, it will look great with a navy, red, khaki or black coat. The trainers are great, the zebra print rings the changes to my trainer collection and as they are leather they are comfy and not too hot..

My perfect dressed up/dressed down outfit. I am a sucker for stripes and this cashmere striped breton is the dream, incredibly versatile wear with jeans and trainers or clash up with a floral skirt and heels. I am wearing a size 8 jumper as I decided I wanted this to be slightly more fitted than the rest of my jumpers but for a slouchier fit size up.

Cashmere jumper - M&S £85
Denim Culottes - M&S £29.50
Boots - M&S £39.50

Culottes are just the best, so practical, easy to wear and look great with heels, due to my height I have to wear heels with culottes to avoid my legs looking incredibly short! (I am wearing a size 8) These velvet sock boots are great, they look super luxe for a decent price, if you do get a chance to try they on instore try on a few different pairs (in your size) as the zips are a little hit and miss, some zips sit well others stick out a little.

Finally the 'event dress' which again can be dressed down pretty easily. I wore it for an evening out in a lovely restaurant but it would look equally good with a tight navy poloneck underneath and a pair of tan, chunky 70s style knee high boots for a cool, boho daytime look..

Dress - M&S £45
Boots - M&S £39.50

It is quite Princess Diana in the 80s (which completely drew me to the dress) I love the gold sparkle and find navy a really flattering and forgiving colour against my skin. It is a great length and the velvet boots give it an edge, Winter events I am ready for you!!

I loved shooting these M&S pieces, I am a huge fan of M&S and always find some real gems in there at affordable prices, ideal pieces to pad out your Autumn/Winter wardrobe and add a touch of luxe. I am so excited to be featured on Style and Living here..

What are your fave Autumn items so far this season, as always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xxx

This blog post was written in collaboration with M&S, all clothing choices, styling, photography and opinions are my own.

Archive By Alexa at M&S - The Best Bits...

Style Theory: There is no doubt I am a sucker for a collaboration especially if it involves Alexa Chung, she has such an eye for wearable fashion. Her incredible style joined with M&S prices make the new Archive by Alexa range very exciting

So how did it look? Well, the quality was good, sizing slightly hit and miss and the prices reasonable. The design details on each piece were very Alexa but as she is incredibly tall and super slim I wasn't sure how this would translate to a 5ft3, 41 year old woman who had seriously indulged over Easter. So I had a try on session in Marble Arch M&S today in between meetings to see and here are the results..

The Harry Blouse £35

This was always going to be my favourite piece in the collection and I must admit I love it. I bought a size 10 and found that it did come up a little small, it is really tight across the top of my arms (but I am a bit chunky there at the moment so with less Easter eggs it may be ok) I didn't size up as I am quite narrow across the shoulders and thought it may be too big..so plumped with the UK10 and the hope I will lose weight/the blouse will stretch! I prefer the pink colour over the white as I am a big pink fan but the white did look good.

The Ada Blazer £49.50
The Ada Trousers £39.50
Shoes - Gucci Marmont 

The blazer and trousers were a surprise hit. The blazer looks fab on, I sized down to a size 8 and it fits well at my shoulders and is a good length, I have a cropped blazer but was on the look out for a longer one and this fits the bill. I was slightly nervous about the serious 80s styling but I think it works. 

The trousers were also fab on, these are a size 10, they were quite tight across the waistband but as I said earlier I am definitely slightly bigger that normal so I think in normal time they would be ok. I love the button detail on each side of the waist with pockets. They are super high waisted so although they are cropped dont make your legs look too short. This whole look above is a fab work look, slightly 80s power suit but done in a 2016 way. 

The Eliza Dress £45

Again, I was surprised this looked nice on, I thought it would be too short but I really like it. It will be perfect for holiday with flat tan strappy sandals and for now I think I would wear with black opaque tights and my gold shoes above. The fabric is a linen-like feel but quite thick so it keeps it's shape. This is a size 10, again it was tight at the top of my arms but pretty loose everywhere else so I would say if you have slim arms to size down. I bought the 10 as did about 10 girls in front of me in the queue for the till!

The Misty Dress £45

This is a beautiful floaty dress but I was just too short for it. It comes up big so definitely size down. It would look fab with high strappy sandals for a spring/summer wedding.

The Elsie Dress £39.50

This is cute but I felt I was a bit old for it. This was a size 10 and fitted true to size.

The Myrtle Jumper £29.50

I love the colour of this sweater but it was thick and fitted. This is a size 10, not quite my style, it would look great on someone taller and slimmer (and not wearing a navy bra!)

The Frances Trench £89

I ordered this trench, firstly because I love the colour, secondly because of the name! They only had larger sizes left in store so I didn't try it on but will hopefully collect it tomorrow so will let you know how it looks.

All in all I thought the collection was really lovely and well priced, unfortunately the styling online really does not do it justice, it looked fab on Alexa Chung of course but I was glad when I stumbled across it in store. Hope this gives you a little bit of an idea of what it looks like on a 'normal' person.

Have you bought anything in the collection, is it your style or do avoid the hype? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx