The first signs of spring clothes

Here we are at one of my favourite posts of the year – the one where we leave winter behind and start looking ahead to warmer weather. There aren’t enough words to tell you how happy it makes me, I hate the drag of winter layers… and the huge effort of getting lots of individual pieces working together… and the feeling of being covered up. It reminds me of being very small in the days before duvets when my mum would tuck the layers of blankets tight over me and I couldn’t free my arms. So this is my first Boden edit of the year, it’s come with the snowdrops to bring the first signs of spring clothes.

One of the many things I love about Boden is their unapologetic celebration of colour. So far I’ve managed to get through autumn and winter without falling into the trap of endless grey and black and it’s largely thanks to them and the fact that they never submit to understatement. This year they burst into January with a collection of brightly coloured cashmere options and the February drop has continued with bold knitwear featuring stripes and patterns. Winter’s Fair Isle is being replaced by springtime Argyle and you’ll see it everywhere. It comes largely from the British heritage trend that’s been going strong for a few seasons now with tweed and tartan along with textures like corduroy. Every time there’s a new season of Traitors it gets ever stronger as people are swept away by the practical glamour that Claudia Winkleman achieves and Argyle is a large part of that.

So when Boden briefed me to make a choice from the new knitwear collection that’s the direction I went in. On top of giving my wardrobe a new season update it also has the figure narrowing vertical that I’m always looking for. The fact that the diamond points downwards is a secret weapon for anyone who’s looking to narrow their torso – as you know, I’m always looking to lessen the breadth of my shoulders if I can and this is visual trickery.

The jumper that I’ve chosen also enabled me to add a bit of camel into my wardrobe. Camel is part of my colour palette but even though it suits my skintone, whenever I put it on I just feel sad. When there are other colours worked in like this though it doesn’t happen. I’m giving Boden extra points for the denim shades of indigo and light blue that they’ve worked into the pattern which mean that this jumper will add the extra polish of colour cohesion to a simple blue jeans outfit.

In terms of length it’s worth looking at the size guides that accompany each piece this year because Boden are offering the more cropped styles that I favour as well as full length for people who prefer their jumpers to come down lower. This in my view is mid-length, you need the Lucy for cropped and the Lucy relaxed or Anastasia for hip length. Remember you’re working to balance your shape – if you’re long bodied/short legged like me you need something cropped higher, if you’re short bodied/long legged you’re trying to bring your waistline down visually.

This jumper is made from a heavy cotton knit so you’ll still be wearing it on cooler evenings in July. Always remember that cotton is the yarn you want for spring and summer. It takes outfits away from the cosy impression of winter and gives them a fresh, intentional appearance. I’m wearing a medium and it’s the right size.

For a brief moment the sun came out this week – it looks warm here doesn’t it? Until you look at the red tip of my nose and realise it absolutely wasn’t.

Argyle jumper; patch pocket jeans

So let's look at some of the other bright pieces of knitwear that have launched to lift your outfits away from winter.

Top to bottom, L-R

• Cashmere Argyle – a great option for everyone because the pink will suit cooler skintones while the red will bring out the best in warms. This is a long, relaxed knit best worn with straight or slim leg jeans
• Striped cotton cable – what a great way to liven up an ivory cotton cable knit, this was very nearly my choice for the edit. The raglan cut of the sleeves works for every shoulder width and it falls to the top of the hips so it should suit everyone.
• Pink and blue argyle – an alternative colourway to the one I'm wearing in the photo, this one is great for cooler skintones. Once again they've worked denim blue in to give you a seamless look with jeans
• Relaxed cotton jumper – this has dropped shoulders which is gives a boyfriend look to anyone with narrow shoulders, it's quite oversized so go down if you prefer a leaner look, 4 colours available
• Rainbow cotton tank – for the ultimate street styler look pair this long, lean tee with the matching jumper thrown over the shoulders, another great outfit for people with shorter bodies/longer legs. 3 colours available
• Denim striped jumper – this is another top favourite of mine purely because of the jeans colour that works through the stripe. It's the shortest of the jumpers I've featured here so absolutely perfect for wearing with high waisted jeans. Lots of colourways available.
• Striped cardigan – if you prefer to be able to unbutton the neck on a top (either for overheating reasons or just to add a vertical line) then this is perfect. Again it's a neat, short cut so it's one for a higher rise. 5 colours available

Ok so that’s new knitwear done, let’s move on to the jeans. If you don’t have a patch pocket pair yet then you’re missing a style trick. Jeans are continuing to have a wide, flared or straight cut this season; barrels are still around but they’re heading out. The magic of a patch pocket on a wide pair as I’ve said before is that they break up the volume that wide jeans give you below the navel to narrow the hips. I’m going to argue that these jeans aren’t flared as described on the website (tight to mid thigh and then flaring out from there). You can see from these pictures that they’re cut wide all the way down so they’re a great alternative for people who like patch pockets but not flares. I’m wearing them in a size 29 and they’re true to size – maybe just a little bit generous.

Argyle jumper; patch pocket jeans

Let’s jump from a very casual look to something much smarter. I think a lot of us have relied on classic Boden dresses for years – the ones that fit comfortably, don’t crease and happily spin around in a washing machine. Today I’m introducing you to Boden’s new dress shape and one of their key launches for the season, the Bria. This dress comes in either a long, lean cut like the one I’m wearing here or an above the knee version. It looks as though it’s made from crepe but it’s actually ponte which gives it great shape – and this colour, as you know, is one of my favourites but it’s also available in black or burgundy.

I was surprised by how good it felt to wear a more fitted dress after that last six years of dresses being full of tiering and blousy fabric. In a 12R this sat at exactly the right point on my calf for a narrower skirt like this.

Ponte dress

You can probably see from my face that Mal absolutely loved this dress and was brimming over with compliments. It brings out the classic side of my style that he doesn’t see as often these days but remembers fondly. I was quite surprised to see it in the new collection at first because it reminds me of the dresses I used to wear at the very beginning of my career and that’s where its inspiration comes from – Rivals and the return of 1980s style. The eldest tells me it’s a vibe that’s going down a storm in the media offices of London where the girls are suddenly appearing in heels that they’ve never learned to walk in so there are quite a few Bambi moments!

You’re either going to love or hate the gold buttons. What I will point out is the vertical line they give – the detail we’re always looking for that gives leanness and length. It comes with its own matching belt but I’ve replaced it with snake because if you’re going to wear a dress like this where the waist sits at the bottom of the ribs, you want to maximise the full snatched look.

Ponte dress

The last thing that the new Boden drop said to me was 'chic Spring capsule' because there are so many strong workhorses so I've worked one up for you. We talked about capsules last week – about how important it is to review your basic keystone pieces and work out what needs replacing or updating. So here's a collection with lots of anchors and I'll go on to show you how they look.

Let's start with the short checked mac. These combinations of navy, tan and cream checks that we remember so well from the Viyella days first started reappearing last autumn. Once again they're part of the British heritage trend and I think they provoke the nostalgia that they're supposed to – they certainly make me think of my mum back in the 70s.

This is a swing back jacket which means there's lots of space for layering knitwear underneath so it will work well from now until May. It's also available in classic stone or navy but as you can see, the check really lifts a capsule of navy basics. I'm wearing a 12 and here it is on me…

Checked swing jacket; zip neck top, high rise wide jeans; whipstitch belt; suede boots (now in the sale)

Underneath it I have something simple but wonderful. This navy top is unlike any other I’ve worn because it’s as super soft as its name suggests. It’s a light t-shirt weight fabric but thanks to the 50% Tencel, it has a slight sheen which makes it smarter. I absolutely love the zip neckline which can be zipped to exactly the right point to work with your bustline. And thank goodness it goes low enough to work for someone who is less endowed like me – so often brands stop their zips too high so they just look frumpy. I love the slight puff on the sleeves at the shoulderline, nothing too girly but just enough to give you a defined stop. This is one of the best basics that Boden has ever produced – it’s an absolute 10/10 and there’s a short sleeved version as well. I’m wearing a size 12 which fits perfectly, it’s also available in bright green and please Boden… do it in postbox red… and cream.

Supersoft zip collar top; high rise wide jeans; whipstitch belt; suede boots (now in the sale)

Let’s talk about the jeans because quite a few of you have raved to me about this particular wide leg cut. I can feel why people like them because although they look like structured cotton denim, they’re actually soft and stretchy. They’ve been so popular with five star reviews that they keep selling out. I’m a bit confused about sizing because the reviews are generally saying that they come up small. I wonder if they’ve adjusted that as they’ve released new batches because I’m wearing a 29L which according to the size guide is a 12 but I found them very generous – I think you can see from the photo that they’re too big. I’d say that a 27 (which they say is a size 8 and I’m definitely not that) would have been a better fit. You’ll need to play around with sizes a bit – they’re currently available on back order for mid-February.

Moving on to my next bit of mix and matching, this time the tipped knitted polo shirt with an ivory jacket. Beginning with the jacket, it’s another piece that I absolutely love. When I saw it in the new collection I instantly veered towards the navy but then remembered just how many short navy jackets I already have. I also reminded myself that the coat I’ve worn the most this winter is my cream one so I opted for this. The great thing about it is that it’s a darker cream and it has a fleck in it so it won’t need anywhere near as much dry cleaning as my pale ivory coat does.

It has Boden’s beautiful London map lining and… we know what patch pockets do… repeat after me, they narrow everything visually. And the contrasting buttons give a vertical line which adds to the impact. I love this jacket, it makes me feel like Grace Kelly.

Ivory patch pocket jacket; tipped knitted polo shirt; whipstitch belt; wide leg indigo jeans; tan kitten heel boots (now in the sale)

Here’s the outfit without the jacket. I have this polo top in navy and red from last year and wore it such a lot that this was a no brainer. You’re going to see a lot of elevated t-shirts this season which simply means a knitted rather than jersey form. This is still cotton just as a normal tee would be but it’s much more luxurious thanks to the addition of cashmere. Once again there’s a vertical line in the form of the deep button placket.

And I hope you’ve been noticing how hard the belt works in all of these outfits. Belts are big news for 2026 and they’re narrower than they have been for a while. This one with its crochet whipstitching contrast makes any outfit look just a little bit ‘more’.

Tipped knitted polo shirt; whipstitch belt; wide leg indigo jeans; tan kitten heel boots (now in the sale)

One last keystone to show you and it’s this shirred jersey top, another piece that I absolutely love. It’s a great way of adding fitted shape to your outfits, especially when you’re wearing wide jeans. The shirring means that it won’t cling too tightly to lumps and bumps, all it does is define your shape in a comfortably stretchy way. The sleeve cuffs are elasticated so they’ll stay where you put them. The frill detail at the end means they’ll add an extra touch when you wear a cardigan or jacket over the top and pull it back so that the cuff detail just shows. I’m wearing a size 12 and as you can see, it’s quite a neat fit so if you prefer it a bit looser go up from your usual size.

Shirred top; whipstitch belt; wide leg indigo jeans; tan kitten heel boots (now in the sale)

I’ve been saying for a while that necklaces are getting heavier and more prominent. We’re seeing it on the catwalks but as always, it’s slower to pick up on the high street. Here you are though, a really good halfway house with a mix of weights. These layered necklaces that Boden do are so clever, you don’t end up with them tangling together and twisting around your neck.

And I had a lovely moment as we were taking this photo when an old Selfridges colleague spotted us and came over for a hug. She’d emailed me just before Christmas because she’d found my blog – without knowing it we’ve been living a few miles away from each other for a long time… my boys had been prefects to her boys at school without us ever realising! But isn’t it great when you see someone and 30 years just fall away?

Layered necklace; Shirred top; whipstitch belt

So there you go, a little bit of everything from Boden – bright knits, a sassy dress and new wardrobe workhorses. There’s 15% off everything in the new collection at the moment with code WA7R. It’s time to start thinking ahead to the good times to come.

Talking about good times – before I go I just want to say the most enormous thank you to everyone who joined us at the Midlifechic Retreat last weekend. It really was a case of strangers arriving feeling nervous – in fact one person told me that she’d felt so far out of her comfort zone on the way there that she’d almost turned her car around and gone home. However by the end of the Friday evening we’d already shared some pretty deep stories and so we felt amongst friends. I’ve had so many wonderful emails since I came home, this one expressed it really well (you know who you are – thank you for those words):

I had not anticipated how profoundly moved I would feel after attending the retreat.  I already knew that I loved being in the company of other women but THESE women were above and beyond, and the fact that we all bonded and found commonalities (and differences that we could learn from) so quickly was amazing. I am now so full of thoughts, ideas, plans, feelings – this will stay with me for a long time.

The thing that surprised me most was that when I got home my inner introvert didn’t feel remotely drained which is what I’d been expecting, instead I felt energised. I realise how much I crave the company of women like this – thinking women who will really talk.

I’m already looking forward to the next one and I’m full of ideas for more events like this. We have a very special tribe of people here – all very different and yet with so much in common too… and you’re one of them. It was Midlifechic’s 12th birthday on Wednesday. That’s twelve years of writing with the feeling that you are all the friends that I just haven’t met yet… and that there’s more to come. And now the more is coming.

Now though I’m heading away for a while so I’m apologising for not managing to reply in very much depth to to last week’s comments. With the retreat last weekend and having to wrap everything up at work I just haven’t had time although I have read them all. You see it’s our Silver Wedding anniversary next week and as you read this I’ll be flying high, off on one of our adventures.

There will be posts while we’re away because I thought now is a good time to go through more style tips and tricks – before the excitement of new season begins. And I’ll be over on Instagram and Mal and I are even wondering about doing something together there. So many people from all walks of life ask us how we’ve stayed so happy together for so long. We’ve been thinking it through and we might do some little soundbites about that on Insta. Or we might just switch off and enjoy being somewhere completely different! Who knows? One of the things the retreat taught me was that I need to stop more often. So I might do just that.

Either way I’ll be back here at the end of February. Thank you for being my friends – and after last weekend I mean that more than ever.

Disclosure: “The first signs of spring clothes” was commissioned by Boden but as always I had full control over outfit choices, thoughts and words

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