Wow – the sun’s really out isn’t it?! As promised, I have a new season try-on for you today and I’m looking at Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 from M&S. When their big Spring drop arrived last week they invited me to pull together a small Midlifechic edit of my favourite pieces. As we saw in Friday’s Spring Fashion Trends post they have a strong focus on the key colour palette of the season which is a tonal collection of mocha mousse along with soft shades of pistachio. It’s very sophisticated and there are some lovely styles but as we discussed last week, it can be difficult for midlifers to pull off such a knocked-back hue. So you won’t be surprised to see that I dug a bit deeper to find bolder colours – this is a Midlifechic edit after all so it’s never knowingly neutral!
A lot of you said that you found it a relief to have a focus on the wearable in the trends post and so I’ve been very careful to continue that today. I think one of the reasons behind the success of the M&S renaissance is its determined focus on getting the basics right. They’re doing such a careful job of creating building blocks that are great quality, in good colours, often with a fashionable twist. This is why they’re pulling ahead of Uniqlo which has a similar aim but doesn’t always get there – usually because of the colour palette which I suspect has more appeal in Japan. So rather than putting fully accessorised outfits together today I’m just focusing on these simple Spring wardrobe building blocks, the individual pieces that will extend the outfits you already have.
Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 – red and cream
I’m starting with an extension to the Marine trend that so many people loved last week. You don’t need me to show you the fundamental basics like stripey tops because you already know that M&S have lots of those to offer (291 if you need one – you can find them all here). Instead I’ve picked out a couple of pieces that might extend the capsule you already have. As we discussed, red is not only a trending colour this season but it’s also the primary accent for marine’s navy and white/cream. Crochet is continuing to peak this year because it works with Boho and also sits alongside the trend for transparency but without being quite so revealing. There is a sexiness about crochet though, obviously you’re going to need a good neutral bra underneath but little glimpses of skin here and there are alluring. The polo collar references sports utility and the red is this year’s tomato shade although it’s also available in ivory if you prefer a neutral. In terms of size it comes up big – I’m wearing a small and it’s still quite oversized so go one or even two sizes down.
A few people have been in touch asking for recommendations for jeans that aren’t wide and long. These are great – and cream jeans of course are always a good alternative to classic blue between now and October. These are labelled as crops and it’s important to know that they definitely are cropped. I’m usually a regular leg in jeans but they cut across my calf so I switched them for a long that sits on my ankle.
Cream jeans; red crochet top; red ballet flats
Any kind of red shoe will update your outfits – I talked about red trainers last Friday and here I’m bringing you a red ballet flat, two trends in one. Bear in mind that they are quite generous so if you’re a half size as I am, size down. They’re great value for leather and they come up slightly higher on your foot than most ballet flats so they don’t slip off as easily.
Cream jeans; red crochet top; red ballet flats
Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 – cream and denim
Cream jeans again here but these are tailored wide legs. I didn’t think I was going to like them when I unpacked them because they’re such a lightweight cotton denim but that changed when I tried them on. I’ve been on a hunt for the perfect pair of cream trousers ever since I started blogging. There are always smart pairs in the shops but I tend to steer clear of linen unless I’m on holiday and crepe looks good on the hanger but as soon as I try them on they make me think of the ones my grandma used to wear for a nice trip out – I could imagine her sitting on a bench with an ice cream somehow. This pair hits the mark, they’re smart enough to wear with this season’s slingbacks for a meeting but they still look relaxed with trainers. And that’s because they’re denim, it’s the fabric that makes them feel a little less WI. A word of warning if you’re tall though, I’m wearing the long here and they’re the length a regular would usually be. I still wish they had another inch in them so I think everyone will have to go for a longer version than they’d usually buy.
I’ve paired them with another winner from the latest collection, a lightweight denim top. It’s as easy to wear as a t-shirt but more stylish. It has shirring at the back which gives it gentle shaping and it’s cut so that the hem flares out a little, skimming over your middle but sitting nicely over the top of trousers so it’s great if you prefer to cover the part where your waistband pinches in. I’m wearing a 12 and it’s slightly generous so if in doubt, size down.
Tailored denim trousers; Denim top
Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 – tonal colourblock
Here are the same trousers paired with an ivory cutwork blouse for a top to toe look. If you’re like me and often find broderie anglaise or lace too pretty then try cutwork because it isn’t as ditsy. I particularly love the shaping of the sleeves, they’ve called them puff sleeves on the website but they aren’t, they’re elegantly fluted. This top gives you a great way of adding a touch of Boho to your outfits if you’re a more classic dresser, it nods to the trend without being bohemian. I see that matching trousers have just landed on the website today too.
High waisted tailored jeans; Cream cutwork top
Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 – the return of the skirt
Moving on to a more relaxed look, I had to try some of the new skirts because they’re really taking over from dresses this season. I like the shirring on this skirt because it avoids too much fullness at the waist which isn’t where I want volume when the fabric’s as soft as this. The gauzy effect comes from the linen/viscose blend and it’s exactly the sort of skirt that you long for on a hot day, it just whispers against the skin. It’s the sort of thing that will get softer with every wash – in a good way. It’s going to be particularly useful for holidays because it will dress up or down so well but you’ll need to be quick because it’s selling out fast. I’m wearing a 12 regular which is a good length for everyday, you might prefer a long if you want more of an evening look.
There is a matching shirred top in white which would be a great co-ord, giving you the effect of a dress but with more versatility however I’ve opted for this ribbed apple green tee which is such a good price. I’ve tucked it in so that it breaks the outfit at the two thirds point but it’s full length, not cropped. It isn’t easy to find t-shirts that have a neat armhole and an angled sleeve like this which visually narrows the top of the arm rather than one that cuts horizontally, making it look wider. There are lots of good colours including the shade that Me+Em are calling soft papaya this season.
Linen blend shirred skirt; cotton rich ribbed tee
Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 – sea blues
This outfit just makes me want to be on a Greek island but as we’ve already had our big trip, that won’t be happening this year. I’ll just have to waft along the prom and imagine I’m in Naxos. This style of crinkle skirt comes around every few years – the first time I remember having one is in 1996 when I was travelling around India. It was so good for screwing up and shoving into a rucksack because the more crinkled it got, the better it looked so pieces like this are a good solution for holidays as well as at home. The fabric is heavy and so it has great movement making it feel far more expensive than it is. In terms of size, the waist is elasticated and reviews are saying it comes up big but I quite like the volume that gives – if in doubt though size down.
It would work well with white, cream, navy or black too but I do love a block of colour so I’ve paired it with one of the brilliant basic vest tops in a tonal shade (lots of colours available). If you prefer to keep your arms covered, there’s a t-shirt with sleeves in the same turquoise here.
Crinkle skirt; blue vest; leather sandals
You could happily wear this outfit with trainers but I’ve dressed it up a bit with heeled sandals. These are particularly clever because they have a buckle on the toe strap so you can adjust the width to suit your foot. M&S don’t say as much about their Insolia technology as they used to but these are softly padded so they’d be comfortable to wear. Again as a half size I sized down and they fit perfectly.
One thing we didn’t talk about last Friday is the new sunglasses shape. You probably noticed things changing last year – a lot of people were wearing this narrower 90s oval shape in white. M&S sunglasses are highly protective and such great value, you can afford to have a pair in every bag and keep some in the car too. I’m wearing what they call the pink mix on the website which is actually tortoiseshell but they come in olive and black as well.
So those are the Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025 that I’m recommending from the latest M&S drop. New pieces arrive every day at M&S so it’s worth keeping the ‘rank by since launch’ feed optimised like this. My new favourite from today’s arrivals is this denim jacket – absolutely perfect for wearing with summer dresses, skirts or high waisted trousers, a little bit smarter than a classic denim jacket and such a great pared down design.
Midlife lately
We haven’t had a big catch-up for a while, I’ll do one soon but here’s a quick one from the weekend. I expected a very low key Mothers’ Day this year because I knew all of my boys were busy – the eldest was only home two weeks ago for his annual rugby old boys event, the middle one was in Newcastle with his girlfriend and the youngest is deep in dissertation deadlines for his finals so he’s living in the library in Leeds. However I had a surprise on Friday night when Mal returned from the karate dojo with the eldest in tow, he’d come home again for Mother’s Day. So on Saturday he came out with us to Cartmel where my reader friend Carole had invited us to the opening of her husband Martin’s exhibition. He’s an award winning artist and it was great to see his latest work.
Wearing: Jacket (now in the sale); Boden ruched jersey top SS23; Me+Em jeans SS20; Zebra belt; Boden slingbacks SS18
We were sitting down to eat on Saturday night when the middle one rolled in, he’d been in on the plot and had left Newcastle early so that we could celebrate the following day. And on Sunday Mal popped out to buy the newspapers and returned with the youngest who’d come home from Leeds. So I felt incredibly lucky – they all pitched in and cooked a lovely roast then they indulged me by sitting with me and watching hours of footage that Mal’s just had transferred from video to DVD… so many happy times of them all being little boys. Nothing matters as much to me as the relationship I have with these four men so it was my very definition of a perfect day. If you ever read this I just want to say thank you boys, your thoughtfulness meant the world to me.
The eldest had to go back to London on Monday so we only had Sunday as a complete five but the youngest is staying for some of the Easter break. His girlfriend’s home this week too so they’re spending their days working together in the university library here. Even though she’s at Durham and he’s at Leeds they’re doing the same course so they can flex each other’s brains (and mop each other’s brows!). That’s everything from me today, have a lovely weekend in the sunshine – I wonder if the weather is repeating its lockdown gift – giving us warmth and brightness just as the world feels challenged. Make the most of the glimmers my friends.
Disclosure: ‘Spring wardrobe building blocks 2025’ was commissioned by M&S but as always I had full control over outfits and feedback
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