What’s going on at John Lewis, Spring 26?

Today I’m doing something that always makes me happy – crunching data and bringing it to life for you. And I’m trying on a couple of completely new looks as trends are slowly starting to take a new turn. So today’s going to be a catch-up with what’s going on at John Lewis, Spring 26 but first I just want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who came along to last weekend’s Midlifechic Retreat. Once again it turned out to be one of the most enriching weekends I’ve had for years – a hotel filled with thinking women having heart-searching conversations about the future. I will write about the retreats in more detail soon but at the moment my time is a classic midlife example of forever playing catch-up.

For now let’s get back to John Lewis. One of my favourite things about working with JL is the level of insight they have into their customers’ shopping habits. I don’t know any other retailer that watches and listens as carefully as they do and that includes them reading the comments on here which they’ve been doing since 2017. It’s time for our quarterly catch-up with them today and I have all sorts of interesting titbits to share with you on the state of the nation from within their walls. And as the world rages around us, sheltering in a JL bubble feels like a nice place to be – so let’s have a look at what’s going on when we step inside.

The main one was the mood for what JL are calling Nowstalgia. It was perhaps initially triggered by the collective effervescence that seemed to engulf the whole of the UK in the summer of 25 as Oasis reunited – it swept the nation whether you managed to get tickets or not. There followed a huge revival of 90s fashion, music and culture and it's still going on. I don't know whether you've watched Love Story, the story of Carolyn Bessette and John Kennedy Jr on Disney Plus yet but I've been transfixed by it, it's taken me back to that time so evocatively. I felt I was back there in New York, rushing around holding Selfridges meetings with Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, wearing exactly those clothes in exactly that way.

It's startling remembering how easy it was to live without mobile phones and yet now it's almost impossible. Mal dropped his and so needed the screen replacing last week – for three days he couldn't operate – everywhere he turned there was a frustration so for example he couldn't access his bank accounts (even the passwords for remote access are kept on his phone)… keep up with the family conversation… get into the flat and car park in Newcastle… answer the doorbell at home…  It's made us realise how madly dependent we are on our phones. And life was so much freer without people constantly taking photos around us – you realise what an intrusion it is, even if you're not the focus. No wonder the generation below us watches 90s TV and marvels. I suspect that John Lewis are on the nail when they expect Nowstalgia to continue. They're carrying on with their Rough Trade partnership selling vinyl…

… and their pre-loved sales are soaring by 137% as people come to buy vintage 90s handbags and jewellery. Of course the climax of their recognition of nowstalgia last year was the use of Alison Limerick's "Where Love Lives"in their Christmas ad. It's great to see a 90s icon and midlife woman gaining new opportunities, she has a packed calendar of festivals this summer and she was open in her delight at being chosen to work with John Lewis.

What else is noticeable? Well we're continuing to treasure what we already have. JL launched a teddy bear repair service at the end of last year working with the Teddy Bear Ladies form the BBC's Repair Shop. It's available in all stores as part of their wider repair service which, as well as the usual alteration options, includes reproofing for waterproofs and skiwear cleaning.

As well as having things repaired for them, JL customers are really getting into their own version of make do and mend. Sewing machine searches are up 50% online and the haberdashery departments are busy again. When I did my first ever JL post back in 2016 I remember how many of you were aghast that they were closing a lot of the haberdasheries because they just weren't being used. Not any more – how life changes!

There have been manoeuvres on the fashion front. Skinny jeans now account for only 5% of sales, it took longer than we ever imagined for people to finally move on but wide legs, straight legs and barrel cuts now rule. The triangle scarf was 357% up over the Winter 25/26 season. Cashmere has become a year-round necessity with sales seeing a surprising new peak in July as people throw a light sweater over their shoulders to accessorise their summer outfits. Layering has become a trend in itself.

Outfit details

Officewear is making a comeback and sales of ties are already 16% up this year although they're not worn with suits so much as a pretty shirt, fine gauge jumper and a collegiate jacket. Cocoa brown was massive across both fashion and home in AW25/6 but JL are now seeing indigo taking over. There's a big move towards raw indigo jeans (which would fit with the 90s narrative)

Outfit details

…and indigo is surging across home in sofas and soft furnishings.

Bedding details

The data gives more fascinating insights into how we're living at home. The era of performative entertaining is over (thank goodness – I've clearly been leading the way all these years!). Sous vide cooking which surged in popularity in 2024 has now fallen so fast that they're completely delisting sous vide machines. Instead traditional kitchen items are on their way back in and on top of the mood for nostalgia what else does that tell us? That times are tough, people are turning towards the comfort and economy of traditional cooking. Searches for teapots are up 29%… (go for this one because your tea doesn't stew in the pot).

Teapot

…casserole dishes are up 61% and butter dishes are up 108% which makes sense given the price of butter now – our butter dish has been back in daily use since Christmas. This one is the top seller.

Butter dish

Double bed sales have fallen dramatically to be overtaken by Super-king and while we're in the bedroom (or not!)… sales of sex toys are up 59%. It's the new face of home entertainment! JL is now stocking twice as many sex toys as hot water bottles – this is the top seller for your reference…

JL's top selling sex toy

Moving rather clumsily back to cookware, plain white serving dishes have been usurped by searches for pattern and colour – particularly cabbage bowls…

Cabbage bowl

…and fish jugs. It's all about adding a little joy to the every day.

Fish jug – lots of colours available

And the air fryer is predicted to make way for the ice cream maker this spring – which made me smile because the first purchase that my eldest and his girlfriend made together after Christmas was… an ice cream maker!

13 in one ice cream maker

The simple, joyful mood extends across home furnishings too and this season's big collab is with Anine Cecilie Iverson who has designed an exclusive interiors collection.

Dahlia cushion

In beauty the Nowstalgia trend continues. The top selling lipstick is still Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk but hot on its heels is Clinique's Black Honey (go for the dark original – it's nowhere near as dark as it looks)…

Black Honey

Here it is on me

The 90s comeback sees no end because the return of Lancome's Juicy Tubes has been an instant hit too.

Juicy Tubes

The big beauty investment though is fragrance. The trend for everyone wearing big brand perfume is losing ground and being asked what fragrance you're wearing has become a mark of social kudos. JL customers are spending a lot of time and money getting to know the niche brands so that they can build a scent profile of their very own.

Fragrance inspiration set

As far as skincare is concerned Skin Rocks has just arrived at John Lewis. If you're not familiar with it, it's the range created by midlife beauty guru Caroline Hirons. I haven't tried it yet but she's the kind of woman who will stake her reputation on anything she does so I'm confident that it will be very good indeed.

Skin Rocks

And the next two trends are a bit out of the blue but I thought they were fascinating. Firstly golf is officially cool. There's a 29% increase year on year of people recording a round of golf on a proper course, more women are taking up golf and the average age of players has dropped below 55 for the first time ever. John Lewis is therefore expanding its golf range for 2026, it's available online and you'll be able to shop golf in twelve stores soon.

Golf bag

Then there's a really interesting piece of data from John Lewis's Uber Eats delivery trial in Leeds and Stratford. The sales are not the grocery orders that you'd imagine. 22% are emergency gifting detected by the fact that the packages include a card and giftwrap as well as the order. Others are distress purchases replacing things like headphones, chargers and Firesticks. It's a reassuring thought that John Lewis may well take on Amazon in the future if it can offer same day delivery.

So our John Lewis world perhaps reflects the times we're living in. It's seeing us pulling up the drawbridge and making our homes cosy for the first time since lockdown. We're looking back fondly to simpler times when Brit Pop and Cool Britannia ruled, when it seemed that life was always on the up and as we celebrated that fact we wouldn't be caught on camera and shared on social. We're controlling what we can by repairing things and enjoying items that look as though they've been handcrafted by artisans. We're turning our back on technology by listening to old songs on vinyl and we're finding sport in the great outdoors rather than being cooped up in a gym. And we're doing our best to be uniquely ourselves.

So that’s the catch-up, now for some new season pieces. As always I’m trying to keep them relevant for the lifestyle that most of us lead and so although it was tempting to dress up in some of the fabulous occasionwear, I’ve held myself back. Instead I’m going to start with the series I’ve been doing for a while because so many of you say you’re finding it helpful and realistic in the current climate – and that’s new tops to update the outfits you already have. You’ll notice that quite a few blouses this spring are designed to fall to the top of a high waisted jean – barrel or wide leg. It gives you a really flattering look because it skims any muffin spillover without needing any tucking in. After that I’m going to play around with two of the SS26 trends for anybody who’s looking for a completely new look.

Spring green knitted top

You can’t get much more of a spring mood than this. It’s a supersoft wool blend and mid-weight so just right for the months we’re heading into. Unusually for this brand though it’s a very neat fit – I went for a size S/M and I think the M/L would have allowed a little more for my love of cake. A lovely option for pairing with denim or black or chocolate brown this season.

Pink broderie trim blouse

Leaning into the Little House On The Prairie trend here with a pretty pink stripe and lace trim. So many of you with a more generous bust tell me that you avoid blouses because of gaping – well you can just see that this has a modesty panel on the placket so problem solved. I’m wearing a size 12 and it’s just right.

Polka dot blouse

Polka dots are THE pattern of the season. You’re going to see them everywhere, especially when we move towards the giddy heights of weddings and races. So this blouse is a bang on way of updating your wardrobe but what I will say is that it’s voluminous. I’ve tucked a lot into the back of my jeans and I’m wearing a S-M, an XS-S would have been the right fit.

Blue broderie blouse

I liked all of the blouses I tried on here but this was my favourite – and for once it was the least expensive by quite a long way. It’s 100% cotton in a beautiful summer blue which gives you a column effect with jeans. It has my favourite rouleau loop button detail, there’s a modesty panel and it’s true to size.

Red lace blouse

I’m going to call this the rebel because there’s something provocative about a pretty lace blouse being served up in bold red. People often associate lace with dressing up for Christmas but it’s a great summer option because it shows little glimpses of skin without being revealing. My cream lace blouse was the one I wore most last year and just look at the detail on this – scalloped edging to the cuffs and hem. I’m wearing a medium and it’s true to size.

So, let’s begin with balloon pants… and I know we’ve seen them before. I remember them as parachute pants in the 80s, the reign of Maharishis in the 90s and then harem pants in the 00s. Now they’re back again and all over social the uber youth are exclaiming that they’re a new invention! So I thought I’d give them a spin.

I’d forgotten how elegant they can feel. We’re not talking about 00s jersey harem pants with the baggy crotch, they’re more like the late 80s/early 90s version when they were silky and they draped beautifully. After years of big wide hems dragging on pavements it’s a relief to feel how practical these are. As I travel around I’m noticing that they’re being picked up quickly by stylish GenX women – it took me a few days in London to get my eye around them but as we start to ditch coats and heavy layers, they could really take off.

There are different ways of wearing them. Some people are going for the full Pirate/New Romantic look and wearing them with big full blouses like the polka dot one I tried on above. I prefer them teamed with the contrast of a neat, sporty upper half – a long sleeve top for now and a racer or baby tee as it gets warmer. So here’s a pair on me and I opted for the sleekest I could find, there are quite a few that have a lot more volume.

Balloon pants; sporty zip top; sandals; bag

One thing that I noticed the early adopters in London doing with these trousers is revealing the ankle for a bit of visual space when wearing balloon pants with trainers as I’m showing you below. It’s easy to do because the hem is elasticated so you just pull it up your calf and the leg drapes over it in a puffball fashion like this. Don’t dismiss it until you’ve seen it a few times – it’s a really easy way of updating your wardrobe in a practical way.

I love the top I’m wearing here because it has a black feature zip which makes any black or navy trouser outfit look pulled together and polished. It’s one of those simple details that works really hard and you can also buy it in black with an ivory zip.

Balloon pants; sporty zip top; sandals; bag

Let’s talk about the accessories because they have to work hard when you’re wearing monochrome which I’m finding myself powerfully drawn to this season (I’ll explain why in a minute). This bag is a great, capacious design at a good price for leather. Worn on your shoulder it sits happily in the sweet spot next to your ribs which scores a few outfitting goals – it ticks off the ‘hugging my bag’ trend but without you having to clutch it for dear life, it’s easy to carry and it doesn’t interfere with the lines of your outfit.

And the sandals – I love them so much that I’m tempted to buy a few other colours. Let’s talk about summer footwear (again). Big flatform sandals are not kind to your feet. Podiatrists are forever warning against them because (unless they’re orthopaedic) they don’t allow the foot to bend naturally and so they’re storing up all kinds of future problems.

I may be alone with this but I don’t like them because they’re ugly. In my view the foot is one of the most beautiful parts of the body and when it’s exposed in summer, it works all kinds of magic on your silhouette. That’s why chic New Yorkers often wear strappy sandals without tights all year round. Unless you have giraffe legs up to your armpits, big thick straps placed horizontally across the foot make your legs look stumpy. Yes they hold the shoe on your foot but so do more delicate versions like this 90s ‘barely there’ sandal. There’s no big horizontal band breaking up the visual length of the foot because the strap is on the ankle – and it’s low down and fine enough not to make your legs look shorter.

The other great thing about these sandals is that they have Ortholite soles which are cushioned and breathable. And the heel is the podiatrist recommended height of just under 4cm which is the height you need to reduce pressure on the forefoot as well as preventing tension in the Achilles tendon and lower back.

So they’re basically old lady shoes BUT they don’t look like it. Hallelujah! But of course if you love your flatforms then you do you. This style comes in tan suede or ivory as well although the ivory is starting to sell out. And there’s an option with a slightly wider front strap in either leopard or black. These will be your ‘one pair and I’m done’ sandals because they’ll look fabulous with jeans or trousers and fabulous with dresses or skirts this summer. I’ll stop going on about them now other than to say I’m a half size which they don’t do so I ordered a size up and a size down. I found the size below was just right.

Balloon pants; sandals; bag

I very rarely get hooked on anything on TV but as I’ve already mentioned, Love Story (on Disney Plus) has me completely fixated. It’s the story of Carolyn Bessette and John F Kennedy Jr and I’ve never known anything to be so evocative of an era. I suppose that for me, the second half of the 90s was when I was travelling regularly to New York and working with all of the big fashion brands of the time including Calvin Klein. My favourite ever suit was a Calvin Klein one, I wore it until it quite literally fell apart – and I still wish I’d kept it so that I could perhaps have a tailor copy it.

Anyway it’s the simple lines of the styles she wears in the series that is keeping me spellbound because it’s exactly what we all wore back then and I’d forgotten how beautifully simple it was. And this is where black and white comes in because there was no colour anywhere so everything worked together. I always felt immaculate and yet I didn’t have many clothes because everything worked together. When the stylists were researching Carolyn’s looks for the series they worked out that she only had about 30 key items that she wore repeatedly right through the late 90s.

Of course the 90s revival has been going strong over the last twelve months as we’ve already discussed and this series is only going to fuel it further. So, when I spotted the key pieces of one of my favourite outfits of hers at John Lewis I wanted to give it a try. And by the way, it’s an almost exact replica of what I was wearing the first night that Mal and I danced together back in Manchester.

Let’s start with the Carolyn Bessette Kennedy inspiration (and I’m taking photos of my desktop for copyright reasons).

… and here’s my village life attempt to recreate that New York street with a very unco-operative Ted.

Cropped kick flare jeans; high neck ruched vest; snake sandals; 90s sunglasses

I can’t tell you how happy this outfit made me. It felt so refreshing to wear a completely different cut of jeans to the 7/8 crop/barrel/wide leg that seem to have been around forever. And I’d forgotten just how flattering a cropped kick flare can be… and a mid-rise (although I should have tucked the t-shirt in all the way round for more emphasis on the waist, there was no Parisian tuck in the 90s).

I was almost afraid to try the jeans on because they’re designer and I didn’t believe they’d fit my midlife body. They’re from Mother which is new to John Lewis and they are just beautiful to wear. They make a big noise on the website about having to be worn in which almost put me off but they felt perfect straight from the box so they must get even better. One little detail I loved is that they have a leather panel stitched into the back of the waist on the inside so that your top won’t untuck. I’m not going to pretend that they’re not expensive… but they’re fabulous. Darn you John Lewis for asking me to try them, they’re going to haunt my dreams now!

Cropped kick flare jeans; high neck ruched vest; snake sandals; 90s sunglasses

The 90s style vest is a more straightforward purchase, super flattering with subtle ruching at the side to give you the illusion of a waist even if you don’t really have one. And the raised neck is so good for a midlife woman, it’s so much kinder than round. The sandals once again finish it off perfectly – and I hope you spotted the 90s sunglasses in the last photo. They’ll be everywhere this summer and this particular pair are a great value way of being on trend.

So that’s given us a comprehensive catch-up with our old friend John Lewis for the season ahead. Happy Easter everyone – we have Storm Dave incoming so we’ll be battening the hatches and bedding down with chocolate… while dreaming of  sunny days ahead.

Disclosure: ‘What’s going on at John Lewis S26?’ was commissioned by John Lewis but all words, opinions and outfitting choices are my own

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