Designer style as per una
A bouclè wool jacket, a little veiled hat, lashings of creamy pearls ... is this the latest creation from Chanel? No: it is the latest offering from Marks & Spencer.
The store previewed its new per una range for autumn. In addition to the Chanel-inspired black-and-white check jacket - a snip at £69.50 - key items include a belted trenchcoat, a full khaki jersey skirt and a smart black selfstripe suit featuring wide-legged trousers and a slim-fit jacket.
Tailoring is clearly big news at per una next season. From August, when the collection is unveiled, stores will carry a new area devoted to suiting so that time-pressed women can shop with greater efficiency.
Designed by George Davies, the man responsible for revitalising Asda and Next, per una is the most catwalkconscious strand of M&S's womenswear ranges. Its mission is to translate high fashion's key trends into affordable, easy pieces which do not compromise on quality. Davies prides himself that the label is manufactured in Italy, a process which he closely oversees.
Previously, M&S had been slow in realising that today's woman is hugely fashion literate, and allowed competitors like Zara, Top Shop and Gap to steal a march on it with their affordable, high-fashion clothes.
To fashion insiders, a £69.50 bouclé jacket is no substitute for the real Chanel, but to the average working mother it is a chance to buy into the look without spending a fortune.
