Summer 2025 Must-Haves: British Fashion Is Back In The Spotlight

Burberry (on the catwalk)! Victoria Beckham (on Netflix)! Absolutely Fabulous's Patsy and Eddie (on the front row)! Cool Britannia is once again waving the flag for UK fashion. Ever since the heady Noughts rule of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and John Galliano, British fashion has been decidedly subdued. No longer commanding the cachet it once did at the luxury end, while high street stalwarts such as Warehouse, Oasis, and even Topshop, have become little more than generic licensed online brands. Since 2021, UAE residents shopping in the UK can't even claim back the country's 20 per cent VAT charge on purchases. Bond Street's loss, The Dubai Mall's gain.

But the tide does appear to be shifting. Ikea might have taken over the old Topshop site in London's Oxford Circus, but, from next spring, Topshop designs will be available in John Lewis stores across the UK.

Elton John made an appearance at Burberry's London Fashion Week show last Monday, amplifying the union of fashion and music that is at the beating heart of cool Britannia. And the Oasis reunion proved that no one does nonchalant dress-down like the Brits.

Even Marks & Spencer (M&S), the grande dame of UK fashion, is rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes, following a cyber-attack last spring that dented the retailer's profits by around £300 million (Dh1.4 billion). M&S's new autumn collection, which hits UAE stores and the local website this month, is - whisper it - more exciting than anything I've seen so far from the Topshop rebirth.

Here's what I'll be buying from the new M&S collection:

THE ANONYMOUS ACCESSORIES

Fashionable shoes are mercurial things‭. ‬Just when you think you've found‭ ‬
a toe-shape‭, ‬heel silhouette and overall vibe that works for 90‭ ‬per cent of your wardrobe‭, ‬the aesthetic changes and you're forced to readdress your entire look‭. ‬More than any other item‭, ‬your choice of footwear can make or break an outfit‭. ‬And this‭ ‬season‭, ‬fashion insiders will be side-eyeing your vamp‭. ‬I'll translate‭: ‬the vamp is the upper front part of the shoe‭, ‬that under normal circumstances would sit somewhere near where your‭ ‬toes begin‭. ‬These are not normal circumstances‭, ‬and for this season‭ (‬and likely this season only‭), ‬said vamp need to hit the mid‭-‬foot to be considered au courant‭. ‬Thankfully‭, ‬M&S has a workable‭, ‬walkable solution in its leather slingbacks‭. ‬I'm also keen on its The Row-like bowling bag that looks like it could easily have an extra couple of zeroes tacked onto the end of the price tag‭. ‬And‭ ‬the mini version attached to handle for stashing‭ ‬
car keys etc‭. ‬is‭, ‬as my 12-year-old daughter would say‭, ‬adorable‭.‬

THE DOWNTIME DUO

I've not worn a lumberjack shirt since the‭ ‬'90s‭, ‬but‭ ‬
I think I'm ready to give them another go‭. ‬Unlike the Camden market-sourced ones from my teenage years‭, ‬M&S's checked number is less grunge‭, ‬more off-duty CEO on a mountain retreat‭. ‬It's the kind of shirt that signals your ability to build empires‭, ‬apps and campfires‭, ‬probably all at once‭. ‬In a further swing back to the‭ ‬'90s‭, ‬I'd forgotten how good a good bootcut jean can be‭. ‬Ideally‭, ‬it will skim from waist to knees before flaring out‭, ‬almost imperceptibly‭, ‬to give the illusion of legs that go on forever‭. ‬With a touch of stretch‭, ‬M&S's‭ ‬'Eva'‭ ‬style will carry you through the season effortlessly‭.‬

THE COULD-IT-BE-COUTURE BLAZER

Oversized blazers are all well and good from the front‭. ‬Roll the sleeves up‭, ‬maybe add a louche French tuck and the shape works‭.‬‭ ‬But unless you are an actual Olsen twin‭, ‬or born with doll-like proportions‭, ‬they're not flattering from behind‭. ‬The genius in M&S's camel blazer is that it retains the power-shoulder punch of a boxy blazer from the front‭, ‬but is nipped in with couture-like precision to a neat waist at the back‭. ‬The single‭, ‬asymmetric button fastening lets you toggle between loose and louche‭, ‬or snatched and sharp‭. ‬

THE MODERN VINTAGE TROUSER

I don't want to lead on the fact that they're Dh229‭ ‬and machine washable at 30‭ ‬degrees‭, ‬because this is a style column in a luxury publication‭. ‬However‭, ‬when you can look‭ ‬expensive‭, ‬but still pay less than the price of a high-end Pilates class and get practicality thrown in‭, ‬well‮...‬‭ ‬I should probably‭ ‬say that I can imagine Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wearing these leather-look barrel trousers‭. ‬Sure‭, ‬she can afford the genuine leather version‭, ‬but she wouldn't be able to run them on a 45-minute cycle‭. ‬The rich shade works so well in a high gloss finish‭, ‬and the barrel shape and high-rise waist is surprisingly wearable‭. ‬My wardrobe increasingly only includes pieces that will work with a flat shoe‭, ‬and these tick that box‭. ‬Did I mention they're just Dh229‭?

THE DAYTIME DISCO SKIRT

It's a mini-skirt‭, ‬but because it's an M&S mini-skirt you can be assured that the‭ ‬'mini'‭ ‬side of the equation won't endanger your modesty‭, ‬coming in at a very respectable 46cm in length‭. ‬Styled with a pointed flat and a basic tee‭, ‬the muted rhinestone embellishment gives old-designer-sample-sale-vintage rather than falling-apart-Shein-haul‭. ‬Part of M&S's luxury Autograph line‭, ‬this skirt forms part of a drop that whispers front-row insider‭. ‬Beat the fashion editors to the front‭ ‬of the queue‭.‬‬

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