New season, fresh wares. It’s hello spring trench coat, bye bye floor length quilted puffer. March is definitely a turning point when it comes to our wardrobes and however cold it gets in the UK (the Beast from the East was fun, hey?) the shift in seasons feels fully in our grasp. It’s definitely been a bit warmer the past week and there’s a sense of spring-is-in-the-air. Now it’s time for stockpiling the daffodils, tracking down your ultimate 2018 Easter egg and getting things ship shape and organised around the house. It’s less bleak out there and I don’t know about you guys but I’m pretty happy to see the back of February.

I fell hard for the trench coat a few years back when I snapped up a Luella tobacco coloured belt-up in a sample sale. It was such a great piece, went with everything and always looked chic over the tattiest jeans and trainers. Each brand has its own versions of the classic trench coat each year, some stand out and others really, really shine through as the leading contenders. It’s about zoning in on what your day-to-day needs, and if you’re a spring trench coat newbie lacking a classic stone or beige one in your collection, I suggest you start here!

Spring Trench Coat: The Classic Cuts

However, if you’ve already got your grab-and-go neutral trench sorted and fancy a spring 2018 update, you’ve come to the right place.

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For M&S, a cleverly cut, oversized and belted spring trench coat is nothing new, it’s a staple design in their seasonal arsenal, but throw in a catwalk-inspired lilac hue and spring-driven gingham finish and you’ve got one bombshell overcoat at your disposal. What I love about this gingham trench is the unapologetic outsized silhouette. The hemline nearly reaches the floor, pockets are extra-deep, belt is super long and shoulders slope pleasingly off for all the relaxed feels. It’s supposed to look like it’s a little too big, so don’t be alarmed when you first slip into it at the sheer amount of checked fabric wrapping around you. Go with it, embrace it and when selecting yours, go down a size or two.

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This beauty is part of the Limited collection and has sadly sold out online already (in about a week flat!) but I’ve seen a few floating around in stores so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. Some sizes keep reappearing online too, so you might get lucky! In the meantime, you can find the full range of M&S spring trench coats here and take a scroll through the SS18 hero designs I’ve edited below. You’ll find lots of trophy trench options out there, from graphic monochrome checks at Topshop to cool denim at J Crew, but to make things easy and cut to the good stuff, here’s an overview of the ones to consider.

Spring Trench Coat: The Trophy Buys

Thought I wasn’t going to mention the trainers? I wouldn’t do that to you! My new trainers du jour are by ethical French label Veja. I’ve been on the hunt for something to replace my love-worn Vans for as long as I remember, so when these popped up on my radar with their clean, minimalist and retro aesthetic, I jumped right in. And it turns out a lot of others are too, I’ve spied these on so many Instagram accounts and a dig around led to these red and navy designed sneaks – the perfect simple colour combo. I’ve not taken them off since they arrived. Obsessed. I’ve seen a great edit of Veja’s over at Matches and Anthropologie are stocking them too.

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So as we head into March, don’t be thrown by the beach dresses and sandals hitting stores, there’s still plenty of right-for-now, wearable options to be snapped up. Bypass the super summery spring collections until you feel ready. A new trench and trainer duo will have your back for the rest of this month and beyond.

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Looking for more spring wardrobe updaters? Right this way for the new brands I’ve currently got on repeat.

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And let me know in the comments below if you manage to get hold of the M&S trench or find a really great style out there I should know about.