"I wore M&S x England Lionesses range you can wear to the office or a night out"

17 August 2023 , 11:47

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England boss Sarina Wiegman and MEN reporter Dianne Bourne in the M&S bomber jacket (Image: PA/MEN)

After a triumphant win against Australia in the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup this week, England’s Lionesses are heading to the final against Spain this Sunday. They’ve already made history simply for being the first women’s team to make the World Cup final - so if they win, their popularity will skyrocket, inspiring generations of football fans.

All eyes have been on our nation’s Lionesses throughout the tournament - but did you know you can buy some of the ? Including a jacket England boss Sarina Wiegman has been spotted wearing.

It comes as M&S has become the Official Tailor of the England Senior Women’s Team for the first time this year, cementing the retailer’s long standing relationship with The Football Association, which dates back to 2007 when they became the Official Suit Supplier to the England Senior Men’s Team.

Marks and Spencer says the womenswear range aims to "challenge the traditional idea of power dressing". It features "versatile tailoring pieces" in a "contemporary tonal colour palette of navy and white" and has been winning glowing 5 star reviews from customers on its website.

Dianne Bourne, an editor from our sister title the , bagging herself compliments in the smart-looking range that’s perfect for the office or a night out. Here’s what she had to say:

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The waistcoat and trousers

Dianne Bourne in the M&S X England tailored navy waistcoat and zip detail straight leg trousers

This was my favourite combination from the M&S X England collection - the smart tailored navy waistcoat £49.50 and the zip detail straight leg trousers which are £55. Both items are also available in white, but I decided to stick with what I hoped would be a more slimming navy colour for my size-16 figure.

Both fitted true to size, and I felt like this combo would work well for both workwear and for a night out too. Indeed I headed out to work in this and garnered no less than TWO actual compliments for "looking very smart" from colleagues. Back of the net.

This waistcoat and trouser combination has also been a hit with M&S customers. When influencer Binky Felstead shared her videos in the items on her Instagram it had a big response - with fans saying: "love, love that suit" and "need it all." Isabella Duder added: "Love this range so so much".

The bomber jacket

Dianne Bourne in the M&S x England Navy Bomber Jacker

Now this is the one item in the range England fans will have been seeing the most on screen when watching the games at the FIFA World Cup. For England boss Sarina Wiegman has been spotted wearing the relaxed navy M&S bomber jacket at most of the games as she paces the touchline.

She teams it with the tailored trousers with zip details that I also tried, and some white trainers.

It has a sort of smart sports-casual look when Sarina wears it. But I'm not convinced it naturally fits with my normal sort of style or figure.

Indeed one cheeky colleague remarked on the zipped blouson: "It looks like you got cold down the pub and nicked it from a bloke." Oh dear that wasn't the desired look at all.

It has to be said though that it's a very comfortable jacket, but felt very puffy on my arms and I did wonder if I needed to size down. It would work well in the transitional months before you need your big jacket when out and about.

I get that it's trying to be a "modern take on power dressing" but I think for my age and figure, I felt more powerful in the tailored waistcoat personally. I wish that I'd tried the £89 tailored jacket in the collection instead which would be more my style.

However the bomber jacket does look great on the England Lionesses and the models on the M&S site though - so definitely worth a try. Although it's one of the more expensive items in the range at £89 - and is also available in white.

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The crop top

Dianne found the M&S top to have a flattering cut

Now, clearly, my crop top days are long gone - but I was pleased to see that this one works really well with the suit trousers which have a high waist. So if you have abs of steel like a Lioness you can make it work as a crop top, but if you're more flab than ab (like me) you can sort of let it rest on the top of the trouser belt without flashing any flesh.

I really liked this top which comes in both navy and white at M&S, it has a really flattering cut on the arms, and the material is soft but felt quite luxe in the knitwork for an affordable £19.50. Would make a great office staple as much as a casual top with jeans or shorts at the weekend.

The satin shirt

The satin shirt is one of the most popular items from the M&S range

This seems to be one of the most popular items in the England range, as it was already sold out in the size I initially wanted online in navy, and it's also available in white. I went a size down in the hope it would fit and was actually pretty pleased with how it looked so you might need to size down too in this one.

This was one of my favourite pieces in the collection as it had a really luxurious look and feel for a price of £29.50. And, hurrah, it's been tailored in a way that you don't get that annoying button gape over your boobs.

The M&S collection has been worn by the England women’s team on arrival at the World Cup, and in their official England team shot. You can buy the whole England range online too in sizes from 6 - 24,

Dianne Bourne