‘Marks and Spencer’s lemon yellow spring-perfect jacket surprised me – in the best way’

Shopping writer Eve Rowlands believes she has found the perfect spring jacket to help transition out of the winter weather

Although winter is still very much in the air, Marks and Spencer is helping us feel excited for the spring with its new range, which includes a coat in one of the top colours for the upcoming season. The Brushed Belted Collared Short Coat with Wool, £65, is the perfect option for the transitioning temperatures thanks to its wool makeup and pastel hue that adds some sunshine to our wardrobe.

However, differing from many other winter coats, this short style comes in a beautiful lemon yellow colourway, which screams springtime. Having spotted it online, I visited my local store to see whether or not the coat was worthy of its highly rated reviews, and was left pleasantly surprised.

Softer than I expected it to be, the coat has a fluffy exterior that is silky to the touch and gives the jacket a lovely texture that adds a bit of character. Still available online in sizes eight to 22, the coat has a shorter length, coming to just below the hips.

With a belted waist tie, it gives shoppers the option of wearing the coat tied in a bow at the front, cinching in the waist and creating a lovely hourglass figure. Or, they can wear it loose, detaching the belt from the coat’s loops and wearing its boxy shape as is.

While I tend to lean towards less shapely coats (I’m a big fan of oversized maxis with enough room to fit a jumper underneath and something that doesn’t highlight my figure), the quality of this coat really stumped me and had my throwing out this preference completely.

I enjoyed how it gave me a bit more of a shape – especially when paired with barrel leg jeans, and added to my warmth (thanks to the thickness of the coat and lining being drawn closer to my body). It also helped that the jacket has a side tortoiseshell button fastening, which gave a double layering over my chest and made the front of the coat look more seamless and elegant, over which the collar poked through. It’s also got well-placed pockets for those immediate essential items – not square ones, or pockets with little depth.

Of course, it can also be worn with its lapels folded, to create more of a V-neck design, which may come in handy in the warmer weather. Now, it’s important to note that, in person, the yellow is way more subtle than the pictures online show. While it is definitely lemon yellow, it is light yellow and in some lighting looks cream – but more lifted.

For those who’d rather a more definitive neutral colour, however, Vero Moda’s belted short formal jacket in cream is £55 at ASOS and looks to lean on the more beige side of cream. Alternatively, Next’s Friends Like These Black Short Belted Twill Collared Jacket, £69, comes in black and is a great choice for those who prefer more of a capsule wardrobe, with timeless hues that’ll go with everything.

Although I must say that this yellow coat from Marks and Spencer will go with a lot. I tried it on with three different pairs of jeans – a blue pair, a black style and a cream hue – and it looked pretty good with all three.

My only gripe is that the sizing may come up a little small. I say this because, although I picked up a hanger for the size 10, upon trying it on, I realised I’d grabbed a size 12. While it had a lovely, more oversized feel that would fit a chunky jumper underneath, I wouldn’t have said it was too big (I’m usually an 8-10) and had me considering whether to purchase it.

Although this seems to only be something I’ve noticed, as most other shoppers have noted on its website how the fit is great – one person said: “I bought size 16 (my normal size) and it is perfect with room under for a long sleeve tee and cashmere weight jumper or cardigan.”

I’m also conscious that, being a light colour, the risk of getting face makeup on the coat will be way more noticeable – although this is more of an issue for the more clumsy amongst us who haven’t quite found the right setting spray…

The Brushed Belted Collared Short Coat with Wool is available at Marks and Spencer.