Review - Marks & Spencer School Uniforms

Marks & Spencer's have upped their game for school uniforms this year with a number of innovations that should help speed up your mornings.

The schools go back in Glasgow on the 13th August... not long now... so it's time to get organised with school uniforms, school bags etc. I used to love selecting out a new pencil case for going back to school and my son this year has chosen an R2D2 one. It's got a motion-activated Star Wars sound inside, but thankfully it can be switched off - don't think the teacher would like me otherwise!

My son is starting Primary 2, so it's really about time that he was getting himself dressed in the mornings. He's nearly there... but getting the buttons done up on his shirts are always tricky. The M&S Ultimate Non-Iron, Stain Away Shirts have an "easy close" top button. It's a clever velcro closure behind the top button and this means that the eldest can get dressed by himself - no excuses now! The shirts also have "Expandicuffs" which also means that he doesn't need to worry about mastering one handed button closing. Instead the elasticated cuffs can be easily slipped on and off. Plus they're non-iron and stain away (yet to be tested I have to add - watch this space) - definitely a bonus for busy parents. I just need to get quicker at tying the school tie!

M&S Boys Ultimate Non-Iron, Stain Away Long Sleeve Shirt and Boys Flat Front Trousers

Despite not yet being 6 years old (very nearly... 9 more days to go!) he's in age 7-8 year clothing. 

He's a tall boy!!

This is the first time that I've seen a school shirt which a velcro top button. I have to say it really is quite a clever concept. I guess my only concern is that the velcro loses it's sticking power as the shirt is washed and washed. The shirts that I bought for P1 with a regular top button lasted for the whole school year, so hopefully these will be the same. 

Expandicuffs

There are other innovations too:

Adjust-A-Hem - hems with an extra 3 inches of material that can be let down as your child grows. Just iron in place, no needle & thread needed.

Permanent Pleats - pleats that stay, even after washing - no need to iron them in.

The littlest hiding under her new jacket for nursery!

Here's to stress-free, simple school-day mornings - thank you M&S

We received £100 towards new school uniforms from Marks & Spencer in exchange for this review. Opinions are honest and are my own.

{Fashion update - new clothes}

So I know I said I wasn't going to buy any new work clothes until I reached 11 stone 7 lbs, however I've been hovering around the 12 stone mark for ages now and I'm feeling a bit down about my lack of outfits for work. I'm seriously fed up with the striped dress that I wear *every* week and the old woollen dress that I've been wearing also *every* week even though it's boiling hot outside because they're the only things that fit me at the moment.

Anyway, my Reward vouchers from M&S arrived yesterday along with a voucher for 20% off clothing, so I thought I would have a look to see what was new in store, and I've ended up buying these culottes (I have been lusting after culottes for work for a while!):

Pleated Front Wide Leg Culottes in Navy, £35

These culottes come in different lengths so I was able to get Long ones

And whilst I was there, I may have also bought these tops too... well, I felt I needed to make the most of my 20% discount!! :-/

Notch Neck Blouse in Red, £28

Half Sleeve Front Ruched Top in Grey, £12.50

I'll get some photos of me in the outfits asap :-)

P.S. Did you see the gorgeous Maxwell Scott bag that I've won from thankfifi? I'm a very lucky lady!! Thank you both x

{'Window' Shopping at M&S}

I have a Marks & Spencer Credit Card, and with this credit card I get points for my purchases. These points are then transformed into M&S vouchers that I can spend in-store :-) The other day I received my quarterly reward letter and in which I have £25 of vouchers... (it was meant to be more, but thankfully I've now resolved the error... bit annoying as I'll have to wait until next quarter to get the extra vouchers!).

Anyway, I quickly took to the M&S website to see what I could buy!

I could be sensible and use the vouchers for something that we need, like some new summer clothes for the kids now that the weather seems to be improving. Or I could spend the vouchers on some yummy food - I love M&S meals and consider them a real treat.

However, I have decided that it is me that deserves the treat.

Here's what I've come up with...

Zipped Cross-Body Bag, £29.50 - the Fossil bag that I have has been my faithful handbag for over a year and a half now. I've been using it daily and it's starting to look tired. It's also of considerable size but I now don't need to carry nappies and wipes with me everywhere, so I was thinking a smaller cross-body bag might be a good investment of my vouchers!

Gladiator Sandals, £35 - I could be done with a pair of smart sandals that can be worn to work. I've been living in ankle boots and need something now that is more suited to the warmer weather.

Gladiator Sandals, £29.50

Zipped Pockets Shift Dress, £18 in the sale - maybe a bit bright for work? Thought this would potentially be a good option for my new capsule wardrobe

Letter S mug, £6 - I love a good mug for tea!

Medium pillar candleholder, £25 - I love candles and fairy lights, so this was an obvious choice.

Rio Striped Fleece Rug, £19.50 - in preparation for my picnic

Garden Flamingo Stake Tealight Holder, £12 - again, see above re: candles!

Stick Drop Earrings, £7.50 - I picked out a few pairs of earrings because they're so pretty. I tend not to buy much in the way of jewellery as I don't wear it everyday for fear of it being nabbed (my daughter ends up claiming it for her own jewellery box!) but a few new pieces would be lovely for the right occasion

Trail Drop Earrings, £17.50

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{My Capsule Wardrobe - Outerwear}

Here's the lowdown on my outerwear. I have a few coats in a wardrobe in my hall, and at the moment I have one on my coat stand in the hallway by the door. Seeing as it's winter, my current coat of choice is my new North Face parka. I love it. It was very expensive, but I see it as an investment and it will last me for years and years. It's very cosy and is fully waterproof - perfect for the cold weather we get here! Thank you to @Scottish_Mum for the recommendation.

North Face Arctic Parka

I also have two showerproof macs. They are both casual jackets that I throw on over my day-to-day clothes when the weather is a bit warmer for popping out on the nursery run or to the shops. I have a beige coloured mac from Joules that I picked up in their sale a few years ago and I have a black mac from M&S. I bought the black mac just after my son was born and I've got a lot of use out of it so far. It's still in great condition, and it can be chucked in the washing machine which is really handy.

Of all my coats, I wear my parka and two showerproof macs the most. These have hoods so they're great when I'm out pushing the double buggy round the local shops... the Glasgow weather is notoriously unpredictable and so a hood is essential in my eyes as it would be very difficult to push a buggy and hold an umbrella!

I have a few other coats and jackets that I haven't worn for a while now, mainly because they didn't fit me when I was pregnant or they don't have hoods so are useless for when I'm out with the buggy (which is most of the time!).

I have a fab mustard mac from M&S which I used to wear literally all the time... with jeans during the day, over dresses at night! I also have a beige mac with a belt from Next. These are both smarter than my showerproof macs, but due to the lack of hood I rarely wear them but I will dig them out in the summer months (please let us have some nice weather next year!).

My mustard mac from M&S (me as a brunette!)

I bought a black leather short jacket from Mango pre-babies which I wore a lot for nights out clubbing but I've not been able to fit into it in ages...however guess what, it fits me again! Don't really have nights out anymore though!!

Black leather jacket from Mango (Note to self, I look much better with a fringe!!)

I also have a cream leather short jacket from Costco which is possibly 15 years old now and still going strong! My mum bought it for my little sister and I ended up with it for some reason. I can't remember the last time I wore it, but I can't seem to part with it.

My denim jacket from Oasis is possibly 15 years old too! My hubby thought it was hilarious that I still had my old denim jacket, but it still fits me and a denim jacket is a denim jacket. I've not worn it in years, but like the cream leather one I can't seem to part with it just yet!

I also have two gilets, one beige and one black, from Topshop. Again they are really old and I can't remember the last time I wore them. My sister wears the beige one occasionally when she visits, but other than that they don't get worn.

Here I am on my last day of secondary school wearing my black gilet!

I've got a long black 'Scottish Widows' type coat with a hood which I picked up at a Next sale a while ago, but the shape of it does nothing for me now and I think it is ready for the charity shop.

I'm not a hoarder (I've already put a few coats to the charity shop as they were drowning me and they didn't look flattering anymore), but sometimes I do find it difficult to be ruthless and let go. Watch out eBay - I have lots of items coming your way!!

I've heard that the rule should be if you've not worn an item in the last year then you should ditch it - is that really the case?