"Does Jaeger look better, or have I been with those women too long?"

Can you remember when Jaeger wasn't quite so cool? 

When I was a child when my mother had a designer dress agency, and I associated the concept of 'fashion' with the glitzy women who shopped there. They wore off-the-shoulder batwing t-shirts in taupe and silver, had ash-blonde streaks in their hair, and wore bold earrings in gold and primary brights. (I should mention that it was the '80s, when I regularly wore cycling shorts - we all lived and learnt, didn't we?) I became aware of the name Jaeger around this time, and like most people came to imagine that their clothes were for stuffy, middle-aged women.

Since seeing their A/W 2010 collection, that theory has been throughly eradicated.


It's no secret that Jaeger's reputation has been on the up in recent times; particularly since the introduction of Boutique by Jaeger, by all accounts a great success with the younger customer. 
Take a look at these items, and see if you can understand the appeal...

There are some lovely touches: the toffee-coloured velvet on this classic dress; the leather lapels on the jacket.

I always feel elegant in a blouse, and the colour palette on this one gives it a touch of quirkiness. All you'd need with the dress is a pair of ankle boots.

Fans of velvet need look no further for their fix...

I love the subtlety of the lace in these trousers - and these shoes could almost give Camilla Skovgaard a run for her money.

See what I mean? Flattering ladylike dresses, beautiful silk blouses and some sleek tailoring. I wondered at first if it appeals just because I'm getting older - if I'm simply becoming more conservative. Maybe that's true, to some extent. But whatever the cause, I have begun to crave clothes that make me feel comfortable and chic, and all these items appeal to that need. Most importantly, all the classic pieces have subtle touches that keep them just this side of fashionable...

What do you think? Have any labels made you rethink your opinions?