Well, here’s a lust list I never thought I’d be doing, but it has recently come to my attention that Next may not just be the place I buy the kids’ nursery clothes anymore. It started with one lovely jacket jacket (which I’m going to order), and then on closer inspection of the site, it turned out that the jacket wasn’t a one off, and they really do have quite a few nice things!
For example, how cute is this jacket? I had a lot of positive feedback about my el cheapo H&M jacket featured here and this would be a good option if you wanted to recreate the look:

I love the metallic thread shot through the fabric, which makes it a little dressier, so you could also try it over a silk blouse and jeans for a night out.
I don’t yet own a pair of printed trousers, but I really like this pair:

I think the monochrome, small scale pattern will make them very versatile and easy to wear. I’d probably wear them with clashing printed slippers, a fitted t-shirt and a statement necklace.
If there is one thing I think Next does well, it is the slubby top. They usually have a variation on these every year, and I really like them:

At £12 and in a variety of colours, you can’t go too far wrong!
Continuing on the casual summer clothing theme, I also really like this maxi dress:

Also available in navy marl, this dress is so easy to wear, and would be great thrown over a bikini on holiday. I would wear it with last year’s neon Topshop flat sandals. I might also add in this tote:

I’m a sucker for a bit of animal print, and I love this simple ponyskin tote. Perfect for slinging all my toddler crap into on a day out, the shape is quite reminiscent of the tan Zara tote everyone went nuts over a few seasons ago (and which I always thought was rather dull!)
And on the subject of Zara, ahem, homages, these shoes are a lot like a pair Zara did last season and I missed out on, so I think I might add them to my order! And look, they do them in my favourite colour!

I love the ankle strap detail. I think they’d look very sexy with cropped trousers – maybe the printed pair above!
How fab is this neon friendship bracelet?:

I think it has a look of Shourouk about it, for about a millionth of the price. This would look fab peeping out from the cuff of a denim shirt.
Now I know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath to see the jacket that started it all… Well, here it is:

A slightly edgier alternative to the jersey blazer and a more summer appropriate version of the leather biker, this jacket looks set to be a winner for me. I’m not a great wearer of cardigans (can anyone busty manage it without looking like a member of the WI? If so, how?) so this is going to be the perfect cover up on slightly chillier days.
So there you have it, my round up of the best of Next, and there were quite a few other things I liked but didn’t have the time to include.
What do you think? Have I been missing a veritable treasure trove all this time, or have they upped their game recently?