I Just Tried On Zara's Autumn Collection—These 4 Pieces Will Earn Me So Many Compliments

Welcome to The Great Try-On. With autumn well and truly in the air, we seized the opportunity to try on some of the best new-in pieces from some of your favourite brands, documenting the process along the way. We believe that the best way to shop online is to see an item IRL and to read candid reviews, so we hope that this leads you to your most successful purchases of the year.

A new style moment has arrived in the form of autumn. As the sharpest shift from one season to another, the break between summer and autumn can feel like a quick rush to pack up the linens that worked hard over the warmer months, and steadfastly return our trusted knits, denims and outerwear to pride of place. Like many, I found myself rejigging my wardrobe for October, and in doing so quickly found there were clear gaps where mild weather heroes should be. As the cold days have set in and will stick around until milder spring days break into sunshine, now is prime time to make clever additions to my hard-working wardrobe.

When it comes to making space for new buys in my wardrobe, I often look to investment pieces, but with so many strong collections on the high street, this is my first port of call. As ever, when I part with my hard-earned cash, every piece has to meet my high standards of being easy to style, timeless in design and expensive-looking no matter the price point. So naturally, I headed to Zara.

Shopping at Zara, whether online or in-store, is always something I look forward to. For many, it can feel overwhelming with waves of new styles, but I find that it means there's plenty of real gems to be found, that will earn their keep in my wardrobe for years to come. Most of the time, I shop online for ease, but as you may know, I do a lot of in-store try-ons to give extra guidance to our readers. I've tested out new high street coats, a selection of the very best jeans as well as trending footwear, and now I'm sharing my autumn Zara finds.

After a quick scan of the shop floor, I'd already honed in on four key pieces. The perfect forever coat, the easy co-ord, the layering piece with a twist, and the standout shade. With my eyes drawn to these, four outfits quickly came to fruition, moving back and forth between either side of the shop, pilling pieces onto my sister's outstretched arms as she offered to accompany me on my shopping trip. Even editors like to get a second opinion, and few are as honest as a sibling's.

Like most, a feathered piece or sky-high heel can instantly turn my head, but in the spirit of adding only truly worthwhile pieces to my basket, wearability and versatility of styling were forefront of my mind. Alongside, I've styled these with pieces that can be mixed and matched with the renowned staples already in our wardrobes, like a great white shirt or knee-high boots, that consistently prove their worth in timeless appeal. But if you're yet to have these basics in your arsenal, I've linked them below, too.

For guidance, I am 5'2" and tend to wear an 8 or small in coats and jackets and a 10 or medium in bottoms. I've also included the sizes I've tried on, with advice on whether to size up or down depending on each style, just to make adding to your forever wardrobe even easier.

Keep scrolling to see the Zara pieces I tried on for my Autumn 2024 review, and see my honest thoughts on the standout pieces.

See My Favourite Pieces From My Zara Autumn 2024 Try-On

Style Notes: Today I finally turned my heating back on, and so it's time to declare that coats are back in business. Immediately, I was drawn to this understated coat with a minimalist appeal that will serve well over many years. The shade is a soft camel, known for easily blending with most other colours, and adding a premium edge in its refined nature. With a simple single-breasted design, flap front pockets and crisp lapels, I instantly knew this was a piece I'd be wearing on repeat.

When considering how to style it, I went classic, relying on my most worn staples of a white shirt, wide-leg jeans and easy boots to complete the look. Without fuss, it's refined and elegant, ready to take on a variety of occasions from quick drinks with friends to a day in the office. Though the coat's wearability means that it can be reached for to finish a variety of looks, be it a tailored ensemble or a dressier evening look.

For the coat, I took my usual size small and was impressed that it fitted perfectly, without feeling restricted as some structured coats can feel. At 5'2", it hit me just right, below the knee. The shirt is slightly oversized, so for a neater fit, I opted for the size XS which still felt roomy. Wide-leg jeans are one of my most worn items, and this pair has a chic dark wash, yet comes up slightly big. I tried the size 10 but would go for the size down. As you can see, the length of the jeans are suited for much taller people, but any petite person knows that any dry cleaner will be able to adjust these easily.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Style Notes: Layering season is in full swing, and whilst there's an array of brilliant cardigans and jumpers around, I was looking for something special. And I definitely found it. Zara offers this lightweight cardigan in a soft green shade, but the most intriguing detail is the scarf detail.

I've long been a fan of adding a scarf to a simple T-shirt to bring a pop of colour, print or texture to simple proceedings, something my mum has always embraced as a key part of her daily uniform. As we move into the cooler months, tie-neck details are rising from scarf coats to slinging a jumper over our shoulders, and now this detail can be embraced in knit form, integrated into classic knitwear for a fun twist.

As the cardigan is a standout piece, the rest of my look takes a more understated approach. Naturally, tailored trousers were what I searched for, and as someone who more frequently wears trousers than anything else, I hope you'll take it seriously when I say these are some of the best I've tried. The wide-leg silhouette is perfectly draped for that modern edge, whilst sharp pleats boast a tailoring expertise you'd easily think were designer. In the finer details, there's a false pocket with a button detail that further adds to the considered design. Whilst the look can be dressed down with trainers or flats, I wanted to bring a touch of elegance to the wide silhouette of the trousers, with a pointed-toe shoe just peeking out underneath. For the cardigan, I tried a size small for a neat fit which was just right, and for the trousers, I took a size small.

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Style Notes: If there's one piece that deserves unlimited praise it has to be the co-ord. On days when there are only five minutes to get ready, a sleek two-piece will always be your saving grace. For autumn, I looked to cosy knit fabrics, ready to take on the new season chill whilst looking high-end, and this high-neck top and fluid skirt combination is one I'll turn to over and over again.

The brilliance of a co-ord is in its versatility. Not only does each piece have a perfectly matched companion, but can be separated for various outfit options. The high-neck top can be styled with classic jeans, sleek tailoring, denim skirts and plenty more, whilst the skirt can rise to any occasion with a nice top or classic shirt. The soft fabric brings just enough warmth to satiate the colder moments, and as I tend to run hot I like the idea of a sleeveless silhouette. However, if you prefer to cover your arms, a simple shirt can be layered in to complete the look. Both styles come in three colours, grey, cream and camel, all of which are incredibly expensive-looking.

Better still, the sizing is just right. Here I've taken the size small in both the top and skirt and elevated the look with a pair of refined kitten heel boots. As an autumn staple, a great pair of knee-high boots will see you through every autumn, winter and spring.

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Style Notes: For a long time I've been a dedicated minimalist, mostly turning to neutral shades as my daily uniform. But after the bright summer days, I'm hoping to hold on to the rejuvenating effects of bolder shades, especially through the greyer months. As we're well and truly into the days where outerwear is a must, I'm starting here when adding a new hue into the mix.

As the shade is a break away from my norm, I'm turning to a timeless silhouette to keep it wearable and relevant within my wardrobe. Here, it's by way of a sweet structured jacket with a tweed-look fabric of bold red, with white and black thread running through. The sharp silhouette with padded shoulders, front pockets and vintage-style buttons brings a polished finish, even when paired with a simple T-shirt and jeans. Straight-leg jeans are a must-have within any wardrobe, and the mid-wash brings a casual edge to balance the put-together nature of the top. Whilst the jeans appeared cuffed when on the hanger, it turns out they are simply turned up, not sewn, and as they came up short on even me, I unrolled them for a puddling effect.

The sizes for the jacket were limited in-store so I tried a size medium, which by chance fitted. But, the sleeves felt slightly restricting, so if it had been available I would have gone for the size large. For the jeans, I took my usual size 10 and liked that they weren't too fitted around the thigh. Finally, to sandwich the elegant top and relaxed jeans, I added a pair of sweet bow motif mules with a sharp point toe in my usual size 5.

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