Comptoir des Cotonniers is an upper high street French fashion brand which all French women,  honestly all French women, know about. It's almost like a DNA thing: if you were born in France with the XX chromosomes, you grow up knowing this brand as the go to place for essential wardrobe pieces like trench coats, t-shirts, Bretton stripes, denims, knitwear etc. All of which at a reasonable (but not cheap) price for good and lasting quality. And over time, their reputation gained the shores of Britain and they have set up shops pretty much everywhere in London (Marylebone, Hampstead, Mayfair, Chelsea etc.).

These past couple of years though, something has gone wrong. The quality, design, and style were all a bit of a flop. So much so that I had pretty much lost interest in checking their collections and had gotten used to walk past their shops without looking at best, and with a smirk at worst.

But I have dared to venture again recently after a pair of burgundy ankle boots caught my eyes on their storefront. And since looking at clothes for me is like taking opium for Sherlock Holmes, I went in to check out the boots but also browsed. While I was still fairly unimpressed by their floral prints and the undefinable shape of their dresses, I fell in love with their pussy bow blouses, cropped trousers, leather jackets, trainers... And I had a massive crush for this pair of suspender trousers. See bottom of this post for details and my other favourite picks from the FW16 collection.

Suspender Trousers Noir, £115 / Denim Shirt with Tie Collar, £95 / Leather Biker Jacket with Removable Collar, £315 (very decent price for a good quality leather and fur collar, I touched!) / Spaghetti Lace Top Off White, £70 / High Heel Maroon Leather Boots, £180 / Slash Sneakers Blanc, £85

Bottom line: I am not certain Comptoir des Cotonniers have found their mojo back but from what I have seen so far they have made a pretty decent start for Autumn and Winter this year. And I shall go back shopping there for sure.