I finally managed to get my hands on the M&S viral pink dress – I tried it on and here are my honest thoughts

M&S can always be relied upon for chic staples and good quality investment pieces, and right now fashion fans have also been rushing into stores to get their hands on the latest must-have hero buys too.

There are a couple of pieces in the current range from the much-loved British clothing brand that have quickly gone viral across social media recently, and all the excitement around them has been hard to ignore. There's a collared tweed jacket, and a silky pink midi dress that have both sent shoppers into a spin over the last couple of weeks. I have seen endless posts about these stand-out items on my Instagram and TikTok recently, and despite hearing that they had sold at warp speed, I decided to try and track them down and see what all the fuss was about.

The jacket was what I really had my eye on, as the soft checked print and classic countryside-y vibe is perfect for autumn, and I could see myself wearing it on repeat over the coming months. It’s not online yet, so I headed to a central London store with high hopes, but sadly, the coveted cover-up was completely gone and other savvy shoppers had clearly beaten me to it.

I was about to leave empty-handed when I spotted a flash of pink hanging on the ‘last chance’ rail, and there, to my surprise, was THE pink dress. I couldn’t believe that there was still one available, and although it was a couple of sizes too big for me, I was still keen to try it on and see if it lived up to all the hype.

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First things first, I absolutely loved the bubblegum pink colour of the M&S dress. It jumped out from the other clothing on the rails and made me smile as soon as I saw it. Barbie pink tones were everywhere last year, but this softer and sugary take on the feminine hue is less bold and a little more wearable while still feeling fun.

The dress itself is a sleeveless midaxi (somewhere in between a mid and maxi length), and the reason it's caused such a stir online is that it has a drop-waist but with belt detail designed to sit on your middle, so it’s a very unusual shape that looks and feels a little more like a designer number than a high street piece. The unexpected shape has shoppers divided, and as somebody who has curvy hips, I thought it was going to be a weird and unflattering fit on my hourglass frame.

As I mentioned, the dress I found was a couple of sizes bigger for me, so it was a little looser than I would normally like, but even so, I was surprised by how wearable this design was. The waist seam is lower than I'd normally go for, but still sat above my hips, and the skinny double belt meant I could pull it in and cinch in my waist, so I wasn't swamped in fabric. Yes, it felt odd to have my belt higher than the waistband, but overall I think it works, and it didn't look as awkward as I had expected. I have totally avoided low-waist silhouettes over the years, but I was surprised at how nicely it sat on my curvier shape, and I will definitely be more keen to give this style of dress a go again in future.

The material is a blend of polyester and polyamide, and has a floaty, light and silky feel to it that is lovely to wear. The soft crinkle effect of the material looks really pretty, and I imagine that the gently textured fabric will also be handy to disguise any possible creasing if you are going to be wearing it all day too!

When it comes to styling a pink dress like the above, you have lots of options. I would wear my bubblegum piece with shiny silver heels and a clutch bag for a wedding or a fancy do, and for a more casual feel, you could style up with best white trainers and a slouchy grey cardigan. A block colour will make a great base for prints too - try adding a floral jacket or leopard print court shoes.

Overall, I liked the dress, and I'm shocked that it's priced at just £46 as it looks and feels really fancy. It's a piece that would really wow at a special event or an end-of-summer soiree, and I can totally see why shoppers have been so keen to snap one up. It's been such a hit that I imagine that there will be another colour or a shimmery version coming in the run-up to party season. If so, I will race you to the shops...!