At the Marks & Spencer autumn press day, where the brand’s next-season offerings are unveiled to the industry, things aren’t looking all that autumnal. Instead of the usual black, grey and navy, there’s a blaze of colour on a parade of coats displayed on mannequins serried from ceiling to floor on a curved catwalk the reaches almost to the roof of the disused church we’re standing in.

‘Our customer has always liked a bit of colour,’ head of design Belinda Earl tells me when I visit the day before they open their doors to journalists. ‘Actually, when she’s not been happy is when it’s all gone really grey – those winters that haven’t been that great for fashion.’

She points toward the centrepiece of graphically printed and colour-blocked pieces in crimson, grass green and midnight blue. ‘Modernist is the major trend that we’re backing – it works back to mixing in a few neutrals, but it’s also a great way of wearing colour.’

Clearly, the team have taken on board the surprise sell-out piece of last winter, that pink coat. And what they’re fielding for 2014 develops along a similar theme, one of classic designs with a contemporary feel that combines an investment piece with a new season treat.

The stand-outs in the room are overwhelmingly coats, but the sheer variety on offer is impressive too: a tomato red double-faced felt blanket coat that drapes elegantly around the shoulders; a duck-egg Crombie style in beautiful brushed felt; a primrose yellow contrasted-lined beige cocoon, teamed in the model shots with a long-line white skirt.

To subvert one of the brand’s famous sayings, these aren’t just M&S coats, they’re M&S coats designed with an eye on what’s happening at the highest end of the industry. And that research has been matched with the usual attention to quality and value for money that the brand will always be known for. In fact, the graphic ‘Modernist’ coat we’re standing next to comes in at £85. Not bad for what's likely to be your biggest fashion purchase of the year.

Elsewhere in the room, there’s a mannish camel coat, a textured grey biker-bomber jacket, mid-length skirts that come in black neoprene and metallic bronze, as well as bottle green and oxblood leather. In terms of accessories, there’s a small satchel with more than a whiff of Proenza’s PS2 about it, and a pair of pointed-toe, block-heeled ankle boots that Belinda Earl describes as ‘two reasons to buy some new boots’. It’s hard to disagree with her.

‘We’re mindful of the fact we need to have an everyday wardrobe covered,’ she continues. ‘But our customer comes to us for special pieces too.’

What’s refreshing about these clothes, though, is that they cover both bases: they’re easy and sensible staples at heart, given a modish spin in either colour or texture. Divided into categories such as ‘simple luxe’ (smart but relaxed classic), ‘the gentlewoman’ (somewhere between nostalgia and boho) and ‘the arts’ (reflecting a homespun look in many of the autumn collections), there are jacquard sweatshirts, metallic embroidered shift dresses, hand-beaded silk T-shirts and distinctly practical winter coats in fashionable and feminine colours. They're not 'fast fashion' prices, but they'll see you through the season. What’s more, they’re perfectly calibrated to autumn 2014’s gamut of graphic, minimal, romantic and folksy trends.

That isn’t to say the design team at M&S are soothsayers entirely – after all, there’s always a run on one item that becomes a near-obsession for some shoppers.

‘What’s going to catch us by surprise is always a difficult one,’ says Belinda Earl, when I mention the wildly successful pieces that have sold out almost immediately in previous seasons. ‘We’ve got faux fur covered – there was more demand than we could meet last year, so we feel very confident about that. I love the shaggy patchwork version.’ She pauses and smiles. ‘Yes, I think faux fur’s going to be big.’

The earliest pieces arrive at the beginning of August – you have your orders.

Click the gallery to see more of the Marks & Spencer autumn 2014 collection; follow @harrywalker1 on Twitter