Set your watch back 50 years

Marks and sparks, sorry!

I wondered…

As long as you wear flowers in your hair you should be all right MrsPickle.

Thought it was going to be a Winston Churchill thread!

You will find better styles on the website if you can ever get through!!

Juliette, so did I!

I keep looking in M&S but I have not bought anything there for several years. The last time I went DH was with me. We had a good look round, and there was not a single thing I wanted to buy. Years ago I used to love their jeans and cords as they fitted really well. What has happened?

Our Marks and Sparks has got some really nice stuff in now. Best for a long time. I like some of the retro stuff. I think they get different stock in for different areas of the UK. We are quite sophisticated in the south-east of England.

I think you are right there jingle they do stock for the area they serve. I also think their value for money and choice of clothing has deteriorated over the years, and have not bought anything from them for some time now.

M&S are opening up again here in Brussels after being gone for quite a few years, DD is looking forward to it but I think she might be a bit dissappointed.
They are including a food hall which might be nice, but as we will walk past it at least once a week could be too tempting.

M & S in Cambridge had day glow citrus greens, yellow and pinks on offer- sales to Mrs Teetime - zero!!

I was looking through the. M&S children's sale clothing after Christmas and saw a girls' dress in what seemed to be thick crimplene.

Is this the 1960s retro look?

MrsPickle - If you're going to San Francisco' that's fine, but Llandudno could be a bit cooler - anyway I thought that was more embroidered cheesecloth and afghan coats.

I was very impressed by their recent stock and was sorry I didn't need anything. The fabrics are not always what they were but some were terrific. Sorry. Really can't complain at the moment.

I was a great devotee of M&S but the finish of some of their clothes is so awful I think twice these days. I bought two sweaters last year that had to be taken back because seams had not been secured properly and had started to come adrift at the cuff and the hem and I was b******d if I was going to repair them. They seem to have forgotten what decent cutting is as well. I'm not expecting haute couture (perish the thought) but I do expect the decent quality I had in the past.

I bought a pair of trousers and a long wool jumper in the sale; the trousers are my normal size but won't even meet in the middle -by about about 4" . The fabric was quite nice though.

The jumper is big (supposedly the same size) but DH said it looked fine so I will keep it. Should be worn over leggings but I don't have any and have no intention of buying any.
It will be interesting to see what the summer clothes will be like. Does Twiggy really wear them?

There is a section in M & S that our family call 'frumps corner'. Our M&S has a few nice things at the moment though.

Given up buying M&S trousers, for some reason they look like I'm wearing jodhpurs-strangely baggy around the thighs , not a good look!
They're jeggings are fine so long as I buy long length.
Are their leggings any good? And where can I buy long jumpers? They don't seem to be available in my local store.

Oh yes, loopylou! Thought it was just me?

The small branches do cater to their local demographic, I think. I remember the Chatham one, some time ago, seemed to be predominantly beige. The really big ones, though, are really rather attractive at the moment, and when I am mobile (cri de coeur) again I look forward to a big potter around the one at Whitley (DDiL1) or Cheltenham (DDiL2) or Exeter (DD and DGD)

My purchases from M&S this past year have only been a couple of pairs of their wide waisted legging they have served very well for all sorts of ocassions apart from them I have not been inspired at all,we have a M&S local to us which is very basic and Liverpool is not that inspiring either the best Store is the one in Chester the choice is amazing and up to the minute with London.

I think M&S are getting it so wrong. They are aiming their stuff at the wrong people. We pensioners are the ones they should be aiming at. We have the money and are happy to shop there unlike my DDs who really don't like the idea of shopping there. I would love to design clothes for them. I had a row with a shop assistant the other day. I wanted a nightdress and the choice was rediculous. I said, I know I am an old lady but I do not want either skimpy little nightees that show everything or ghastly flowery embroidered things. They don't seem to be able to understand that just because we are over 60 we do not want to dress in such ghastly things. Please M&S let me design for you......

The big branches do cater for a spread of ages. My GD (23), quite a stylish dresser, was, when I last saw her, wearing a black M&S cape. Not everyone's choice, but she made it her own. Ariadne, the best fun I had after my hip op was tearing pottering around M&S on one of their electric wheelchairs. Younger GD was rather disappointed that I wouldn't giver her a ride on it.

loupy, for long jumpers, give up on M&S and have a look at the Woolovers web site. They have lovely colours and a variety of different fibres and combinations of fibres. And the prices are - in my opinion - competitive.

Thank you annodomini, off to have a browse!

Our M & S is closing down in Accrington, Lancashire, one thing I must say is that our local Asda seem to have some really nice smart and casual clothes in at the moment. I do find that Matalan is getting a bit expensive!