What is up with M & S?

gma - my local M & S is having a huge makeover too - I'm in Norwich - are we neighbours? And I agree with everyone that M & S is not what it was. My bugbear is trying to buy skirts for my small mother-in-law who is fussy about quality. M & S is no longer a byword, and most other stores have given up selling skirts it would appear

About 3 years since i shopped in M & S. All the clothes are poor quality, frumpy and badly designed. This summer most of my wardrobe has come from Boden and am just viewing the Autumn/Winter on line too. I shall definitely be ordering from them again .Sorry M & S you dont get my custom!

Waiting for the men in the garage to charge me extortionate amount for a new indicator stalk. Went in M and S. Who buys those high necked t shirts? Good for kids and size 10 flat chested models maybe? In those colours? Few customers, scowling at clothes. No staff in sight apart from security man.
Did not feel moved to lay my fingers upon a single garment.
Next door in Next they had lots of lovely things. Bought a pair of navy leggings and a flattering creamy t shirt with flecks in it, with scoop neckline. Bought a Kaftany shaped print tunic. Admired lots of their more formal tops. They are really trying hard. Interesting colours. Staff were young but sweet. "I bought one just like this for my mum and she loves it" Even the customers were smiling.

I agree about Per Una, who are they aiming those awful clothes at? I went today but am writing to them and boycotting them for a while, I want colours but not garish, sleeves but not those tight ones that end right at the top of the arm and make them look like sausages, and skirts just below the knee or mid-leg, not dragging on the ground,is this too much to ask?

What a relief to read all this - I thought I was the only one having bad thoughts about M&S wear. Used to be a time when M&S was the first place to go to, prices right, quality material etc., made in the UK. Other half got bored with me buying from them - now its his turn - the mens stuff is so much better than what we women have to choose from. Is it the Chinese influence - so much seems to come from there these days?

I'm still really pissed off that they don't seem to have t shirts with a reasonable sleeve length. It doesn't seem a lot to ask, in the great scheme of things. I just want them in white, red, black, and maybe a sort of tan-ish colour, reasonably fitted (i.e. not baggy beach wear type) with a sleeve that comes about an inch or two above the elbow.

The Portfolio range fitted the bill, but they have discontinued it. (Ignore the bloody crap on the website where you click on the Portfolio range that says all items can be found in their usual range, they can't. Their "standard" t shirts are def. very skimpy in the sleeve!)

My local M&S outlet still has some Portfolio t shirts on the rails. Great if you want lime green, orange, purple or a particularly eye-watering shade of fuschia, in a size 14 or above.

I hate Per Una too: too floaty and frilly, but I find myself unable to buy anything in M and S! Agree re awful colours, bad fit (OK it might be my shape!) and frump. Autograph best of a bad job. Read a Tweet which said management had told the company to ignore over 60s! Fine by me, I'll have Gap any day.

I don't believe they would ignore the over sixties!

Autograph is a bit old lady-ish, isn't it.

I like per una.

I like frills.

this is nice www.marksandspencer.com/Una-Cotton-Sleeve-Stripe-Shirt/dp/B00508HO1K?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_48&nodeId=72939031&sr=1-48&qid=1312914300

and this www.marksandspencer.com/Una-Short-Sleeve-Buttercup-Jersey/dp/B0052PSAGY?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_1&nodeId=53399031&sr=1-1&qid=1312914582

I bought two pairs of trousers today in M&S and I'm pleased with them, but the dresses were not for me

Just as well we don't all have the same tastes, but I must side with those who think Per Una truly awful and deplore the amount of floor space it takes up in M and S.

I've never understood who the 'brand' is are aimed at - I'm a baby-boomer, and neither I or my friends would wear it. The 'designers' apparently have no idea that less is often more when it comes to style and pile on the colours, decorations, frills, etc wildly. I'm afraid I find that stripe shirt on the link above an example of that - too bright, too much for me.

Autograph Weekend on the other hand I can't agree is 'old-ladyish' - though there are some dull pieces in that as in almost any fashion range. They are the only one of the M and S brands I still buy. The best of their stripy tunic dresses, for example, can look good at any age, dressed up or down with the right jeans (or leggings for those who like them), plus interesting shoes/ boots and accessories.

I was a great M&S shopper until the fashion part was driven relentlessly down market and the manufacture changed from largely UK to third world sweat shops. In recent years I've gone in and found, bizarrely, that there was nothing there expensive enough for me.
Agree re Per Una (can't bear that dishscraper fabric they embellish so many clothes with). M&S has never been great on colour but used to be reliable for classics made of quality materials, but now generally seems to use cheap fabrics.
Having said that, I have actually bought three items there in the past month - a casual shirt (all cotton); a silk and cotton patterned top and a cheap short raincoat, so perhaps my tastes have changed or their stock has!

Oh...........it took all my effort to contain myself yesterday.........popped into the M&S in Shrewsbury yesterday just to buy my daughter some nice knickers for once shes over the messy post baby stage. 'Sorry to keep you waiting' the girl chirpped....I had not been waiting a single diddy tiny insignificant nanomoment....had just walked straight up to the till. I do wish they would engage their brains or are they all drilled to within an inch of their lives to always say it?

Have you seen their latest TV ad? Absolutely yuk, and quite insulting to older women, IMO.

No - I've not seen it, townie. What's it like?

The shirt I put a link to on this thread looked horrible in the shop.

Townie............it certainly leaves a nasty taste......cliche ridden nonsense!

Not sure if better or worse than all that irritating rubbish with twiggy and underwear that they have been doing in the last few years. I wonder if the ads actually work.
The other one with the younger woman who looks like her implants are much too big is even worse. Why would she want a second date with him? Or is it meant to be funny? Why on earth would that model be needing control knickers?

This might make you all feel a bit better about M&S
www.loonyletters.com/ms-sandwiches/

Lovely, kitty
Hilda - got news for you: Debenhams are doing it too - the girl at the checkout apologised for keeping me waiting when she hadn't!

Annobel, its just so silly, as if they are on some automatic response which then of course sounds most insincere.

nice dinosaur. I would give that chap a job in customer service.

I have a wardrobe full of per una, I hasten to add that every garment was a gift and probably I would not have chosen them if I had shopped. The surprising thing is that most of them really do look quite nice on, but I do usually leave the necklaces off.

They do have better colours than mainstream m and s don't they.