Will M&S ever learn?

I live near an M&S Outlet store and it's wonderful! Such bargains!
Not all their clothes are to my taste, but that's life. Popping in regularly means I can often find something I like.
But, I do agreed that the quality has dropped in recent years. Fabrics and finishings are not always what they should be these days, for a company which made it's name in quality.

The lace on their underwear is nasty. I love lace undies but the stuff looks cheap although the prices aren't .

Well I'm obviously in a minority I still get almost all my clothes from M&S. I'm nearly 62, 5'3" size 14 in their jeans or cut offs - which are the basis of my wardrobe winter/summer. Size 16 tops, looser styles that don't show off my bulges, mainly bright colours from the Per Una range - always with at least short sleeves.
I think the Classic range is for people who feel old - and I don't.
I buy mainly on line and do get fed up with thinking you can rely on their jeans then find the same size in different ranges are a completely different fit.
I hate the bows on bras too, and almost all pjs & nighties.
I would agree that their quality is dropping off, that rush for the lowest price point I guess.
I just love their food too - and flowers

The answer to the question is - evidently not!!!

I've just been to a large one near here and it only had 'middleaged' customers shopping.

Why don't they come on here and hear it from the people they should be aiming ay. My daughters just pull faces if i suggest they look for something in m&s.

No, clothing sales have fallen for the 8th successive quarter.

I notice M/S has posted it"s best clothing performance for two years .

Good on them I like them .

I've just been imagining my mother in law in jeggings made my day suzied It's more a case of not being able to buy button front blouses she would like there are times it feels like shopping for a martian.

I was drifting through M&S today and found a little huddle of managers with clipboards looking at the clothes. One of them was daft enough to ask if he could help me. I spent an enjoyable 10 minutes telling them what was wrong (including why won't they come and do a webchat on Gransnet) while they all promised to pass on my comments. Even if they did nobody would take any notice of course, but it made me feel better.

I find it difficult to believe you can't buy button front blouses have you tried Uniqlo sale? They have a couple suitable for any age. And I buy their jeggings lovely colours really comfortable and great under long tops. I wouldn't even look at m and s tho too difficult to negotiate the store.

I do have trouble finding Old Lady clothes for my MiL (also known as stuff I wouldn't be seen dead in). M&S were OK for plain Cotton knickers (Bleah!) but the home she's in supply their own now. The big problem was blouses - short sleeved, white or cream, buttoned down the front. We used to have a shop that actually sold that sort of thing but it's just been demolished and there's no point even suggesting she should try a top that needs to go over her head. God knows what she thinks of my clothes!

I have popped in and out, watched adverts and reviews and have come to the sad conclusion that older people are being phased out of their targetted customer base. Per Una was intended to be aimed at 50 plus, but I have seen many women of all ages wearing their clothes. However, the other ranges did not fare as well and it was becoming increasingly hard for women like Great Aunt Dorothy, aged 92 and who died last year, to find anywhere to buy her beloved shirtwaists (easy to do up from the front) although they had been selling them for as long as she could remember there being an M&S.

I would rather they did what they used to - supply really good quality classical basics, rather than compete with fashion houses. I would rather be able to go into their shop and buy a wool long cardigan (now 'boyfriend' for some peculiar reason) than have to order from Woolover online. Excellent though Woolover is. And I really don't want cheap nylon frills on my bras. I want cotton underwear, where has it all gone? Does BHS have it? We don't have one nearby, but I will hunt one out if they do good cotton underwear!

I agree, vegas. Who, I wonder, buys these strange garments. Anyone going to confess?

Have just browsed the M&S sale site online and found it truly dire, with not one garment that I was interested in. There seemed to be plenty of jeggings and leggings on offer Deedaa

Just caught a style presentation at our local M&S. The poor girl was getting very excited about some very nasty clothes. Most of them were completely unsuitable for the audience of ladies of a certain age. She seemed very keen on jeggings, heaven knows why. her audience were all at least four sizes too big to even contemplate them!

Back in the days when Per Una were making nice clothes I found a jacket I'd been lusting after in the sales. It was too small but I thought it would be OK if I didn't do it up. Naturally it didn't work and I hardly wore it. Eventually I found the same jacket, in my size, on ebay. I bought that one and was able to sell the original one on ebay for more than the one I'd just bought. Result all round! My husband thought I was pretty much certifiable to go to so much trouble, but I'm still wearing it years later

My favourite denim skirt came from Wallis. I lost weight and gave it to my sister but found one just like it in a smaller size on Ebay, for a very modest price. The last two years have been a struggle against weight gain but now I hope to be wearing it again by the end of the summer. I do like Wallis; many of their styles cross the age groups.

I'm not so sure about Hilary Alexander

That is a good idea anno ! I think she'd be pretty open to our opinions and they ought to listen to her or what's the point of having her?

Just been browsing the M&S web site. They have taken on Hilary Alexander (often seen on TV) as fashion adviser. It is suggested that customers write to her for advice. I think we should have a web chat with her - HQ are you taking note? - and give her our opinions on where M&S is going wrong. At the very least, we could all bombard her with letters!

Hilda, The Guardian described as 'Sorbet'. Does that improve it? Or not?

Got really excited in Per Una yesterday as I found a lovely long denim skirt. Tried it on and it looked dreadful. It was so fishtail shaped which is fine if you are a size six but in a size 20 it just emphasises your hips and looks dreadful. Why oh why cant they just have a nice A line? It has to be all fancy and curvy.....

Just took a peep at this pink coat that you are all chatting about. Jolly cheerfull I thought. However, being in the 'ample' brigade, particularly around the bosom department, I never wear anything double breasted.....makes you look quite menacing I find. I have a really nice Lands End single breasted one that is really usefull, it's lightweight yet lined and great for those days you want to look smart and efficient, not hot and bothered.

LIKED

I loked the pink coat too, I don't think we I wear nearly enough colour - I am drawn to beige/taupe, grey, black, white maybe red and of course blue in the summer, but a splash of colour is refreshing. If you look around on the streets in our towns and cities, what do you see? Black,sludge, denim, grey and maybe a bit of navy - it's time we brightened up our world!! Could be my new resolution - WEAR COLOURS!!

Maggiemaybe I have just seen the pink coat again in the Telegraph, and I have to say I love it! I quite like some of the other stuff too , so maybe just maybe, it is going to improve in the next year, their certainly is room for that.

Mice I very rarely wear skirts or dresses. Skirts just below the knee look horrible on me as I've got quite short legs and wide calves so that length of skirt just accentuates the calf. I find longish skirts suit me more as my best point is slim ankles.

I would also prefer to wear longish dresses with short sleeves cut on the slant (I don't know what the technical word for that is) as that disguises broad arms. However, I can very rarely find that type of dress in a petite range.

If I could make my own clothes, I would - like a shot. But I was terrible at dressmaking at school, completely cackhanded, and I absolutely hated it.

I envy your ability to sew. Why don't you give the dressmaking a go - at least you would know you were wearing something completely original and tailored to fit your individual shape?

We have got a TK Maxx near us and I do sometimes go there - though, again, the size thing makes it difficult for me to find suitable clothes. I agree, there are some great bargains - especially for children's clothing.

I used to like Wallis a lot. They had a very good petite range. But since a lot of the shops have moved into BHS, although they still sell some quite nice things, the quality doesn't seem as good as it was a few years ago.