M&S what on earth are you talking about?

The mother in The Durrels wears peg top trousers, at least I think that's what they are. She had red ones on last week and looked very good but then she's probably only a size 10.

MandS are employing Alexa Chung to pick out clothes from their 'archive' to relaunch. They must be getting sooooooooo desperate.

I can't help wondering whether the mother in The Durrels would have worn trousers at all. There's a bit in the book where Larry sets fire to his bed and Mother rushes in with her corsets over her nightie - that doesn't sound like a woman who would wear trousers.

I've found a few people on the M&S website (25 to 35 year olds) who like the Alexa Chung stuff and an awful lot who are complaining about the inconsistent sizing and cheap materials.

I bought a pair of M & S peg leg white trousers last summer.
Love them to bits.
No big gathers or pleats at the waist.
An elastic waist for comfort, cut that they taper towards the ankle, and are worn turned up with a cuff.
Wish I could get them in navy. But not if they have loads of fabric around the middle.

Deedaa - well, I agree, she doesn't sound much of a trouser wearer if she wears corsets. In fact, could you wear trousers at all if you wore corsets? I remember my mother's corsets came down very low...........

Of course not! But the mother in the current tv series is being portrayed as very different from the mother in the book - producer's licence I suppose...

Didn't women in those days wear "slacks"? Love that word!

What about the word "trews"? How awful!

My gran used to call tights slacks which gave rise to some concern and confusion!

Trews, yes! I had some tartan trews when I was about 14 and I'm not even Scottish.
Alea - yes, my mum wore slacks. Wasn't that a war time word? But then what about the corsets?

I spent the morning in our local (flagship!!!) M&S with a friend. All she wanted was a pair of jeans - nothing odd just indigo denim, no bleached bits, straight legs, size 12. They have a huge denim department. We eventually tracked down one pair of jeggings and a pair of jeans that wasn't really what she wanted but would do. If she'd wanted pale blue, pink or orange, preferably in a size 8 or 20 there would have been no problem. How hard can it be?

Trews and slacks bring back memories. I loved my tartan trews, circa 1958. Do you remember the crimplene trousers which had the creases up the front were machine stitched in? And the 1970s flares which we wore with platform soles?
I don't wear jeans any more- they don't suit me. Too old......

Mmm just while we're on about M&S trousers, I ordered two pairs online - both medium leg length. One pair is exactly four inches longer than the other. What's that all about ? I do like them, so I will have the one pair shortened, but it's so annoying

When I was first married I worked opposite a Crimplene factory. They had a shop selling remnants and I used to make my own trousers, complete with stitched creases!!!

I think wearing slacks only really came in after the war. I imagine my mother must have worn them at times in the ATS but she never wore them afterwards and I don't think my mother in law ever wore them at all. You were probably rather fast if you were seen out in them and they would certainly not have been allowed for anything formal.

Does anyone else find the clothes on the models on the M & S website look so unappealing? I often think if can make a model look so frumpy, there's no way I'm buying them.

When I was a little girl Deedaa I wasn't allowed to wear trousers. They were not considered suitable for ladies! Changed days. I don't even possess a skirt now.

Weren't the bell bottom jeans in 1970ish called loons??? And mods in '65ish used to wear two coloured ones...one colour one side and another tother!!!!

I used to wear shorts Jane10 but I only had one pair, there didn't seem to be a lot of them around. I'm rarely seen in a skirt now, although that could be down to regularly herding small grandsons

I see M&S have started to use a mature white haired model in some of their ads. Of course she seems to be about 6 feet tall and a size 10!

Re the MandS mature model, Deedaa, I thought she looked quite ill! Why can't they get a mature model who looks normal? A size 14 would be about right, none of this size 10 nonsense.

The only way to trust if the trouser or jean will fit and more importantly suit you - is to try them on and see what style suits your own body shape.

I would say that stretch jeans are easy to wear but they do sag at the back after a while defeating the object.

Only if you sit down in them Nonnie1

To a lesser extent I found John Lewis confusing when buying a shirt for DS. I knew his neck size and assumed rightly that tailored fit was for the slimmer man but what was the difference between regular and classic? I asked and was told there is absolutely no difference.They both mean the same thing.

I thought it was great when M&S started doing shirts that were 2.5" longer because both DH and SiL have gorilla arms. Not so great when the only ones they can produce are white or white!

Do you remember the good old days Greenfinch when things didn't come in 6 different fits? You just bought shirts, trousers or skirts and didn't have to have a spreadsheet with you to decide what you wanted.

How hard can it be?
Very hard Deedaa
I looked for jeans in a 'flagship' M&S - all sizes but mine, all shapes except straight, all colours except indigo.
Then! I found a pair and tried them on and they fitted well. So I trawled the whole store for another pair and found exactly the same ones, but a shade or two lighter and bought both pairs.

Guess what - the lighter pair don't fit very well at all.

I remember my DM buying a trouser suit - probably the first time she had worn trousers and she must have been nearly 70 at the time!

Yes those were the days Deedaa.Shopping was so much easier.I love M and S velvet trousers and because I have the larger sizes and they are elasticated, I find I can fit into a variety of sizes and both short and medium but I do find the quality of the material has declined compared with the ones I used to buy.