To not understand the 'per una' thing on mumsnet?

[Tortu]

What? Why the snide comments? I was in M and S today and think Per una has some lovely stuff. Ok, it's a bit middle of the road and I don't actually own any, but I'm about to move into the M and S demographic (bit old for Topshop, too short for Zara, too cheap for Jaegar) and, perhaps, need to have it explained to me why I can't wear it.

I LOVE M and S and think it's pretty much the best shop ever (ahhh, if Waitrose sold clothes). I cried, yes, actually cried when I came back from two years in a deprived part of Africa and first entered the food section.

God, Boden and Next are just dire. As are White Stuff, White Company, Fat Face and Mint Velvet

When Per Una started, it was headed by George Davis.
He is no longer there. Does that explain its decline?
I confess to owning some of the range (I am a baby boomer after all), but nothing with frills, appliques or that's been shredded.

I was just going to ask about White Stuff & Fat Face

but I haven't heard of Mint Velvet

My MIL absolutely LOVES Per Una. She is in her early 60s and like to think she keeps up with fashion by telling us certain things (usually from Per Una) are "All the Rage" or "The Latest Thing".

EVERYTHING in Per Una has one of the following unredeeming features:

1. it's crumpled (as in supposed to look crumpled all the time, not just requires a quick iron) 2)it has loads of stuff stitched onto it (random flowers/extra buttons that serve no purpose/weird hangy bits of fabric)
2. it has frayed edges somewhere (frayed edges that have been put there on purpose)
3. it is badly asymmetric (in an "Oh My God the seamstress has lost the power of sight" NOT Vivienne Westwood pioneering tailoring)
4. it's made of such artificial fibres if you walked across a darkened room the sparks off the static would light your way 6)it features prints with "cheerful/funky/crazy" [read vile] colour combinations such as lime green and orange or turquoise and red - particularly fetching when featured on one of their nylon crushed effect lacy shirts

P U Speziale sure is special (giggling at links)
In the video for the zebra trousers, the model is only shown from the waist down - methinks she refused to be let her face be shown?!

Well, I've got this in a (deep) greem colour and I think it's pretty. I also got a similar one (of better quality) last year. I've not really embraced the tunic top look as I didn't want to look pregnant, but these hang nicely and look nice and summery with jeans.

Per Una - clothes for the frumpy & lumpy.

If you weren't lumpy before, you'll certainly look it after.

Farkin' hideous.

I'm pretty certain that I once bought something Per Una when it first came out... Not sure what and I doubt I'd find it in my wardrobe now, plus it might have been peer-pressure as quite a few of my friends were raving about it at the time.

Anyway this thread has caused a bit of a light bulb moment for me! Whenever I go to M&S I have a bit of a wander round the clothes, including Per Una, on the off chance I might spot something I like and now I think about it I NEVER see anything I like in the Per Una bit and I'm frequently reduced into fits of giggles/compelled to make snide or just plain rude remarks about some of the clothes there. So why is it only now that I'm realising Per Una is shit? I must stop looking there!

Oh and I'm 40.

These beauties

Never have any luck in Next, although YEEEEEEARS ago when they first started they were the last word in chic. Monsoon good for chinos, cool tops etc. Reiss doesn't fit me and my daughter likes it so I steer clear.

I can't stand it. Some of the other M&S stuff is ok - Autograph and whatever the trendyish smartish range is called, and the undies of course - but Per Una is vile. I have never seen a single item in the range I would wear.

Bugger, clicked "Post message" instead of "Preview message", due to earlier G&T thread. Quite impressed that I got my first ever link to work, even though slightly pissed. Anyway, what I meant to say is that these beauties, whilst not terribly offensive in themselves, manage to make the model look like she has:

a) No waist
b) Short legs
v) a bit of a tum
d) meaty calves.

So how flattering will they be on a mere mortal then, eh? Answer: not bloody very.

I also once bought something from Per Una - in the first year they brought that range out. Some of the stuff was actually interesting, well designed and not aimed at the WI generation. But things have gone seriously downhill since then and despite being in my 50s I'd prefer to go out in a binbag (artfully ravelled of course) than wear anything I've seen lately. Also, why are all M&S trousers parsnip shaped and all their skirts panelled and cut in a way that even the smallest arses look the size of Wales in them?

Fetchez- no wonder they are reduced!

M&S in general I quite like. OK there's the little old lady elastic waist trews and stuff, but their jeans are the nearest on the high street to the shape of my bum, and the plain t shirts are cheapish, fairtrade and decent quality. Per una - I have some, and do like a lot of the accessories, but you do have to hunt through the wierd stuff in that bit of the shop , and I can rarely be bothered!

Love m&s food too. I'm going to miss it while I'm back on student budget!

I quite like Mint Velvet too also some Kaliko, and Oasis online for basics. Also Esprit. Boden are shocking at the mo. Dreadful prints and huge prices, a bit like Laura Ashley.

With some exceptions, I find the shape of M&S clothes is weird. The tailoring is odd.

Showed my mother (94) a per una jacket and she shrieked in horror at how gross it was! She bought a very stylish lightly quilted number that my DD (24) and I both agreed we would wear ourselves. (from House of Fraser)

I must be completely tragic then, as I do wear several things from Per Una. Although not any of the synthetic stuff (the things I have from there are all either cotton or linen) and not any of the heavily appliqued or ruffled stuff (just wouldn't suit me).

But I have just bought some plain jade green linen trousers (their Roma fit trousers are the only trousers I can find anywhere that remotely fit me) and a cotton skirt.

I have looked at the other shops people have recommended, and we have very few of them in our town. We have Next (which I used to like, but now sells mostly stuff which would suit a teenager/20 year old, but I am in my 40s) and Monsoon (I do like a few of their things). But we have no Kew, Whitles, Reiss, etc.....

I occasionally buy something from Boden, but not so much now as I used to, as their stuff has become too unflattering for me (for one thing nearly all the skirts they sell now are knee length and above, and at my age I don't want to be flashing my legs).

I'm definitely not a follower of fashion, but do try to buy things which suit me as an individual.........

Agree Esprit is Ok- have good sale at the mo- bought a chambray shirtdress which I wore with leggings and which won the approval of my year 10 s !

Pandemoniaaa, when you say the trousers are parsnip shaped, what do you mean by that? Just curious, as their trousers are the only ones I can find to fit me!