Aibu to think that most of the clothes in m and s are depressing awful or ridiculously overpriced

[Dowser]

I have £45 in vouchers. Some ran out at the end of the month and I could only buy clothes.

So I went to a big store in a city centre. I wandered around the ladies section. I don't wear trousers and skirts so yes that cut my choice right down but a lot of what I saw I didn't fancy anyway.

I thought I would chose a pretty summer dress. I'm in my 60s and most of what i saw was just plain frumpy, horrible material or more than I wanted to pay. £80 for a pretty plain summer dress when I have prettier at home.

So I decided to buy a couple of bras. Ineed a white one for my up and coming wedding but it's now appointment only and I wasn't able to make that time.

So I just decided to go with the size I wear. ( the three assistants that were chatting could have whisked me into a cubicle and at least measured me while they waited for their next client/ victim to show up) in the time I told them my measurements, they got their tape measures out and converted my statistics to a bra size.

So I bought two very ordinary white ones...£22-50 each. Plain, ordinary boring white just to use the vouchers. A couple of weeks ago I bought a much prettier one for £10.

I'll probably take them back and get a credit note and see if anything else comes in....I'm not holding m breath.
I was so looking forward to a nice treat but came away thinking ....just who are they designing for?

Did learn something ( I think) the lady on the bras said minimiser ones separates the boobs and pushes them out to the sides.

Men have none of this :-(

"minimiser ones separates the boobs and pushes them out to the sides."

Ah yes, where my boobs naturally are. I have nature's minimizer....

Changing the subject slightly. Boden are not much better, and even more expensive. I recently sent a Navy and White Breton top back because it had shrunk quite badly in the wash.They did replace it, but it was obvious that said replacement had been made somewhere completely different to the original one.
I'm sick of paying expensive prices for clothes that are poorly made. Am becoming very disillusioned with Boden and M&S.

I do sometimes find things in M&S and their jeans in the medium length fit me perfectly. But it pees me off no end that I have to order them into my local store because I need size 18.

But I would never really go in there to browse...that would be Next, Debenhams or the Dotty P bit in BHS.

I like dotty p. I got some lovely summer dresses in the sales leading up to this summer.

Ha ha .... I'm bemused by the fact that so many of you complaining about M&S clothes seem to have, nonetheless, a fairly good idea of all the little details which apparently make their stuff so crap!

I think I gave up looking in there for anything remotely stylish, reasonably priced and well made at least 15 years ago and haven't bothered to check back - and really can't be bothered to get too worked up about that state of affairs given the plethora of other clothes shops to choose from instead.

These days I only ever glimpse M&S 'fashions' in their store windows as I walk past .... or out of the corner of my eye when I'm taking advantage of their 'facilities' (I admit they can usually be relied upon to provide a clean loo). Nothing eye catching - or not as the case may be - has induced me to double back and have a closer look but I'll be damned if I could describe any embellishments or the like .

I'm 50 BTW - don't know if that's within their target age group or not, they're just not on my radar at all if I need to buy something to wear.

Agree hanginginthere1. Boden used to offer amazing quality cottons, now skimpy and fray/shrink in the wash and the look is now looking dated imho. Given up on M&S undies- Next socks and knickers for whole family are much better quality. Have also recently discovered John Lewis knickers too!

I seem to only find one nice thing each year in M&S. This year it's a white linen jacket, which looks surprisingly nice on.

Previously I have bought 3 dresses in about the last ten years but their trousers fit me quite well.

I seem to go in there to browse and only see embellished polyester - yuck!

I wouldn't buy bras in M&S although knickers are fine. I get mine from Bravissimo or John Lewis , or now I have been fitted properly I can order them from the internet.

I do rate their kids clothing though. DS is shaped a bit generously around the bottom like his dear parents, and they do a good range of elasticated waist shorts and trousers that are fairly stylish for the older boy and last well, as well as smart pjs. In fact I've stopped buying from Boden as realised I can get more or less the same thing for DS at a third the price.

Autograph and sometimes Limited Collection (or is it Edition?) ranges contain the only wearable pieces but there will still be plenty of unwearable stuff in them too and they are expensive.

I used to quite like ordering things for collection but since they changed the website I just don't have the patience with it any more.

I agree that the sizes are all over the place - I bought 2 linen skirts earlier this year in 2 different colours but only tried one on for size. Big mistake - the other one was a very different fit and had to be returned - both annoying and time consuming.

Even the school uniform is much poorer quality than it used to be, much more on a par with the supermarkets than John Lewis.

Actually I do have a few nice M&S things – a really well made, goes-with everything charcoal grey cardie, a longline plain cotton jersey dark teal top that's a great fit. The kinds of things I would like to see in M&S - quality, unadorned basics in grown-up colours. (When I want fashiony "pieces" I go to other brands that are really "me")

BUT I got my M&S items from charity shops or ebay, while browsing. I never, never find anything like that when I'm actually in M&S. The avalanche of polyester hideousness is just so overwhelming, you'd need all day to sift through it.