Mrs M&S

[Chippednailvarnishing]

Am I the only person who thinks the concept of Mrs M&S is bollocks and finds the whole idea crap?

[FruStefanOla]

Mr M&S is probably having a pint with Mr C&A (anyone remember him?!)

[FruStefanOla]

Sorry, I meant Man At C&A!

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

They need to employ me as a senior advisor, or any of you lot!

I can walk through on my way to the food hall and recoil at some of the horrors. Other stuff I can see it selling and accept that although it's not to my taste it's good for a different generation. Some stuff (not much) I will buy myself.

[eurochick]

Man at c and a marked the beginning of the end, I seem to recall....

[BeckywiththeGoodHare]

When the reporter picked up that hideous SLEEVELESS long jacket thing and said, deadpan, 'Would Mrs M&S wear this?' And Manshoppingboss said confidently, 'Yes,' I actually groaned out loud.

WTF, M&S. There aren't many more ways in which you could have got this more wrong.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

It's patronising bollocks isn't it?

Real shame as the other stuff he was saying about being less about fashion and more about stylish clothes and great basics is spot on.

I do get the odd thing from there - there are a few gems among the sea of crap. It's hard work wading through the crap though and I browse online - can't find anything in store

[LegoCaltrops]

Yuck. I'm mid 30s & loved Per Una when it came out. Now it's virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the polyester tat they sell. And as for "Mrs M&S" - they may as well say "Mrs average, invisible woman".

[Onlyicanclean10]

Well I am 50 too and wouldn't be seen dead in their frumpy overpriced crap.

Primark for pants/bra/pjs
Zara, monsoon, new look, Jane Norman for clothes.

I am amazed the buyers at M&S get it so so wrong. I assume they are kids who think 'this is what older women like' and do zero market research.

My mom is 82 and she hates the clothes too. Dds are 17/18 and use it for the nice loo.

[HallowedMimic]

Bizarrely, if I had to picture their 'Mrs M&S' in my head, I'd imagine that ridiculous woman from the recent Tesco ad, and her irritating husband.

[JennyOnAPlate]

I haven't seen this yet but it seems they have massively fucked up!

The only thing I've found worth buying in m&s is their leggings. They have a nice thick waist bans which holds my wobbly tummy in. Everything else is shite. My 65 year old mother agrees with me.

[Lottapianos]

Mrs M&S??? Sweet lord. Who could possibly have thought that was a good idea?!

I'm late 30s and neither a wife not a mother but I shop there quite a bit. Knickers, tights, socks. Pyjamas. I live in their jeggings at work. Some really lovely beauty stuff

That said, there are utter horrors everywhere you turn in store. Their range of clothes is far too big. 99% of Per Una looks barking mad. Their brad and bra fitting are legendarily crap. And this had been the case for YEARS now. And they still don't get it!

[SarfEast1cated]

I love their stance on ethical sourcing of fabrics and labour, and their beauty range is amazing, but their clothes are a bit hit and miss. I really loved their "best of british" campaign and bought some gorgeous leather brogues last year. I like Autograph too, so am more after good quality classics really, with a dash of sophistication ;) I see M&S and kind of Boden brand without the large patterns. No need for those leather coulottes . The whole notion of Mrs M&S is cringeworthy. They should get Mary Portas in, or ask us what we want!

[useyourimagination]

The new Chief Exec is the man formerly responsible for the food at M&S. His choice of words was wrong and I did cringe inwardly but he has a huge task ahead of him and I wish him well. He's got his work cut out for him but I hope he can turn the clothes round like he did the food.

[Onlyicanclean10]

Clothes and food are very different though.

[useyourimagination]

Yes, they are which is why I think he's got a huge task ahead of him.

[Sallyingforth]

Mrs?
I'm not married, so they don't want me for a customer.
Sorted :)

[cleaty]

I have bought a few things I liked at M&S, but there is a lot of horrible stuff. I suspect I should be their core customer. I am 51, not into fashion, but I like well made, comfortable classic clothes. White blouses, nice shirts, etc. I am actually wearing a M&S black jumper at the moment that I bought there years ago.
I find a lot of M&S designs, get it a bit wrong. They will have a shirt in a nice fabric, and then have a hideous ruffle added. They often seem to add something unnecessary. So their current floral embroidered denim shirt - I like the denim shirt, but hate the floral embroidered part.
The quality is also much poorer than it used to be. I bought fairly expensive nightwear there that I loved. It needs mended now, far far sooner than much cheaper nightwear I have bought and am still wearing.

[bakeoffcake]

He does have a huge task ahead of him, especially now he's pissed off most of his customers.
We're not in the 1950s, and whoever came up with this new patronising PR shite wants sacking. And he wants sacking for agreeing to even say Mrs M&S in public.

[thecatfromjapan]

I think they should have a look at Uniqlo. Somehow, Uniqlo seem to have become the current home of well-priced basics.

I couldn't find a toast/caramel/whatever cashmere cardigan in M and S last year. Surely that's such a basic? I felt really sad as I roamed around looking and not finding. I felt that they were lost. Still there physically, but lost.

[shinynewusername]

My dream job would be to be put in charge of M&S clothes. I would:

a) Reduce the number of lines by 80%
b) Thin out the stores so that they stop looking like a giant jumble sale
c) Focus on good quality but modern basics nicked from inspired by Cos, Zara, Jigsaw but not M&S's hideous current take on Classics
d) Sort out stocking: M&S is continually taken by surprise by the fact that the most popular sizes sell out fastest.
e) Publicly guillotine whoever came up with Mrs M&S

[brodchengretchen]

M&S service station shops are doing great because food and knickers are their strength. Mary Portas (the retail consultant who has done some TV work) said this week that M&S department stores have lost relevance in the high street against other successful clothing retailers such as Zara, and looking at them I think she may be right. This is happening regardless of who M&S think their core customer is.

[situatedknowledge]

I almost snorted my coffee out through my nose when I read that patronising bollocks this morning. Totally agree with cleat and shinynewusername. Give me some white shirts that I don't need to wear a frigging vest top under, some well cut, well made basics and I'm happy. Yes Mr M&S have a look in Uniqlo, Cos, And Other Stories, All Saints. That sir, is what this 51 year old wants. It is also what her 16 year old wants, and her 13 year old, and her 86 year old mother in law. Her 12 year old likes a frill, but is growing out of that rapidly!

[bookbook]

I am 60 and used, many years ago to buy their clothes.
I guess I am Mrs M & S , but i have not bought anything in there for years - I buy in John Lewis mostly , along with some German brands.
The rot started many years ago though - I used to go and buy a seasons basics - a variety of skirts , suitable t -shirts , a couple of cardigans.
I went one year -must be 25 years ago, and all the skirts were made of viscose, not cotton, and the t shirts were thin. Never bought anything but knickers after that. Then they stopped doing the cotton seamless knickers I bought.
I still have two t-shirts from when I still bought them - thick, quality cotton, washed again and again, still going strong.

[Onlyicanclean10]

Sally incredibly patronising isn't it.

shiny would defiantly second your appointment.

[HalsallRedux]

I had exactly the same response to the TV report when the Chief Exec looked at the hideous sleeveless salmon-pink monstrosity and chortled YES!!! MRS M&S WOULD WEAR THIS!!! The reporter barely bothered to conceal her lip-curl.


The 'fashion' department at any M&S is like an explosion in a jumble-sale. Millions of racks of tragic clothes in unflattering colours and inexplicable lengths, garnished with pointless bits of appliqué and frills.

It's enough to make you want to run screaming. In fact I often do, straight into the big Uniqlo that is almost directly opposite.