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?

[LunaLoveg00d]

so on paper I am Mrs M&S - only I'm absolutely not buying your clothes and haven't done for years.

Me either - apart from knickers. I'm 44, work part time self-employed, have three kids. Buy school uniform, wine and food from M&S and that's about it. I was on their website this morning looking for a "wedding guest dress" suitable for my age and shape and there was ONE out of the 56 I would consider.

This monstrosity is what we will be seeing in Oxfam soon. www.marksandspencer.com/tailored-fit-column-maxi-dress/p/p22476377?prevPage=plp

[LunaLoveg00d]

Meant to add that the column dress is great if you're 6 foot 1 and a size 8 like the model. I'm betting most of us aren't.

[BeckywiththeGoodHare]

It's part of their 'buy one, get one half price' offer. Because everyone needs two orange viscose maxi dresses with a very visible zip up the back.

Or maybe they're just trying to lure in that train of Hari Krishna drummers/singers who go up and down Oxford Street.

[thecatfromjapan]

That sleeveless jacket is baffling.

Many women won't wear sleeveless clothes because of lack of upper arm muscle definition.

A sleeveless jacket is not a go=to basic: where will you wear it? with what? how often? Uniqlo would not do this. They would have a small, limited line of more left-field, high-end jackets and a whole bundle of casual, jersey (no ironing! stretchy!) jackets.

If it is meant to be a bit cutting-edge, then it needs a good cut (and that doesn't have a good cut) and a good fabric - Cos are excellent at that sort of thing.

Who is that jacket for? What is it for? How are you supposed to wear it? Nothing is clearly signalled. It's not work wear (you'd have to style it up, with a great shirt/skirt/trousers - and that is a shopping and wardrobe headache when you're busy) and it's not going-out wear (are you supposed to wear it with nothing but underwear and ankle boots - I think it's not right for that). It's not day-out-shopping-with children either.

A strange choice.

[SirChenjin]

Just the thing when you want to blend in with the heifers on a country walk www.marksandspencer.com/smudge-animal-print-wide-leg-trousers/p/p22470819?mfPartNumber=T424254&carousel=FUNH_RR

[idontlikealdi]

I watched this on the news last night and it made me cringe. I'm 37. Mrs M&S is not what I want to be. I don't think they even know who they are trying to target. In my mind Mrs M&s will be 70+ and buying from the classics collection, not Alexa Chung and Limited Collection. My man in law doesn't even like the classics stuff now having worn it for donkeys years.

I got a hundred pound voucher recently and thought I'd get some new work stuff. Couldn't find a thing to buy. Got a pack of knickers and spent the rest on food.

If you are fading this Mr M&S - the Sparks card is shit by the way.

[thecatfromjapan]

You know, I think they need to have a serious think about how real women USE their clothes. Most of us are capable of 'styling up' something a bit tricky BUT, on a day to day basis, we don't want to have to think about it. We want clothes that will do that for us, rather than us having to do that for the clothes.

Most women are bloody busy these days - hence the ready meals. We need the clothes equivalents of ready meals. That is what we mean when we talk about good-quality basics: clothes that you don't have to put a lot of thought into, that fit in with - and ideally lift- your existing clothes.

That sleevelss jacket is a perfect example of where M and S is getting it wrong. That pink jacket is over-demanding and hard, bloody work. It's not a piece of clothing that is going to GIVE to its wearer - it's all take, take, take: get exercised in the upper arm area; get great footwear; get a great shirt; work out the occasions when you can wear it appropriately. It isn't something that works hard FOR you.

Who needs that, when you are stuffing in the shopping in between work in and out of the home, plus buying food and clothes for a whole range of people as well as yourself? Or getting your outfit ready the night before/in the morning, in the dark?

It's a faff - and most women don't have time for that.

[MinervaMcG]

I've shopped in M&S for years and still do from time to time. I get all my children's school uniform in there (subject to stock levels - they really are bad).

I used to get all my nightwear and underwear in there but they really haven't kept up with modern bra sizing, so even if they look pretty the sizing is all wrong and tbh I don't trust the quality any more.

Sainsbury's children's clothing is as good as if not better than M&S these days.

I do think it's still possible to get some great clothes in M&S for women but you have to pick your store carefully, and ignore per una and go straight to Autograph or Limited and keep your fingers crossed they haven't added frills etc, and hope they might have your size in stock.

It's become rather a frustrating experience tbh. I genuinely would be happier to shop there again if they could sort out their bras and basics and stock levels. It's all just so unreliable. Which is the last thing M&S used to be.

[MatildaTheCat]

I am 50, married and don't even work any more so I guess I am what they are looking for.

My friend ( same demographic) and I often walk through M&S for a quick look. It generally cheers us up as we shriek and express horror at the unbelievably awful stuff they chose to display. Ghastly, cheap looking colours and flounces on pretty much everything.

Very occasionally there is something really good but really why do they make it so hard for themselves? There are literally millions of men and women who could put them straight although the men might be busy with their jobs.

[Onlyicanclean10]

Please mumsnet send the CEO this thread

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

I buy DS's school trousers there - just ordered some for next year as they will be out of stock for months come the summer. I bought DD2 some thermals there last winter - used to buy her school tights but the quality is terrible (unlike John Lewis, whose grey cotton tights will survive the apocalypse). Never bother looking in womenswear - even in its heyday it was badly stocked and chaotic. I shop at Uniqlo, JL, Cos, Whistles, TopShop. I'm 46 with three DC, so should be M&S's target market, but they don't want me.

[IWILLgiveupsugar]

Becky. You've nailed it with that post

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Also keep reading they want to compete with Zara and H&M - NO, NO, NO!
Uniqlo and Gap for basics, Banana Republic/Boden/Jaeger/maybe Whistles at the higher end - that's your competition

[SirChenjin]

I think a more well cut version of the H&M basics would be fine - less so their high fashion stuff.

YY to the rest though (without the Boden patterns - which are becoming ever more grim with each year that passes)

[SirChenjin]

I'm going to suggest that MN invites the CEO to a MN chat - looks like he hasn't quite grasped the concept of researching your market using social media, so perhaps we can drag lure him here with a promise of a biscuit.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Actually I never buy anything for myself from Boden either - too frumpy, patterns hurt my eyes, Johnnie fears breasts - but that's the space they could compete in.

[IWILLgiveupsugar]

I think there may be room for a sleeveless jacket - sometimes I want something that will cover my bum but isn't bulky. I would wear a sleeveless jacket over a long sleeved top, but not in that god awful shade of pink. You gave to be careful with colours like that becauae it's really easy to make something look cheap and nasty. The material is wrong too.
As an aside, it would be nice if I could get the long sleeve tops to wear under a sleeveless jacket from marks. Their stuff is cut too short and shrinks in the wash at present.
Am 42 with kids and parents so am in their demographic.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Or some of the overpriced online boutiques - Baukjen, Me & Em.

[Turbinaria]

SirChenjin. Those trousers are just the thing if you ever have to go to 'Toy Story' themed party
Jessie costume

[shinynewusername]

YY to Becky's summary of why Mrs M&S is a recipe for disaster.

Boden does do good quality basics - plain T shirts, for example. You just have to avert your eyes from the hideous frump-fest of the rest as you look for them. M&S can't even do the basics anymore.

[handslikecowstits]

Aside from the "Mrs M&S" bollocks, my local shop is so disorientating. The walls, floor and ceilings are the same colour, there are trousers in all four corners of the store, all in the same fucking polyester fabric and from a distance, all the same colour. It's like being in a retail version of The Prisoner. My head and eyes swivel like I'm on some kind of trip, my poor addled brain goes into meltdown and I have to leave. I've seen other people, presumably sane, drop their baskets and run out of the store.

It's not a pleasant retail experience, I can tell you.

[SirChenjin]

There's some stuff on Boden I'll happily buy - their basics are exactly what I want. I'm wearing one of their stripey boat neck tops at the moment - £13-odd in the sale, long to cover my backside, thick stretchy material...but some of their patterned stuff puts Per Una Speziale in the shade though.

[LunaLoveg00d]

Agree that the "fast fashion" end of the market - TopShop, H&M, Primark and the rest - is not where M&S should be competing. My niece is 22 and a dedicated Forever 21, River Island and TopShop shopper. She would not be seen DEAD in M&S, although that seems to be the sort of shopper they are aiming for.

Quality basics. Skirts, tops, trousers, jackets, jumpers, scarves which all coordinate together. That "capsule wardrobe" thing. Not cow print swingy trousers and orange sleeveless maxi dresses. Nice dresses for weddings and holidays. Tops and separates along the lines of white stuff / sea salt / joules.

I think Mary Portas could sort them out, she'd certainly put a rocket up their arses.

[RhodaBull]

I heartily agree about the stock levels. Last August I went to buy some school skirts for dd and was told that the season was ended and I could buy online. In August? I don't want to buy Back to School stuff before they've even broken up for the summer holidays. It's like buying a Creme Egg on Boxing Day. And then online they were out of stock of all the normal black skirts and only had weird trendy ones or super untrendy ones that dd would have had a tweenagery fit about.

Oh, and another thing. I went into a very large M&S and after looking around asked if they had any cotton pyjamas. After all - I am M&S Woman - I get hot at night! There was just an ocean of polyester and at last (the sales assistant looked blank) I found a pair, but brushed cotton, not nice soft cool cotton in the White Company vein.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

YY. I don't want my M&S wear to Make A Statement. I don't want some fast fashion to wear on holiday - I'll go to Zara for that. I want flattering, lined, wool trousers, cashmere or merino sweaters, comfortable supportive underwear, nice shirts that don't gape at the bust or crease, thick jersey tops...