to think that Marks and Spencers have lost the plot with women's dresses?

[MaMaLa321]

I went in today and, for a start, there's very little in stock.
But what was worse was how unattractive everything was.
this stood out, especially. Even with a gorgeous model it looks uber frumpy.

In fact today I was wearing one of my favourite short summer skirts from M&S it's my go to on these hot sunny days.

They have some real gems so no point knocking a few items that don't suit you.

www.marksandspencer.com/linen-blend-shift-dress/p/clp60375408?color=NAVY#intid=prodColourId-60375408

I have this and it’s the best thing ever in summer. Doesn’t look like much in the photo and the model (though gorgeous) is the wrong colouring for it, but it just ticks all the boxes.

Their linen dresses are great in general if you want to keep cool

Oh no 🤣 I work as a hair and stylist on a tv show, and this is very similar to a dress I picked for a cast member for an episode 😫🙈

I can see why the dress you linked to can be a bit 'love it or hate it' OP

I like that dress too. Buttoned up it would have Cos vibes.

Why do they think their core marked wants to wear backless dresses? That’s what gets me. My boobs need a sturdy bra.

I don't like the denim dress linked by op but I've gone on their site and found loads I do like and want. Am now really worried about my taste!

My DM now wears White Stuff so I'm not going near their stuff she's in her 70's. Seasalt and Fatface also seem really frumpy to me

Ginger omg that should say younger...omg that's a bizarre typo

I was trying so hard to work out what analogy you were using, or if you did indeed just mean ginger, that I didn't consider it could be a typo 😆

I'd wear it for winter, with something brighter either over or under it. I have something similar in burgundy. Looks fine to my short-sighted gaze.

It goes to show they just can’t win! I thought they’d done really well with their dresses this year. If you don’t like what’s in fashion ATM that’s hardly their fault!

@ladygindiva I know! Me too!

@Aprilx

I have been saying for ten years that they have lost sight of who they should be catering to. In my opinion, this was people my age (40s) and above, yet they kept on producing flimsy, too short, floaty dresses, more suitable to late teens / early 20s but they don’t want to shop in M&S. They end up not appealing to anyone.

I agree. That plus the changing rooms issue have stopped me shopping in M&S as much as I used to. I don’t want to take my dd in for a bra fitting in a shop that allows adult male people to use the changing rooms too. Nor do I want to use them myself, when they can be really quiet and are usually not staffed. They have made their online returns more of a faff so I end up with stuff that I have left too late to send back. (This last issue stops me buying from quite a few places, easy returns are what I need). Their clothes are not cut very well any more, they never have much bust room, and the quality is terrible. I used to shop there a lot, I could stock up on pants, buy school things and pyjamas for my daughters, get myself a nice jumper and also buy everything for my mother who was in a care home and needed a whole lot of clothes every few months as they would get wrecked in the care home washing machines. Their classic range was perfect for my Mum, who needed simple well cut trousers and wanted pretty blouses and knitwear. Then I could get her new bras and pants - I spent so much there every year, but they seem to not value customers like me.

It's longer than I'd like it to be if that model is 5ft 7 but i'd definitely wear a denim dress in winter with thick tights or leggings and boots. At least it's not one of those seemingly "on trend" oversized tea dresses that look like your granny's old nightie.

I like it, but that ruffle would need to go.

I like it too. It’s actually the sort of thing I’d have worn to work. Doesn’t hurt to look a bit Amish in my job! But to me it’s a winter dress. I wouldn’t necessarily pay £50 for it but if it gets reduced in a sale, maybe!

You can buy good dresses from Next, White Stuff, Seasalt or Boden

No thanks

I have that dress too GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing and it is brilliant as a throw-on on a hot day.

In fact, I have never been into M&S and seen nothing at all that I like. Their trousers are consistently reliable (their jeans this season are on point too) and I bought a lovely dress earlier this year.

Agree about the nasty floaty polyester though. Less of that would be good.

I haven't bought M&S for years. Hated trying to shop for bras from there, their so called fitting experts tried to tell me I was a totally different size to what I am. And as I'm big, I never find anythhing of theirs that actually suits me.

This last year, I made a conscious decision to mainly buy from charity shops, when they're open, and I've managed to get some real bargains, good quality clothing at small prices. I'm not going to be working in the office for the foreseable, just wfh, so I'm getting rid of some clothing as well, selling some online, and other stuff going to the charity shop.

@NormaSnorks I rather like that top (I'm 50's too)

Another one who quite likes the dress. It wouldn't suit me, sadly, but I've seen far worse on sites beloved of those who sneer at M&S.

@AuntMasha

I call them ‘sister wife’ dresses, but to be fair to M&S, they’ve been everywhere for at least 3 years now.

I'm thoroughly sick of them. I haven't bought a summer dress for over 2 years, it's got so hard to find anything in cotton or linen, without a frill, a tiered skirt or some other unnecessary tat on it. And I have to have sleeves to hide my bingo wings, which narrows it down even further.

SeaSalt have some nice linen dresses, but they're cut for someone incredibly pear-shaped and I'm top heavy, so they look like sacks on me. And I can't afford Toast prices.

I like their range of summer dresses this year compared with the rest of the internet!

In a summer dress I don’t like anything that shows a bra (eg strappy, halterneck), has long sleeves, or is too long (hitting bottom of knee is perfect). That rules out a lot.

Like the look of the linen ones but would they need —any— a lot of ironing?

@TheWomanInTheIronedMask Yes! I remember the orange/pink dress thread. The big ruffles ect.

It was such a 'big' thread that various mners were going on trying it on and posting photos of themselves

Their selection of jeans this season is great! I really like the boyfriend ones!
And the 'mom' jeans and wide legged cropped jeans have been really popular on S&B this summer!

@Wooddie

Used to only shop and M and S. Once they started sourcing abroad looked elsewhere. M and S quality now awful for the price. No longer shop there for clothes - White stuff and Seasalt get my money - wear well in natural fabrics of good quality.

I think this comment gets to the core of the issue - I'd say the style of clothes in M&S now is really not aimed at the Seasalt and White Stuff audience/age group. Maybe it was previously but to me it seems aimed at the early 30s - 40 ish crowd, whereas I'd assume Seasalt and White Stuff were aimed at slightly older women.

So maybe it's more about a (potentially deliberate) shift in target demographic and people are still shopping there and not liking stuff because that's shifted.

I'm not the target demographic - I'm in my early 30s but their dresses are all a bit twee for me - but lots of my friends, particularly those who've grown up are quite girly dressers love them. I dress like a teenage emo kid so I just buy their bras and sportswear, and the occasional pair of trousers for work, and think they're good quality and fit really well.