So the collection that's meant to save M&S is here...

[Whitershadeofpale]

what do we think? sorry it's DM couldn't see it anywhere else.

I think there's some beautiful pieces, especially the suit in the first pic. But some of it seems very expensive. I'd like to seem them up close to see if the quality has improved on recent years.

Well none of it has made it to our local branch ! That Per Una dress is , er , frightful. This was probably the "fashionable" itme there , amid the stripey jersey polo tops and "classic" trousers and even that looked a bit uglya dn verpriced in rl ! Motely range of patterned ballerina pumps so no rationalisation there.

Lizs it's the A/W collection, so i don't expect it will be out anywhere for a couple of months - probably July I guess?

I really hope they have nailed the quality, there are lots of bits in there that i like the look of, so fingers crossed.

I think it's quite expensive and none of it ever seems to reach our stores 'up north'!

That's my thinking: it won't make it to my branch an the pricing means it won't save Marks'. I will hunt it down in Oxfors Street as I don't live too far. But I doubt it'll make it to, say, Bognor!

Promising. I love that pink coat on the Telegraph pics. I'd try on the Per Una coat with the huge cuffs too, but I think I'll end up leaving it. Too faddy for £200+.

Basics aren't going to photograph as well - they will be about feel and cut. Hopefully the "key" things they've got here are a guide to how improved the basics are.

ah of course! You wouldn't believe I used to work in retail would you . Bet it still doesn't make our local though !

The only thing I like is the suit-very retro 40's look which is right up my street. The rest is horrible and far too expensive.

Was at Marble Arch last week , have been trying to spend vouchers since Christmas but found nothing . Got a reduced blouse and the swimsuit they are advertising - elegant and flattering it is not - from local branch instead and returned both today as looked hideous on !

Off topic, but this winds me up about swimwear - why are so few designs available in long? You can get longer length trousers and skirts pretty easily these days, but not swimwear. The costume in that link is clearly way too short for the model, she's having to hunch her shoulders forward to stop herself popping out of it.

I like the grey suit but the skirt looks too long. The pink coat looks nice but its pink which is very impractical for me anyway.

I don't know how m&s manage to be so frumpy. It's the cut I think or those patterns. Even the kids clothes have gone a bit wrong.

It's all very pricey too, and if I had that money to spend I would probably wait for the sales and buy better quality cheaper that expensive m&s.

I always go in though, wander round and wander out again. But there is a flagship store near my dm and its fabulous, so different to my local one.

I'm not particularly long bodied but it did feel wrongly proportioned - lots of exposed neck and accentuated the tummy

I love lots of the stuff in those articles. Unfortunately I just do not have that type of money to spend on clothes. I suppose I'm not their target audience though (29, young DC, no disposable income).

Debenhams have longer swim suits.
I didn't realise my body was that long until I was trying on swim suits and finding the boob section around my ribs.

If it doesn't make it to your store you can probably order it online and have it delivered to the store.

True but you can't use vouchers online

Agree totally with the Telegraph article.
There is still an amazing amount of goodwill for the clothes brand as we rush in for lunchtime sarnies, but it remains to be seen whether they can pull off the triumph of 'aspirational classics' over the polyester Per Una tat to draw us away from the food hall. Fingers crossed they do as there is a gap for quality basics in the High St that is there for the taking.

I like the first suit, the leather jacket and the outfit with a jumper and split blue skirt a lot. Totally agree that what they need to get right is the basics though.

I like it and am shocked that I do.
Really want the pink coat and the black and white shirt in the torygraph link

I really like the new pieces and already saw some improvement last year.

But agree they should continue working on good-quality basics - that's what they were known for and nobody else is doing them well at the moment. Burn all the prints and poly blends.

I can't see many people spending £349 on a white coat, even though it does look lovely in the picture. I also like the long sparkly dress, but hard to judge in a photo. The suit is lovely too.

The rest is a bit meh.

I agree with the poster up thread who said M&S should focus on decent basics, like coats, t-shirts, underwear, jeggings.

I love that pink coat.

It's all pretty good.

But they won't stock it in our store. Maybe if M&S want to appeal to younger customers they should, you know, sell it in all their stores.

We get stuck with the Granny clothes and Per Una.