I used to like M&S but I'm not surprised they are struggling to sell womens clothes, WARNING MAY BE UPSETTING

[Behooven]

Says it all...

Suzie you probably had a lucky escape. Their bra fitting is reputed to be awful.

Really wasn't impressed, took all my bottle to ask for a fitting in the first place, it's not exactly something I was looking forward too... Suppose I'd better get used to strangers seeing my bits!

Suziesome1 - you get so used to it that you have to remind yourself to cover up when you are in an open ward after the birth.

Its a long time since I needed help from the staff at M&S in the clothing dept. Mainly because I leave without finding anything I might want to buy. Have they really become rude as described in this thread? 30 years ago M&S paid the best rates in town and a Saturday job there was highly sought after as you got treated well by the company and the customers tended to be happy and polite too.

I have no idea what's going on in M&S. I went in today and saw a beautiful apricot colour t shirt. Perfect colour for me. Tried it on - massive, went down two sizes - still massive on the arms but now too fitted everywhere else. I am a hockey player and one thing I do not have is trim arms!

Their stock levels are shocking too. I saw three other things - including the most beautiful pale blue coat - and I'd have bought the lot if my size had been available.

I had two identical pairs of M&S work trousers that I bought 18 years ago. Absolute classic basics. I've just thrown them out but cant find anything in M&S which looks as nice or makes me feel as good. Their black trousers all seem to have billowing crotches.

As a fat woman, I want well-shaped (I do have a waist and it is nice to break up my shape rather than try and make me look like a potato), nicely hanging clothes with sleeves.

M&S plus range are offering me sleeveless sacks and larger versions of the special trousers linked to in the OP. They are worse than Evans, which takes effort and determination when Evans have been successfully disappointing fat women for decades.

perhaps I should say "draping" rather than "hanging", apologies.

Nail on Head - billowing crotches! I just got a pair of M&S trousers off ebay (brand new with tags), slim leg, perfect length, wool, so far so good.
But the crotch area! Looks like I'm wearing 50 tena lady all at once. I dont use them btw but sooo baggy, just ruins them.

It's all the high fashion thing, they think we'll get used to 'billowing' crotches, I wonder if they'll make their knickers like that too. It's bloody stupid if you ask me.

I follow fashion very slowly and only if I think the particular fashion suits me and looks nice, I'm not a fashion victim I hope

In Fr. some women seem to buy whatever the shops sell every season regardless of how it looks on them or how it LOOKS .

Back in the late 80s I bought a beautiful black velvet dress from M&S. It was really heavy material and cut really well and looked fabulous on.

When Per Una first appeared I used to buy summer dresses there. Cotton, lined, nice shape.

I should be their target audience. I'm 52, short, apple shaped. But even bras and pants are cut wrong.

I really am beginning to despair of M&S. just before Christmas, i was looking for a pair of Black slim trousers. There was not a pair of sz 14 black trousers in the store, and this was a flag ship store. When I complained to an assistant, she very cheerily told me that I could go on line. I don't want to go online, I replied, i have come here to your store to buy something. Next, I moved on to the party stuff. I have never seen such an array of cheap, tacky clothes in all my life. They could give Primark a good run for their money.
I actually tweeted them, but got no response. The quality is just not what it used to be. John Lewis own make runs rings around them, as do labels like Cos.

I had a £50 M & S voucher for Christmas. I'd planned to re-stock on basics but I'm not convinced I'll find any. I may just blow the lot on percy pigs.

I've just seen the 'pyjama style' floral blouse and trousers which look exactly like... a pair of pyjamas.
www.marksandspencer.com/floral-blouse/p/p60079917

Once upon a time, you could go to M&S and get fairly plain work clothes easily. Everyone went to M&S for their first interview suits. Now.. I don't really think I could turn up to work in a pair of pyjamas, somehow.

Oh my at the PJ outfit.

I still remember when a new accidentally came into the office in his slippers 14 years ago. It would take a long time to live wearing that outfit into work down. But a good idea if your a sahm who wears pjs on the school run maybe?

Needs a day to evening matching nightgown?

new dad accidently

Though to be fair to M& S many clothes that we wear for outerwear were once only considered underwear.

And tracksuits were only considered ok for sportswear.

Those PJs can come with a side order of pyjama style dress (pops up on that page). VPL would be an absolute given in either...cos they are 100% viscose. Eugh.

Or as PJ style as we not supposed to wear underwear? Some of us would run a serious risk of boobs sagging below the mid-thigh hemline!

I think that Viscose is wood based and it's the one man made material I don't mind wearing actually. (someone will tell me its full ingredient list to put me off, no doubt).

suzie, I've had exactly the same experience with bra fitting in M and S, more than once - been turned away by assistants doing nothing and told to make an appointment. Last time I went elsewhere, got fitted by a very helpful assistant to a totally different size that has proved correct, and bought 7 bras in one sitting, so am very unlikely to go back to M and S for bras for many years, having previously bought my bras there and only there for about 35 years beforehand. It's like an object lesson in how to alienate loyal customers.

The black and white pyjama dress isn't too bad, but the green one does look more like a nightie!

I can't read the reviews on the mobile site. I can just see the stars. Anyone else manage to read the product reviews?

Popping in to report that I saw a woman take the clown trousers in the OP off the sale rail in our local M&S today & give them serious consideration. I did not hang around to see if she bought them. She was prob late 50s to early 60s in age. Although its a niche market, it does seem there are some folk for whom they are not totally repulsive.

Maybe it was for a 70s revival party

Perhaps she was an MNer having a boggle.