Alexa for Marks and Spencer

[Neveradullm0ment]

Have you seen the clothes? On news websites

[AmberNectarine]

I actually really like quite a bit of it!

[Floisme]

Exactly Amber - you're their new demographic. If you like it, they might actually have cracked it.

[LittleBearPad]

M&S make me cross too.

I'm an 18/20 and so M&S sizing is useful. I want well-cut, well-made, decent wool/cotton work clothes in black, grey and navy and complimentary colours in my size. I do not want sodding coral or lemon. This seems to be impossible for them to manage. How challenging can it possibly be to have a full range of sizes for knickers or tights.

If they focused more on quality basics and stock management then they might have more hope at results time rather than announcing yet more appalling financials and stuff like this could be the high profile fun bit. But you just know that behind the gloss of this press announcement are rails and rails of jolly printed polyester in revolting colours with weird twiddly bits sewn on and glitter chucked randomly here there and everywhere.

And breathe

[ephemeralfairy]

I like the navy blazer, the trench and the wide-leg trousers. But they are overpriced when you can get very similar stuff in H&M.
And Alexa Chung isn't cool any more! Six,eight years ago, yes. Not now. I'm around her age and I know a lot of people who find her fearfully irritating and wouldn't buy anything she'd put her name to. I really don't get who this is marketed at.

[Floisme]

I've no idea if she's cool any more but I'm not sure it matters. I think what matters is whether she brings back memories of a certain time - enough for some women to take a look at the clothes. If ephemeral's correct, they won't so we'll have to see.

It will still boil down to whether enough women like the clothes. It might be a disaster and I must admit, until very recently I was on other threads harrumphing about it. But now I'm quite curious to see how it pans out.

[VenusRising]

Flo, I feel I have to defend my comment about alexa Chung.

Personal comments about someone usually are derogatory!

Alexa is designing clothes, and yet she has an unusual figure for a woman- no hips or tits. Her arms are particularly thin and her legs have little muscle mass on them - they do resemble twigs.

In my wildest dreams I could not imagine that she would understand how to dress someone with more muscle and fat then she has.

Sleeves would be like tourniquets and as for trews.... Well I don't know- could someone over a size 6, with hips and a tum actually get into them at all?

In the light of her being a designer and designing clothes for women who are not flat as a pancake on top and boyish down below, I think her shape and physique is a very pertaining issue.

What would she know about dressing women with the average shape! How would she know about how clothes move around curves: she hasn't got any.
Her style is prepubescent at best.

My comment about her body shape is entirely relavent to issue at hand which is her suitability to be a designer for a MnS range, and not at all a "personal comment".

If she was designing for a more fashion forward brand who have tiny woman as a client base (like Victoria Beckham has) it wouldn't be so ridiculous an enterprise, but she's been hired by MnS to create clothes for the average woman with boobs and bums- average size 14 - and clearly she's never in her life experienced what it is like to wear clothes in that body.

Like the pope giving sex advice...... Totally irrelevant.

[ephemeralfairy]

I dunno. I think it's a bad call. I'm early 30s and I never buy clothes in M&S. Nor does my mum and she is 70.

We both find stuff we like in H&M and Zara. Personally I think H&M is amazing. The range of stuff is great. Some is very teen-y of course, but there's some great tailoring and some really innovative design as well.

[Floisme]

That's a fair point, Venus. I see what you mean now. Apologies - maybe I've spent too long on Victoria Beckham threads, some of which are poisonous!

I don't think she's actually designing though, is she? She's picking out old M&S classics - so clothes that have been popular in the past with average shaped women - and giving them a fresh spin.

ephemeral I like H&M too and I'm 59. I'd be more than happy if M&S morphed into a H&M but with better fabrics and fit.

[HMF1]

Like many I am not clear on M&S thinking on this one. I actually do shop in M&S & buy a good proportion of my clothes there although less than I used to. On the collaborations I do think they have lost the plot. Clarks seem to get this right first Orla Kelly& now the V&A, for quirky shoes, M&S should focus on their core market first & then look to appeal to the young trendies.

[AmberNectarine]

Now see I'm 31 and I'm not a fan H&M and Zara. Find them too jumble sale like. So much crap crammed onto the rails and I don't have time to sift through 100 items to find the one decent one, which will probably still be polyester and badly finished!

I have had some nice things from M&S over the past season - wool tweed shorts and heavy crepe pencil skirts for work. I don't tend to buy my casual clothing in there - for that I look to either Topshop or higher end.

I am also quite slim and petite and often have trouble finding a 6 in M&S so if Alexa's range is less generously cut that can only be a plus for me. There are plenty of us around as well as the size 14s!

[SirChenjin]

Fab - one customer for Alexa. M&S problems are solved

[Floisme]

I may not be their chosen demographic but I have to speak up for H&M. Some of my best finds over the last year have been from there and get mistaken for Whistles. You do have to rummage but then I quite like a good jumble sale. And unlike at Top Shop, you can still find cotton there.

Zara nah - the sleeves are too tight and their trousers way too long.

[AmberNectarine]

I can't be doing with the rummaging - I'd do online but their delivery is slow and you can't return in store (WHY?)

I went into &OS today though which was a thoroughly pleasurable experience (and I bought something). Take note of your sister brand H&M!

[Talisin]

H&M delivery has speeded up a lot now - last two things I've ordered have turned up in four days - and you can now return in store (although there's a weird system of having to show a special email reciept barcode thing).

[niminypiminy]

Well, I have to say, I currently have 5 items in my online M&S basket - two of which I've tried on in the shop and really liked (both cotton, btw).

Denim culottes
Bottle green jumper
A-line midi skirt
Black boxy top
Plain grey leather trainers

The skirt in particular is fantastic value, really, really well made.

[Floisme]

Got any links for them, niminy?

I've just read this thread back and noticed I've done a complete about turn. Ahem

[niminypiminy]

bottle green jumper
A-line skirt
grey trainers
denim culottes
shell top

mind you, I probably won't buy all of them...

[AmberNectarine]

Ah, I stand corrected though I still think 4 days is too long. I like my instant gratification!

[TheCraicDealer]

With that skirt and the navy blazer I think Alexa's been taking some inspo from my old school uniform. Unfortunately my ex does not look like Alex Turner.

[Floisme]

Thanks niminy I'll take a look.

I'd never order online from H&M - sizing too random.

[cressetmama]

I walked through M&S yesterday, and wasn't tempted to take anything off the rack to hold up against my body. I'm 60, have cash to splash (though not enough to go wild) and am interested in upholstering my post-menopausal but still size 10-12 body in something decent. Uniqlo is boring but fits nicely and works for me, so I go back over and over again surely this is not rocket science.

[SirChenjin]

niminy - take them out of your basket and step away from the M&S website. They are - to quote a well used phrase up here mingin'

[niminypiminy]

Sorry, SirChenjin, but that's the kind of thing I like.

I also have a basket of things at Cos. I expect they're minging too

[SirChenjin]

No need to apologise - someone has to market 1980s school uniform otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell the leftover stock

[niminypiminy]