Archive by Alexa verdicts?

[StrawberrytallCake]

I've just bought one of the slip dresses with the cardigans and the black playsuit - what do you reckon? I'm unsure if I've just impulse bought but picking up tomorrow so will check quality and fit then!!

link

unfortunately I don't think there's a lot for me - 42, size 12/14. I'm only looking at the website, so happy to be proved wrong by people who've tried it on, but some of it looks hard to carry off if you're not a slender model type - pleated midi skirts? Polyester slip dresses? Those cami tops that never sit right if you're a B-cup or above? School cardigans on the over 30s?

What about those lovely floaty summer dresses from the early 90s, Alexa? Or the easy to wear jersey skirts?

I liked the wide legged cropped trousers but that was the only thing. I was hoping there'd be things to tempt me but to be honest it was dull and disappointing.

I quite like school uniform chic (have 2 M&S school uniform jumpers which are absolutely marvellous) and I'm wearing at this moment an M&S a-line midi skirt mocked on here for being school uniform-like, but even I can't go for pleated grey skirts and cardigans in yucky colours. And as for the pie-crust frill blouse, I need to wear a high-necked uniform at work and I don't want to have them in my off-duty clothes as well.

She had the whole archive and choose these items! I think they are awful and I know M&S have far better items in their archives, as I bought enough of them in the past.

Cardi's, the midi skirt and the peg trousers are okay- there is nothing there for me which would suit my shape and size.

The slips never sit right being busty, and I don't have the legs for the dresses. The pie crust shirts are not something I would ever wear and looking loads of the sizes have sold out.

Saying that I like the pink jumper as well!

The cropped trousers look sort of all right on the website photo but in the extra photos, with the blazer, they manage to make the location shoot model look like an actual penguin. Bestumpifying.

i was a bit at £25 for a cami, but then i saw 'the harry blouse'

oh dear

i think the range is frumpy and boring. Isnt it about time she moved on from the boots and sock look, shes been wearing them for years

It's just awful

the 'frances trench' looks like shes thrown a coat over her pyjamas and grabbed the first boots she could see

Oh dear I may have made a mistake then! I agree the trench is horrific and I am over 30 but purchased a cardi . I honestly thought it would look nice with the playsuit and some high heeled sandals.

Bit disappointing really. I can think of better things I've had in the past that they could bring out their archive. £25 for a viscose cami also seems really expensive - it's not special enough for that price tag, and it is still m&s.

The only thing I kind of like is the olive slip in white. I like the length and simplicity but can't actually imagine wearing it.

All of the M & S archive - there must be real treasure in there, and they choose these pieces. They fuck up everything.

Awful, tacky.

I saw it in store today and thought it was all quite odd. Poor quality too. Hugely disappointing. Some shoppers were sneering openly.

If you've got decent legs/youth on your side/wrangleable bosoms/a narrow waist, it's not a bad collection - if very Alexa Chungy. I can see fashion editors loving it, and Whistles-demographic shoppers making it work. I mean, I like the pleated skirt but if I wore it I'd look two stone heavier and ten years older. In an instant. And I wouldn't go near those short skirts. But Strawberry you may well look fabulous in all of it!

What I'm actually wearing right now is a plain black wool/jersey dress from M&S which cost £25, and makes me look a size slimmer. I've had so many compliments. It's under knee length, with bracelet length sleeves and is surprisingly elegant. I bought 3, out of fear they'd discontinue it to make room for more unflattering viscose slip dresses.

I agree. Really poor.

Oh my God. The Harry with the Effie. That looks truly dreadful.

I think it is all pretty hideous. It looks ill fitting on the model, nothing flatters her body shape which means if you got so much as a cm worth of curve you'll look fat. Even the model (is that Alexa Chung?) looks miserable. As far as I'm concerned it's a big miss for M&S. As others have said M&S must have much better options to choose from. Why not ask their customers what there favourite pieces are from the M&S archive and choose from the things that people actually want to wear?

CalonGoch that is exactly what I fear - my best and most flattering dress is a knee length thin wool dress from hush which has already been discontinued.

I'm 5"11, 34 and exercising myself to a size 10 and I think I may already think I'm there although not quite so they won't look quite right on me. If they are really horrific I will post some pics tomorrow. Openly sneering does not sound good either!

I bought what I thought was a lovely dress from Anthropologie the other day too which has been delivered today and is horrific...just one good dress that's not my black dress would be amazing!

The good thing about M&S strawberry is that they have an excellent returns policy, and you never know, some of it may look better when you get it on/style it yourself, as i think the styling is particularly awful on the website.

The whole collection should be archived, along with Alexa Chung and her over -sold supposed sense of style.

The black sandals look like they belong in a cheap shoe shop. Actually, most of it looks like you could get it from a cheap market stall.

Oh god, the pie crust frilly blouses are ghastly. I had one when I was nine and I'm NOT GOING BACK. And yes, those camisoles are waaaaaaaay overpriced.

I quite like the trench, though the styling is dreadful on the site (though I am generally a sucker for olive green/khaki coats). Ditto the red dress with the flowers. Might do some trying on in person.

I used to love Alexa Chung's style - until she wore the M&S tan suede skirt last year (is she being bribed to say she loved it?!? Frumpy sight as far as I'm concerned!) Then this new bunch of "I'm a fashion victim" shite - I SOOOO agree with some of the other comments - there were some fab things in M&S which would have been much better brought back from the archives. Also, the long sleeved paisley-look dress would have been better brought back as twas originally styled, as its still trendy. I've now gone off Alexa as feel she just said yep I'll pick that, that and that and then went home!!!!!!!!! And I blame M&S for having no bluddy brain to go errrr this is shite wot you picked........giss us our dosh back you bint :-(

Do you think she actually picked it though? I reckon they paid her a shit load and then took pictures of her rifling through files which don't exist. Surely more market research would need to have been done or clearly not than taking AC's view on what the best selling items would be??

-2- Sorry but I'm on a roll now re M&S. Instead of asking girls/ladies who work on the shop floor their TRUE thoughts on the 1970's cheapo catalogue/cheap market stall crap styles they currently sell, the bosses seem to go by "Yes sir this range is faberoonee" comments - made by M&S buyers who want to kiss the ass of the boss and get promoted pronto. I have a brill but cheap idea to help out M&S - get two of their HONEST gals to sit looking at their shop security cameras for three hours and watch our faces as we all go fudge me, look at this cheap shite and make those yeeeuuuuk faces as we quickly put the stuff back on the rack and walk out/walk straight to the donuts and comfort-eat instead. Or hand all the female staff "future purchases" mini catalogues and say Please Rate This so we know if we are making the right purchasing decisions and if we aint, please comment how to improve what we blindly picked with no thought whatsoever.............