Oh dead oh dear M and S

[randomer]

what has happened to you? Terrible colours and shapes. Hard to imagine anybody looking good.

Not just M&S though. Everywhere is doing those Victoriana blouses - I would look like a fat Victorian cook! All those flounces etc. I am sure this is where my aunt bought me one in the 80's. It was a 'grubby cinnamon' kind of shade - not me at all.

I don't think M and S are that bad really. I feel a bit sorry for them, yes they do make some terrible clothes (that pink top upthread is ) but so do most shops. They get a really hard time on here IMO.

I don't buy a lot from M and S but when I do I tend to wear the items loads. I have a skirt which I bought last September which I've worn pretty much every week, and some boots which I've worn practically every day.
Also love their childrenswear for baby DD. So they're not doing too badly in my view.

Well I do like some of the coats and I always buy shoes from there as they do wide fitting but I hate the material of most of the clothes. I have whined on here before about viscose and it is everywhere. I just wanted a plain cardi that wasn't wool or viscose. Forget it!

I also buy undies and socks and tights from here. For some reason, Primark socks give me cramp. They are supposed to be sized up to an 8 but regularly give me cramp and I am an 5 1/2 in shoes!

I love M&S and some of my old wardrobe favourites are from there, but increasingly, I walk in specifically in order to buy something - a winter skirt, or some plain t-shirts - and have to walk out because there's nothing I want. NOTHING. That's why M&S get such stick on here, I reckon, because a lot of MNers are M&S shoppers from birth, and actively want to spend money there but can't.

You know where's nice for the sort of knitwear M&S used to do? Seasalt. I bought two gorgeous bracelet-sleeve long cardigans in the sale and get compliments all the time.

Gwen I myself am 60 and proud I don't feel M&S particularly caters for me but I don't think any store does. I think it's better to keep moving. Last year I probably shopped at H&M more than anywhere but I got a few things at M&S - particularly Autograph - that I'm very happy with.
I've never felt any great attachment to M&S so I don't really share the annoyance on here. I would say it's mostly shit but normally with one or two good things which is no better or worse than most stores. The drop in quality dates from them moving their manufacturing overseas and is also true of anywhere on the high streetp

I won £100 in vouchers at work in November. Put it this way; I spent it on the Christmas food shop and wine!

I think the drop in quality is because they are making clothes to a price point that hasn't changed much in years. I personally will pay more for a quality, classic item, but that is not what most people want from fashion it seems.

It is the same as the shrinking chocolate bars/cereal packets/most food items. No-one seems to be able to accept a price rise any more, so something has to give. In the case of almost all High Street fashion, it is quality that has to be sacrificed.

Paradoxically no-one seems to be bothered by the price rises in stores such as Primark. I was amazed on a recent shopping expedition at how small the gap between prices in Primark and M&S are these days. Yet we expect far more from one brand than we do from the other.

I was in M&S yesterday and it actually made me so cross!
I am not the worlds most fashionable woman, but I like clothes and looking good. I just could not for the life of me work out who designs their stuff? It is atrocious, actually atrocious.
I tried on a few dresses, such flimsy shite material, no lining so practically see through-this is common across the clothing, just dreadful quality. And 80% of the stuff is like something a child would design.
Dresses with frills are in, yes. But they put them on everything and in the wrong places. Saw a nice jumper-oops, a see through panel all around the middle. Why? How many people actually want the world to see their muffin top?
A cute v neck top, with some sort of strange see through piece of material around the neck...wtf?
And that was across the store. Crew, Joules, Baukjen, Warehouse...the high street is awash with shops that can do decent basics, a nice dress, versatile jumpers. Never has a store had more over hauls, new staff brought it, fan fares of how they've listened and about great new designs.
And it is always shit. Its actually amazing how wrong they are getting it, and it isn't as if people aren't telling them, there is a thread here alone every week saying the same stuff!
Just sort it out!

I agree with other posters - the frustration is that so many of us want to buy from M&S, yet they consistently ignore customer feedback and we fail to find anything that we want. My mum and I were talking about this the other day and we both (I'm 37, she's 65) agreed that the supermarkets are fairly unbeatable in terms of price v quality.
I also find it really annoying that M&S seem to find it impossible to produce the same line twice - they occasionally produce a real gem that would keep selling if they just kept it in stock, but they always feel a need to change it (never for the better) or discontinue the line. A good example of this is those skinny jeans that everyone recommends - I tried to buy a couple of pairs, but there are so many styles on the website that could class as a 'jegging' and nothing labelled 'super skinny jeans' anymore - I suppose that I could have ordered 15 pairs to possibly find the ones that I was after, but I couldn't be bothered and ordered some jeggings from Tu instead. Why do they do this?

"I don't think most women under 60 would like the shoes."

Erm, I am under 60 and like their shoes. I can't see a 60+ year old wearing the heeled ankle boots I bought just before Christmas.

I don't think most women under 60 would like the shoes.

I'm under 60 and wear their shoes! Actually I think shoes/boots is one of the areas they tend to get right. Or more right than wrong, at least.

So links to what I have ordered, reluctant to do so because I am sure they will be slated for the man made fibres but as a previous poster has pointed out everywhere is flooded with polyester.

khaki shirt in lyocell not sure about lyocell, I fear it may crease.

Khaki work trousers stumbled across when looking for khaki shirt. They have cheaper but I am giving the secret slim a whirl.

Jeggings in gunmetal these suit me as I already have some in denim.

Black shift dress I have this but have lost weight, the reviews are mixed but I size up and wear very loose and love it. Yes polyester but less than £20 worn infrequently on night out.

Lucked - I keep trying that shift dress on because the style, shape and length are perfect for me and it's just the sort of thing I like wearing. I just can't get past the fabric though - it's not only polyester but also really scratchy feeling. I'd gladly pay four times as much if they did it in a cotton/silk mix or even in cotton jersey or even in a good thick viscose jersey like the White Company used to do so well.

On MN, I probably qualify as an old lady (60). M&S is okay as long as you are incredibly selective. I buy DS's school shirts from them plus, he has a fab leather jacket from Blue HARBOUR believe it or not which has been greatly admired at two schools, I have nice white leather trainers for my holiday and I saw a pale blue linen shirt I shall go back to try. The beauty department is blazing away from Boots. It's uneven; it always was.

Yes - the beauty department is fab. I absolutely LOVE the Pure skincare range and the argan oil body butter.

remus I would pay more too for better material but it is very flattering in me. The first one was a panic buy as the Boden dress I had ordered for a night out was a disaster and I ran into m&s on way home.

Their baby girl range this season is bizarre, ochre ( think breast fed baby shit colour) for trousers and cornflower blue fleece hooded top.

There are a few nice items, but they have definitely lost their way. Although next's baby range is equally appalling at the moment.

I like their home stuff a lot more than the clothes. That said, they need to do something about their curtains. Loads of lovely modern furniture, some of it decent quality, and then curtains straight out of the 90s. I'm surprised they don't still sell pelmets

Yes, to give them their due, M&S do fantastic cushions at the moment.

OK I've had a look on their website and I see what you mean about yellow! But I still like these although they may not all like me:

Ramond Chandler-esque trenchcoat I probably haven't got the height to carry it off but I bloody love it.

ribbed tie jumper would need to see the colour for real.

cashmere ballet wrap The pink isn't me but I love the grey.

another tie front jumper

grey turtle neck with fluted sleeves No, not the two tone one!! But think the grey is lovely. Wish I suited turtle necks.

another grey jumper I have a soft spot for silly sleeves.

ankle length widish leg jeans

more grey cashmere I stopped clicking the cashmere at this point - there's a lot more.

full black and gold mid skirt It could well be hideous and 'm probably too short anyway but I'd like to see it.

silk shirt I think Remus linked this too.

Even if only a quarter of them are ok in real life, that still seems like a reasonable haul to me.

I completely agree about the state of their actual stores though and they need to sort that out fast.

90% of the tops are too short, 98% of the necklines are too high and the tailored stuff wouldn't accommodate my bust - but i have to say that i could say that about all the high st shops at the mo.

Last time i walked through M&S i was meant to be going to the food hall (for shortbread) and i saw from a distance and bought within minutes the long suede boots i mentioned earlier instead of the shortbread. They are everything i've been looking for for about 5 years and are glam looking AND comfy. I did also spot some lovely A line winter-weight mini skirts. And a lovely trench coat/mac. But i'd already spent £45 more than i'd intended in there and left quick smart

I think what's so weird is that they do get it right in other areas yet can't seem to grasp that they could just apply the same principles to clothes. M&S food is renowned for being quality and quite expensive. The beauty stuff is not cheapo crap, it's grown-up and quality stuff. The home stuff likewise. So why not make quality basics in quality fabrics, employ good designers to come up with good prints and wearable styles?

It's just not true that people won't pay for it - no they won't pay a lot for polyester and flash-in-the-pan fashion, but they will for quality and style. Brands like All Saints, Superdry, Jigsaw, Hobbs etc are not dirt cheap but people will spend for something they really love that has a chance of wearing well and lasting.

None of those clothes would suit me Floisme. I particularly dislike "silly" sleeves.

"90% of the tops are too short, 98% of the necklines are too high and the tailored stuff wouldn't accommodate my bust"

Most tops are ok lengthwise
98% of the necklines are too low
Tailored stuff gapes at the bust

There is no one size fits all.

I hate v necks so am really pleased they do their t-shirts in other styles
I am also really pleased they do things in more than the v. bland palettes of other places raved about on here (I do not mean the horrible prints and patterns which I agree are dreadful)
So different things for different people.
I agree they have loads of dross and probably need to cut down on their product lines drastically. They probably try to be be something for everyone and that is an impossible market.
I would also pay more for better but the reality is loads of people wont.