M & S

[Pennnyforthright]

I went to M and S today, as I have vouchers from Christmas. What a disappointment! There was literally nothing I even wanted to try on. I’ll probably end up getting underwear and socks.

Agree. Definitely avoid their "Cloud yarn" jumpers that they have a lot of atm. Utter rubbish.

Rose and lemon cleansing balm

How much is your voucher for? They have a cotton rich v-neck cardigan from the White Stuff range that they now carry that might work for you.
Or there is this one from the Finery London range that they have.

I think since a lot of the high street brands have bought up other names, the actual quality of the goods that we used to find in their stores has gone down.

I remember fondly a few skirts that I used to have from Marks and Spencer and I honestly cannot find similar in store to the same level of quality. I also had a coat that I seriously regret donating to charity. It was velvet lined with a hood, it was black and reminded me of the adverts of Scottish Widows when I wore it (with my red hair!) Loved that coat. Definitely couldn't find similar now. Same with some old pairs of shoes that I wore into the ground. There was a buttery soft pair of suede shoes with a 1 inch platform that were like slippers when I put them on but were outdoor shoes. Nothing like them since.

I'm finding that the t-shirts are about 2 inches too short in the body and I am now looking in the mens department for tracksuit bottoms and for t-shirts too. The womens trackies in the short leg are too short and the regular are too long so I've found that the mens short leg are the right length for me!

Anyway, I hope you find something that works for you @Pennnyforthright !

Yes @ShushImTalking I bought a lovely grey roll neck in cloud yarn but has pilled so badly after one wash, looks awful.

Yes, I have really noticed that the choice is cashmere (which I have found to be good quality) or a variety of manmade yarns that look absolutely terrible almost immediately. What happened to the straightforward Lambswool jumpers in a variety of necklines and colours they used to sell years ago? The merino is OK but the colours miss the mark IMHO.

I only visit a store once a year in May which gives me a kind of snapshot and there was a time (c.2017) when I took photos of the clothes because they were so horrendous; horrible colours, horrible fabrics, flounces and fiddly details. Even a simply linen shirt had been ruined by needless extras. However in the last c. two years I've found some really excellent things, plainer and less fiddly detailing, better colours, generally better fabrics. The jeans I've bought have been great quality. The silk shirts have been great quality at a reasonable price. The one thing I have never had any success with in M&S is dresses. They are always too short (I'm 5'7") and too many short puffed sleeves - why does M&S think I want to look like a menopausal Little Bo Peep?

At the moment I think it's a bit between in between seasons but I hope they will stay with good quality basics and simplicity and not allow appliqué and vomitous colours to take over again.

I like the look of the Finery London one. Thanks @LookItsMeAgain .

They stopped making it!

No!