M&S bringing back St Michael

[winterwonder1]

Here's hoping they bring back St Michael quality - I still have a stack of vintage stuff from the 80s that's been washed hundreds of times but looks barely worn M&S brings back iconic St Michael label in new Aries collab | Oxford Mail

Oh god I hope so - I have some 90s tops that still have their stretch and wear so much better than anything I can buy now. What did they make it out of?

I think it was proper cottons - really good quality ones - and really good cutting and stitching.

Better quality fabrics and manufacturing. Clothes lasted longer but the market changed. People generally aren't willing to pay for quality and don't care about longevity.

I sell vintage and St Michael had become really popular in the last couple or years, especially the 90s stuff. Nice boxy cuts and natural fibers, and still looks fresh 30+ years later. Don't mess it up M&S.

I’m not sure about this. For me, a midlife, lifelong M&S shopper, the ‘St Michael’ brand was almost its invisibility: simple, well made —in the UK— clothes that you wore year in, year out. This seems to be about sticking the old logo on new fast fashion clothes, for a quick shopping fix. Unless the quality’s the same, it rings a bit hollow…

DM still has some 1960s St Michael's pieces which she bought new.

Well that's an interesting move but I won't be holding my breath unless they're also planning to move their manufacturing back to the UK - and I can't see that happening because the infrastructure's not here any more.

I'm hoping Aries will have something to do with it too - their stuff is decent quality.

Looks like it's just some items emblazoned with the retro St Michael logo rather than them bringing back the brand (and associated quality) per se

I'd definitely pay more for it, if I could find it.

I bought a floor length cashmere/wool overcoat on vinted last year, vintage St Michael.

I always think about the box pleated midi skirts my mum wore in the 80s such amazing quality.

Those skirts were incredible. I bought a St Michael vintage cream wool jumper last year and it's so warm and thick.

There are quality brands out there. I find M&S ok but I've had everything I've bought from there a few years ago - 'classics' that I wear every winter.

Many of the 'decent quality' brands were going downhill around 2000.
I remember going into Austin Reed in the high street here and what I wanted was good cotton, good cut, but the stitching let it down. Shame really as it meant I didn't buy it.
It wasn't as bad as what you'd find somewhere like H&M or Mango, but the demographic for those is different.

If it means better quality, then good. I recently bought a scoop neck t-shirt from M&S. One wash and the lengths shrunk by at least an inch 🙄

My summer dressing gown is a St . Michael's

Worn it every summer from when I bought it.

Looking it up online the code on the label is apparently pointing towards being made 1985/6 . So likely 40 years old .

Hmmm , wonder who I can bequeath it to in my will !

That green leather bag is one of the most horrible looking things I’ve ever seen. I’m not hopeful about this. I was in M&S today and a quick look at the new autumn wear suggests they’re still not learning. The quality of the knitwear was atrocious.

I really want to shop there, but other than the odd cotton dress and jeans, I see very little to like.

I bought a black wool, lined pencil skirt with pockets in 1991 that I wore and wore. I rue the day I gave it away because I gave up the job I'd bought it for. It looked like new.

I bought that for my DMIL as a birthday present!

It would be far too expensive & people wouldn’t pay the prices

The label on this shows I’ve washed it a lot but the top itself is like new.

I wear this for work regularly. Made in June 1998 - 28 years old - I have colleagues younger!

Agree. This seems a really weird collaboration. You’d think ‘bringing back St. Michael’ would involve tailoring and better fabrics.

They tried to bring back tge made in uk quality clothes a few? Years ago no one woukd pay the prices. In the 1980s we spent on average double as a % of wages on clothes than we do today.

But a lot less on housing!