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Style and beauty

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OP posts:
venmor · Yesterday 18:10

They slapped a St Michael label on a sandwich the other month. Tikka I think it was? Weirds. I don’t expect anything other than the using the label/bale tbh, clothes are not suddenly about it go back to the quality they once were.

Coincidinki · Yesterday 18:12

Oooh, if only they'd bring back classic 1970s styles - paisley nylon blouses and long pointed collars - I spend hours hunting for that kind of thing in vintage shops.

ohyesiseethatnow · Yesterday 18:15

hamnish · Yesterday 12:58

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…

Agree with this.

Whatmesurelynot · Yesterday 18:27

lovingthebeachlife · Yesterday 17:58

But a lot less on housing!

We spend loads more as a % on housing now vastly more. We spend less on white goods computers printers as a %. But its more that the prices we once spent in normal high street shops would now feel outrageously expensive.

hamnish · Yesterday 18:29

Whatmesurelynot · Yesterday 17:50

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.

I really, really liked the idea of the Best Of British collection, but some of the design choices they made were questionable - a lot of ‘editorial’ fugliness that really appealed to fashion editors but was less wearable for your average M&S shopper. I’ve got a nice tweed blazer from that collection, and wanted to buy more but most of it just looked weird on me. (Massive jangly prints, clumpy shoes, huge cricket jumpers, etc)

hamnish · Yesterday 18:32

What I WANTED from that project was a plain cashmere jumper from Hawick that I could wear for years, a classic black tailored skirt cut by some Savile Row tailor, a sea island cotton white shirt… I still wish they’d do something like that, under the St Michael brand.

Floisme · Yesterday 18:53

lovingthebeachlife · Yesterday 17:11

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

I don't think it's even about prices. I very much doubt it would be physically possible now to bring clothing manufacturing back to this country on the kind of scale M&S would need. It would take unprecedented levels of investment and training and I just can't see it happening.

RobertaFirmino · Yesterday 19:35

GoldMoon · Yesterday 16:24

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 !

I had it down as being mid to late 90s - when the St. M brand was being phased out. When garments have this particular label in them, take a look at the care/composition label. There'll be a year on the reverse side.

lovingthebeachlife · Yesterday 19:36

Well other shops have manufactured small quantities in the UK before & there are factories about but the prices are prohibitive so not suitable for the scale of production M&S would need so it’s a bit chicken & egg.

lovingthebeachlife · Yesterday 19:43

Price is a massive constraint, the cost price of a garment manufactured here will be a lot higher than the selling price in high street shops.

TheDogsMother · Yesterday 19:46

Wasn’t St Michael the patron saint of underpants ? From a comedian back in the day.

SusanSHelit · Yesterday 19:47

I hope so! I have a gorgeous burgundy velvet strappy cami from the 90s that used to be my mums, with a jewel embelihm on the should where the strap joins the top that is still like new. Would be great if they brought that quality back now. No way something dark coloured, in a delicate fabric with such detailed embellishments would last 30 years now without the colour fading, or the jewels falling off or something

GoldMoon · Yesterday 19:51

RobertaFirmino · Yesterday 19:35

I had it down as being mid to late 90s - when the St. M brand was being phased out. When garments have this particular label in them, take a look at the care/composition label. There'll be a year on the reverse side.

You could be right , I looked on the back of the label and there is a 94 on it so maybe 1994 so just a mere 32 years old !

lovingthebeachlife · Yesterday 19:56

The womenswear director is from Topshop & you can see it, this collab makes sense with the whole trying to attract a younger shopper aim.

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