M&S is cool, but we knew that, didn’t we?

[jellybobs]

Interesting article on the BBC website today. I’m actually really surprised that it’s not done a London Fashion Week show before.
Certainly over the last few years it’s become one of my go-to places if I decide I need new jeans, a particular kind of dress etc. It’s even acceptable to my 16yo DS who’s very particular about where his clothes come from and has quite a small list of “acceptable” high St brands he’ll deign to go into!

Is it cool to wear M&S clothes now? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cje3rk4p39zwo

I went into our local branch with my mum at the end of summer. We made a beeline for some cardigans in lovely colours and as we got closer you could see the fabric was synthetic. It bobbles so easily, picks up every pet hair going and doesn’t last or wash well even if you hand wash. Disappointing.
I remember buying great lambswool knits there at really reasonable prices as a teen in the 90s… grandad cardigans, a lovely cricket sweater (niche trend?) and they lasted.
The styling is fab but as others have said, fabric is poor.

There is an orchestrated brainwashing going on by M&S. Chucking their advertising budget at influencers has created some kind of collective acceptance that their clothes are something other than shoddily produced fast fashion apeing the novelty of the moment. Great marketing. Shitty product. Suggestible customer base.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie try George at Asda for knickers. Lovely cotton multipacks in a variety of styles and reasonable prices. Comfortable & wash nicely. Last for ages. Can't fault them.

I’ve got a Per Una Tshirt which is lovely quality but the T-shirts generally are dreadful- they get shorter and wider and agree that the necklines lose shape as soon as you look at them.

I still think that the in trying to be all things to all people, they’re just producing far too much tat. They really should streamline things and make less but better imo.

Thanks. I never go near an Asda though.

Yes their website is brilliantly done. The styling looks fab then you go in store and realise how poor the quality of the material is and the finish, it all looks cheap . They could charge more if they used better fabrics

i also struggle with rhe sizing now. I’m a size 8 in pretty much every brand, but with markies they are too small on my waist and the hips and arse are massive. I tried some jeans and they were ridiculous.

And this, ladies and gents, is what I mean by snobbery.

Their clothes are decent. They last for years and look nice. Sorry they’re not massively overpriced tat.

That's not true. If you shop carefully and pay attention, you can still find pure cotton, linen or wool pieces at sensible prices.

M&S isn't for me because I'm just the wrong shape. Their sleeves are always too short, but I can see the attraction for people who have the right proportions for their clothes.

It’s not overpriced. It is just low quality materials.

No. I’m talking about the £700 “natural fibre” jumpers that get pushed on here every winter. They look awful, they’re overpriced and ugly. Some people enjoy being stylish.

It's been every few years for the last 30 years that we get an 'M&S is cool now' article. I mean, like a lot of shops it has dud collections some years and great ones on others, ever since it stopped being just for grannies and children, which was about 30 years ago.

I don’t see many 700 pound jumpers on here being pushed?

I buy trousers and jeans as they do long length and they are generally good quality, I don't buy the tops, knitwear, coats or jackets as they are always too short with short sleeves and a fairly boxy cut. It's like the bottoms are long and the tops are short even in the regular sizes.

Sorry that some breathless influencer telling me they’re obsessssseddddd didn’t get me to run not walk to grab that must have pair of poorly executed trousers which will be consigned to the charity shop bag in 8 weeks when the next season drops 🤷🏼‍♀️

God I saw Ian Wright being interviewed online and he was championing M&S so I guess he was invited to their catwalk show. I also think the shapes are on trend but the quality has really gone down the swannee. I
dont care if that makes me a snob ( which it doesn’t incidentally) I just don’t want to fritter money on items that will look like crap after one winter. If you look at their old St Michael clothes when they pop up in charity shops you will see the difference.

Agree. Saw something in the paper/social media about a must have cardigan from M&S - looked pretty nice, but saw it in store last weekend and quality was poor and it looked cheap.
this one
https://www.marksandspencer.com/faux-fur-collar-button-front-cardigan/p/clp61227157?color=MIDNIGHTNAVY&extid=ps_ps-bg_ggl_mw_ch_allcategories_-UK-_-_modernsearch&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=22933324953&cq_con=184672996499&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22933324953&gbraid=0AAAAAD7g6bRt2TGiRwT6pQrgda0oUUoPH&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5bjVBhCiARIsAJzMVnRZ5mDinHvIOJ1yA4MkGNP-1O08QCu68mi966dIyp2RWaLApNgMTbsaAhXgEALw_wcB

20% off women’s fashion today with sparks! For me anyway!

I can usually find a few cotton or linen items in the summer and their jeans have always pleased me until now , when I suddenly need a size bigger. But the rest I can live without. And yes, it is the quality of the fabrics. I particularly hate viscose: in a satin finish it creases, in a jersey finish it shrinks like mad; it takes ages to dry because it absorbs water, and it needs a lot of ironing. Doesn’t feel good on the skin, either. It absorbs odours as well - M&S sale rails really hum sometimes

I think you might have misunderstood what people on this thread are saying. Nobody here has suggested expensive jumpers, they are just saying the quality is bad. This has also been my experience too. I’ve bought some great quality 100% cotton clothes in Sainsbury’s, it doesn’t have to be expensive. I don’t want to waste my money on crap quality that bobbles or quickly holes, it’s wasteful. I also don’t think the clothes are particularly fashionable as the cut and quality mean they look cheap and cheerful.

I've not bought anything in M&S for months.
The latest offering is cheap and looks cheap.
I'm 62 and was probably their core market. But the current pr is relentless and centres around 20 something's. All waxing lyrical about the same items that have been designated the ' core range'. The size changes in the jeans etc is the final straw. I prefer Zara as it's better quality than M&S now sadly and you can still buy 100% cotton t shirts there
In fact I'm not even going to buy my underwear there any more.

I think M&S is the opposite of cool despite their hard marketing campaigns.

I found an Instagram account recently of an English woman who lives in Spain. She was in the UK over the summer and made a beelline for M&S because so many influencers people being paid to say so were exclaiming over the clothes. She walked around shaking her head, picking up items that looked cheap and nasty and wondering aloud why on earth people were saying it was great. It made me laugh because it was one of the first honest influencer accounts about M&S.

I buy a lot of clothes from M&S.
last week a 16 year old told me that everyone thought I was the most stylish member of staff at school. They also pitched me at 38. I am 60.
I mix M&S with other brands.
Another student said I should get on Tik Tok which isn’t going to happen.
i am sorry, but these people who say it’s cheap and not stylish have no clue. Their crepe tab trousers are amazing quality.

I’ve never bought from M&S and I know I'm being ridiculous but it was always a shop my mum bought her clothes in so I just don’t!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie have you tried Sainsbury's Tu for knickers? I've found multipacks are good value.

I do shop at M&S, but agree about the quality; they have some lovely looking dresses, but too much polyester. A poly/cotton mix would be preferable.

Jeans are good, if they could only sort out their sizing!

I wouldn't say M&S is any worse than Next which is probably its main competitor and is a similar price point