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

@Aiming4Optimistic Shop on line. It’s not difficult and you have a wide choice.

Remus Lupin is a character in Harry Potter..

Regarding M&S, I'm not on board with their current look. Agree that quality has dropped too low, and the topshop-esque fashion photography is bringing seriously unwanted heroine-chic flashbacks

Yes I’d love them to do that too. On line their clothes look fantastic, there are lots of things I’d buy, but when I see them in store, they just look cheap and low quality

I ordered a pair of cotton wide leg jeans from them, was at a higher price point and when I got them they were like a dishrag, and really badly fitting, the waist too tight, the hips and arse massive. So back they went.

i also ordered a pair of flat tan suede sling backs, they are too wide, gape and the toe is so long by feet look like clown feet, i kept them , god knows why,

my husband and i also went into a massive one a few weeks ago, he was looking for something, i tried on two items of clothing which i was thinking just maybe, they were just really bad, fit, hang, material, and we both commented on how low the quality was across the board. And walked out empty handed.

If it’s a budget issue I’d rather buy a good quality item, second hand on vinted, than spend the same money on something that is poorly made, poorly fitting and cheap looking.

id really love it if they had a good quality stylish range, but they don’t.

In 2013 they did the Best of British line using British sourced fabrics and in 2010 the Portfolio line. Best of British was L K Bennett prices - not cheap.

I would like to shop in M&S but don't because I find that the clothes are very badly made and the fabric used is cheap. I don't even like their Autograph range now for the same reasons.

In the past I bought a lot of clothing there and never visited the store without finding something I liked and bought - the opposite is true for me now.

I agree. I only recently got rid of an Italian range top which I’d had for over 25 years!

They had another premium range for a short while, maybe 10-15 years ago, think it was ‘Best of British’? I remember the clothes being very good quality and British fabrics. Think it was seen as too expensive for most M&S customers though as it didn’t seem to last long. (TBF it was quite pricey). I bought a beautiful dress which was comparable in quality and style to Joseph dresses of the time. I EBayed it when it no longer fitted me - I have long since lost that extra weight and really wish I’d kept it!

I agree, they did have loads of cotton & linen but it was all of poor quality. Being a natural fabric doesn't equate with it being good quality.

To keep the price of the finished garment down M&S use fabric which is very low quality - the same is true for the contruction of the garment too.

I don't like online shopping - you can't assess quality and fit. There's no consistency in sizing either. And I don't like having to send stuff back.

Fuck me it is bitchy in this board, used to quite peaceful.

@Aiming4Optimistic Well you cannot assess quality and fit of something you never see in the shops. So it’s on line of go without. It’s certainly that for me. I find explanations of fabrics good. Cotton is cotton, merino wool is merino wool. You are not paying a fortune for either at M&S so you would not expect the highest quality. However I find some of their cotton shirts excellent and it is very time consuming to shop and not find what you want. So you won’t get to see or feel the best things in your world.

A brand or shop isn’t a person, it’s ok to comment negatively on a brand or shop if you find it poor, it’s not bitchy to do so. It would be a fairly pointless board if we all had to be kind to brands

Agree that they occasionally do brilliant cotton dresses in the summer. A pity that too many of them are backless or have huge cut outs though. I got an amazing black one two years ago that I’ve worn loads. It has a v back, but I also sometimes wear it back to front. Really wish they’d done it in other colours too.

Apart from their jeans and underwear I think most of their clothes are terrible. Odd designs and often you can try on the same item in the same size and they fit differently!
They don't appear to know their target market.
I looked at their sale trainers yesterday and they were really thin and flimsy, cheap looking.

I have also reached the age where I need natural fibres to stay comfortable. (Being older isn't snobbishness!) And I'm often disappointed to find the fabrics at M&S are largely plastic-based. However I did buy a really lovely heavyweight 100% cotton t.shirt recently which has washed really well. So there are gems to be found.

People have got used to paying sweatshop prices. This is the real issue. People don't want to pay for natural fibres because they cost more, so the demand for cheaper prices keeps the demand for cheaper fabrics going.
In 1994 I bought a dress from Top Shop, it was £35. Yet today dresses are still sold at that price (albeit polyester). Really an average dress should be around £100 according to inflation, but the world has got used to throwaway fashion and the brands respond. It's quite sad really. Fashion is costing the planet instead of our bank accounts.

Ah M&S. I agree with others that it’s fast fashion wrapped up as something more a lot of the time. As with any shop, items vary in quality because they are coming from different suppliers. There are also higher cost items which seem better, but this is no different to the Premium range in H&M (available online) and even Primark have got a more luxury range these days. The knitwear seems to have a lot of acrylic which just isn’t warm. But some people find wool too warm or too itchy.

M&S has a split personality. Big stores like the newly revamped Oxford St Pantheon, Bluewater, Meadowhall etc feel fresh and modern and well presented. Some of the retail park offerings not so much, then it just feels like a load of clothes shoved into an aircraft hangar where someone hasn’t put enough money on the leccy meter. I don’t think it’s ever going to be a cool shopping experience in store when you keep catching glimpses of the bananas and mandarins. I’d also be quite surprised if they were not alienating some of their older customers (70 plus) - they withdrew the classic collection range for a start, no more pearl twinsets.

I never find the fit or cut right for me, or if that’s right, the fabric. The jeans are too high waisted, the trenches massive, the basic tops can be frumpy. Sizing is all over the place. The colours often don’t work for me, they often lean very cool even when it’s brown.

I still always go in for a browse as it’s an institution. I think they do Christmas party wear quite well.

I’ve been on here years mainly lurking and I’m sure there used to be a long standing thread or maybe regular different threads mocking their clothes often with links . Does anyone remember ?
That doesn’t happen now because they have upped their game.
They have wide appeal my 80 year old mum shops there , as does my fashion conscious dd age 21 .
I do like lots of their things but try and buy second hand where possible and agree the knickers are now rubbish but bras and socks ok .
My local M&S has permanently closed its main entrance , you have to enter and leave via the carpark and can no longer walk through . This was to tackle shoplifting but it’s annoying .

@ClaudettedeBeauvoir I’m sorry but that’s not correct. Neatly all their t shirts are cotton. There’s wool knitwear. M&S had loads of cotton dresses for around £40. I’m afraid you are not a savvy shopper and you need to look in line. There’s been loads of natural fibres this summer. Wool is a premium fabric but M&S shoppers are not premium spenders. So they get what they will pay for! Go to Cos, Arket and Stories and pay the difference.

That's exactly why I never shop on the high street. Quality is always worth paying extra for.

M&S is not 'cool' as a brand for women's clothes. It never was & i can't imagine it ever will be.

I buy the odd thing in there (cotton strappy vests for under jumpers), Autograph range work trousers (though i went to replace recently & the sizes & lengths are all weird)

I bought a navy crew neck cashmere jumper there last year & it was ok. Not the best cashmere but it was fine for work

I buy a lot of European brands & the quality / cut / fit & style factor is WAY highter.

I buy quite a bit from me+em too.

I perfer to own less but have higher quality items

They do do a lot of cotton t shirts, their soft touch ones are polyester, but all cotton is not created equally and I think that’s where folks get confused, yes it’s cotton, but it’s cheap cotton.

I think the head of women's wear at M&S must be hoping that if they have an expensive campaign telling people it's 'cool' over and over and pay a huge number of influencers to parrot the message, it will somehow become so.

M&S as a brand name isn’t cool. Lots of the items ARE cool. I look cool in them. Maybe you don’t know how to style them or they’re not to your taste, but they definitely suit me and my vibe and I often get compliments. But then I also constantly get asked where my sunglasses are from and they’re Primark 😂

I don’t think something not fitting your specific measurements makes it bad quality tbh. Someone with a smaller waist and bigger arse would have obviously preferred those trousers.

Absolutely, especially if they liked dishrags.

It’s the same with food. They are getting instagrammers to share their food shops in the subtle manipulation of telling the audience thst their creamy double whipped fatty laden dip must be wholesome rather heart-clogging, processed gunk.