What do you think of M and S's new range Portfolio? for 45+

[samsonara]

here,
"
The Portfolio range will comprise "essentials" for M&S's core womenswear shopper and will be the first new brand the retailer has launched in four and a half years.

An M&S spokeswoman said Portfolio will be designed to target middle-aged, fashion-conscious females such as Cherie Lunghi, the actress and Strictly Come Dancing contestant. Bostock said it will be positioned between Per Una and Classics."

Erm, sorry I can't see Cherie Lungi in that stuff can you? Dissapointed really, 40 is the new 30 isn't it? So why all those old fashioned skirts? The dresses are ok, so simple styled stuff is fine but on the whole it's just per una and classics under the same name?

If I'm expected to start liking this stuff in August (when I hit 45), shoot me now. I saw some of it on This Morning and it made me think of my nana. NOT me. There are 43 years between me and her, and now we're supposed to like the same clothes?

M&S Limited edition is ok. I've had some cracking classy gear from that.

Dull and frumpy.

I'm one year away from the the M&S fashion equivalent of Logan's Run and crimpelene oblivion.

So...Portfolio then. Yet another M&S sub dept I'm supposed to understand.

Does anyone else go into M&S and have no clue what all the little sub depts mean?

Just put all the bags together, then the shoes, dresses etc and I'll work out what I like fgs.

All I can seem to know for certain in that PerUna=sewed on raggedy old lady flowers. But Autograph, Limited Collection blah blah...what are they getting at??

If they want to sub divide up their shops then don't be coy. A big banner saying 'OLD', 'YOUNG', 'EVENING' and 'MAD' and I'd get it.

lol at the Anglican sense of style.
yes, it's all a little vestry

I think we may be mising the point - no one of 45 would wear this horrible stuff ( with one or two exceptions, I like the green linen dress) but if you are 80+ like my mother the whole idea is much more interesting and I suspect the very much older but more trendy lady is their real target - M&S can't really market anything specifically for them as society is so ageist and no one in their right mind would buy a range openly marketed at the over 65s - so we end up with Top Shop really being for anyone up to 50ish, most major brands being fine up to the age that everything goes seriously south and then the poor really elderly who are struggling to get their buttons done up and need roomy waists because they have not got much shape left can be perfectly happy in the 45ish ranges like this - don't get upset, it is not really targeted at us!

YOu could well be right higgle - good point. Phew.

The co-ordinating necklace made me laugh, yes, why do per una do that!!? Their clothes are gypsy enough. LESS is more guys!

Lol at Vesty1 Yes, all very miss moneypenney, but I do like the navy shirt dress on marie helvin. but she is sexy and the rest of the range is asexual.

Remember mary queen of shops, she called it forever 40. SO, not actually forty, maybe 58 in fact, but still well-groomed and can get away with jeans and boots.

Agree it's mostly minging, but thanks to this I've discovered that M & S do sizes up to fat as me!
I can own classic basics!

Well I'm 45 and wouldn't wear most of that stuff.

Atm I'm wearing slouch jeans, a sherpa fleece and trainer/walking type shoes (only my underwear is from M&S)

like this in navy

I'd take and inch off the knee though. sex it up a bit.

I can't see my mother even wearing this (late 60s). Even she is more likely to wear jeans than stuff that looks like what grannies wore when i was a kid!

Shit, I like one of the skirts - the long crepe navy one

LOL at the accessories.... one handbag and five scarves and that's it.

We obv need the scarves to cover up our crepey necks. No necklaces for us ever again, oh no!

I'm 45 on Saturday. That's my present list sorted then.

I'm bloody 47 and i wouldn't let my mum buy some of those pieces.

I shall stick to my usual thanks. The only stuff I have bought from Marks in recent years is Autograph. Per Una is vile.

Exactly who do they think they are dressing?

Church warden clothes spot on! All I want from M&S now is staples but they don't even have them! I want well made T-shirts, just in case they read this WELL MADE T-SHIRTS pretty vests & long johns for the cold (I needed them in my 20's too I work outdoors)Good socks for women who need heavy sock (above reason!) really good white & pastel shirts, plain easy to wash tailored cardigans and jumpers, plain dresses for summer house work, not to be seen out side my house!
Nothing with designs or decorations as they always get that soooo wrong.
I wish they did 1950's clothes that at least had some really style.

Oh yes... well made t-shirts! What chance of that happening though?

All the t-shirts I've had from them have barely reached the bottom of my ribs. Why do they chop them off so short? Why? All they need is an extra 4 or 5 inches of fabric to make them 100% better.

themoon66 I have one Fairtrade t-shirt from M& S last year in light blue very good. Never saw them again. It's not only the length but the very thin, badly made, hard to iron material which I could have got in Primark!

haven't they always had this type of clothing. i think they have the brand name all wrong. it should be 'downhill', or 'you may never be sexy again but you can be tidy'

i bet the it is really aimed at the less flamboyant transvestite, does Richards still exist they used to have the frumpy tranny market sewn up?

Starbear... the last one I had from them was a FairTrade one.. a lovely bright acid yellow. But I only wore it once because of its ridiculously short length.

I will be 45 in May and as I am a size 22-24 I tend to just get a choice of what fits but cannot see myself buying any of that little lot! And I do trawl through M&S as they say a lot of their stuff now goes up to a 24.

Oiiii. ggirl. shut it!

The advert for this new range was dropped into my e-mail box yesterday - I thought it was aimed at women in their 60s at the VERY youngest.

I am quite worried about M+S right now.

When we were last in the UK dh and I went into M+S to buy my MIL, who is in her 60s, an outfit from her beloved M+S... BUT everything looked so so stale and oldie worldy. No pazzaz! The shop seemd rather sad. We gave up and ended up going to Next which had lots of fun but simple things like she wears! We bought a couple of simple but flattering t-shirts, beautifully cut cords and a big chunky sexy cozy long cardi! She loved it!

What happened to the new fresh M+S we all fell head over heels in love with...? We want it back!!! - A good healthy M+S is good for the economy... an unhealthy one is not worth thinking about.