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?

is this alright?

I want something that is smart and casual at the same time for an event wehre i want to look nice but I don't want to look like I've made too much effort. dress code confusing. i'm 37, five foot 2. s10, I'd get it in navy.

wdyt?

Ladies I have just joined mumsnet and I was in hysterics reading your messages -great comments! I have ranted on daily mail site about this- - this is amish mash mess of a range and they do not understand that age is not relevant - its about attitude- you could find a 29 year old happy to dress like this- more likley you could find a 49 year old that would rather walk naked than wear it. they just do not get it - remember they haev to try and get every woman in the country walking through their doors so that means they are tryign to appeal to everyone and in the proccess basiclly putting us all off. .per una makes me feel ill with the bad design- all that twiddly contrived decoration is so dated now ..Limited is not bad though as the target customer is clearer and i like their aberdeen angus beefburgers -but not to wear!

Absolutely PMSL at Sheherazade!

Thank you ladies for sharing your views ... they must have done their market research in the wrong places, they should have had a competition to ask 45+ women to design an outfit, I wish some companies would do that. In the past have only seen such things for young designers straight out of college or school age children! I agree with higgle, it's safe marketing to call it 45+!

i wish to report that i have seen this range in store and its truly terrible. IMO it doesnt look any better than their classics range

our local store also has a HUGE per una section which is always full of pensioners.

seriously, who on earth wears this stuff?I am 46, size 14, live in the country and am not exactly fashionable, and i woudlndt be seen dead in most of their clothes. i must buy about three or four things a year in marks, usually autograph or basics like tights

I know someone must shop there though as they are still in business....right???

" omg"

in the interests of accuracy i have just checked my wardrobe for M&S clothing and i have a total of one pair of jeans (new), one pair of linen trousers ( 3 years old) and two autograph cargigans (last year's).

so who is shopping there? is it just our grannies?

not as nice as this skirt which is recommended by milda frumpy mama ( no seriously)

OMG.

My mum will love the skirts- but she is 81.

I would not be seen dead in them even though I am over their target age of 45!

Have they really lost the plot? Most of my friends who are over 45 shop at White Stuff, Monsoon, Jigsaw, Kew, Fat Face etc etc.

I remember when Per Una was first launched, and I'm pretty sure it had a different target market initially. Now it seems to attract the grandmothers (my MIL is a big fan) whereas I'm pretty sure originally it was meant to be the "designer" M&S range.

It's not so much their style as I find their colours either
pale and insipid, garish
or wtf?

quite like that orange one actually

oh please read the one review

PMSL

RICHARDS! gosh i remember unhappily perusing the rails of Richards in the late 70s. Whatever became of them?
My 82 yr old mum gave me a £30 voucher for M & S at christmas. i have scoured the shop twice now and can find not a thing. Resigning myself to spending it on food.

Per Una is supposedly aimed at the 25-ish age grou- but like you, all my mum's friends in their 70s+ buy their clothes!

Despite M&S saying they will do "timeless" in plain, quality fabrics, they never do!

Apart from knickers, I haven't bought anything M&S for years and years.

M&S is going wrong with all it's ranges imho. Lots of going from place to place in the shop - bring back the days of this is the skirt section, this is the cardi section...

themoon66 - was the review helpful to you though? lol at the shpes to go with the skirt!

Per Una only looks good on my sister who is 5'10" size 10 and she doesn't shop there. She's 38 wow! I've just read that back I'm in shock as she is my baby sister! She shops in Monsoon and Independent shops mainly. She is also a very canny shopper

can someone please identify the animal for me please.

This stuff is woeful

It's a fish from 64 Zoo Lane

check out some of the other prints.what were they thinking?

Do you think we should email them a link to this thread?

Richards shut down in 1997. I used to do wearer trials for their petite range and if their normal range was bad the petite range was even more frumpy, but I was only about 26 then. I did quite like the odd thing. They were part of Sears. SOme of my colleagues used to call it 'Richard's shops' which was met with howls of laughter from sears group younger employees. Nobody wanted to work for Richards. I thnk Wallis has moved into that niche. I think it's the same crowd.

lol chippyminton, think 'the animal' in question would be a poof, purchased circa 1962.

I am in this target market and think it might be something my mother would wear, it reminds me of the endless maiden aunts I had to visit as a child.

I was also in a BHS the other day (walking through of course) and I thought how dreary and dull the clothes, display and entire store looked.

And was in a smallish branch of M&S last week and though oh god 'dullsville'

I actually bought a couple of things from Per Una (jeans and a couple of tops) but hate the fussy flowery things and long skirts.