Our current fav Limited dress from M&S, tops stores only
This week The Women’s Room was given a preview of the new Portfolio range from Marks & Spencer, aimed at 40plus women and out in March 2009. Hurrah to M&S for acknowledging we exist and might be looking for something that caters for our specific requirements!
Charming Neil Hendy, M&S’s head of womenswear talked us through the range and explained that they had done their homework with this customer, and figured out (rightly) that we want great fabrics, great fit, attention to detail on the trims and clever styling. Neil says the collection, which will go into top stores, is still a work-in-progress and will evolve as an alternative to the fashion forward Limited Collection and the deadly dull Classic ranges.
Does the collection deliver? Well it’s a great start and there are some excellent pieces; a perfect boxy navy jacket in Chanel-ish fabric, a trim trench in softened cotton drill, a slinky black jersey dress with glossy brass buttons and a pair of white linen trousers that look a great fit.
Details, such as beautiful buttons, hook & eye fastenings and satiny linings are good, prints and colours are perhaps a touch dull, but it could be that we’re being a little ‘fashionista’ about them, this will after all be selling to Middle England. It also looks as if the design team mistook ‘older’ for ‘safe’ and held back from being braver with the design and our advice would be don’t be frightened about being bold.
But generally we give this the thumbs up, and give M&S high praise for making the first steps towards building a range we might spend our money on. We will watch progress with great interest. We’ll remind you when it launches in store and you can let us know what you think.
