To think that the decline of M&S began with the introduction of Per Una range...

[Blowin]

I mean it all just went so downhill from then on....imo.

[HollyBerryBush]

No, they outsourced their manufacturing from the Midlands to the Far East and the quality and design went down hill rapidly

[Laquila]

I am always mystified by the Per Una range whenever I got into M&S but there are always people browsing and buying from there - it is bafflingly popular but each to their own, I suppose

[gordyslovesheep]

per una was fine when launched - but they haven't up dated one design since 2012 - it's awful

[HoHoHoNoYouDont]

They tried to appeal to the younger generation with Per Una but it went tits up because the older customers thought it would be hip and trendy to wear Per Una too. It scared the youth away who wants to be wearing the same outfit as their granny .

[orangeandlemons]

It was ok when it came out.....now it is just....well, words escape me. Mouldy?

[gobbin]

I like the Per Una Roma Slim jeans. They fit me in all dimensions. Am I ill?

[Sparklingbrook]

I don't understand M&S and find their store layouts baffling.

[HoHoHoNoYouDont]

Whenever I go in there the Per Una dept looks like a jumble sale. They really need to work on the display.

[CaffeDoppio]

I'm not sure it's got anything to do with specific 'ranges' - more that M & S forgot who their core customers were and hurled themselves headfirst into trying to attract the kind of buyers who wouldn't be seen dead in there at any price! Big mistake.

[MrsRajeshKoothrappali]

M&S scares me.

There's so much STUFF!

Thousands of slight variations of the same thing in a range of pale blue, pale yellow and pale lilac - all colours that make me look like death.

[MrsRambo]

Yes! Completely agree. Per Una and the appointment of Ms Ruffles to be in charge of Per Una was their down fall..... "That skirt is far too elegant and stylish. Add ruffles here and here. NOW". "Note to designer person. More ruffles needed for Autumn 2013. Regards, Ms Ruffles"

Arrrggggg.......

[orangeandlemons]

I seem to remember Per Una was meant to be something special. Wasn't the way they were displayed different in some way?

[Blowin]

I spent an hour in M&S today, a 43 year old woman with fairly conservative taste in clothes, and it was all either totally frumpish or just plain godawful (a la per una) I came away with nothing.

Per una stuff is just plain odd. Weird colour combinations, weird ribbons, bows and sequins where you dont expect them, just, really really awful.

Am thinking of learning how to make my own clothes. I think i could come up with better than M&S ranges.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Ms Ruffles is an issue but MrsRambo surely you would be adding camo to everything.

[Laquila]

They DO have a thing for ruffles...I myself have never looked at at item of clothing and thought it would be improved by ruffles, but then again I'm not 62.

Then again, my mum's 62 and she wouldn't wear anything from Per Una if you gave her a million pounds, and she is the world's staunchest supporter of M&S.

[orangeandlemons]

Wouldn't that be camo luxe?

[Laquila]

orangeandlemons I seem to remember the original idea was that it'd be grouped by sizes, ie. all 10s together in all styles, etc. Groundbreaking, no?!

[thenightsky]

I bought a pair of their black jeggings yesterday. I think its the only thing I've bought in the last 5 or 6 years, apart from underwear and food.

[cocobongo]

When they first launched, they displayed everything by size rather than by type. So all size 10 garments in one rail, size 12 on another. The idea being that you didn't have to hunt through everything to find your size. But they soon gave up on that, presumably because having a mix of different items on one rail makes it look like the sale rail.

But they definitely didn't look as weird and ruffly and "art teacher chic" as they do now!

[nancy75]

M&S do so many things wrong.

Their visual merchandising is a mess, they have all the skirts together apart from the one you want which is inexplicably over the other side of the shop in with the jumpers, there is so much stock, some of it almost exactly the same as something else.

Whoever designs their stuff does not know when to stop. Let's make a top, put buttons down the front, a tie round the waist, a frill on the bottom, some beading on the shoulder. Let's see if we have any scraps of material on the floor, stick that on too.

The quality gets worse every season.

Their little girls stuff is ok, but when your dd turns 8 she has to dress like a street walker or shop elsewhere

I could on & on

[HoHoHoNoYouDont]

M&S have some good strengths and should play to them. Per Una isn't one of them. They really need to consider binning it.

[MrsRambo]

MrsTerryPratchett

It would get the ex-Millets shoppers through their doors mind....

[orangeandlemons]

But doesn't it sell loads

[Sparklingbrook]

The thing with M&S is what age are they aiming at? I was looking at some tops the other day and so was a lady who was 80 at least.

nancy sums it up nicely. You need a map almost.

Anyone been to the needlessly massive one in Cheshire Oaks? Overwhelming is an understatement.

[orangeandlemons]

I was looking at some tops in there. Then I saw a picture of Twiggy wearing it, and left immediately. Twiggy is old enough to be my mother. I am not wearing the same clothes as her....im late 40s btw!