When it comes to fashion, M&S is on the right wavelength

theguardian.com:

Fashion matters at Marks & Spencer. Clothes are an emotional purchase, and when M&S is successfully delivering clothes that its customers desire, it’s a strong sign that the retailer is on the right wavelength. Food may be a much larger part of the business these days but fashion is the bellwether.

The strong sales figures for the past year that M&S revealed on Wednesday have been driven not just by the below-the-radar basics of underwear and T-shirts but in the fashion-forward categories of denim and dresses.

The Sienna straight-leg jeans with stretch, which sell for £22.50, are a current bestseller and illustrate how the store is finding the confidence to deliver denim that speaks to contemporary style without pitching too far into faddish trends. The Sienna jeans sit just below the natural waist and are fitted through the hips, but release from just above the knee to the ankle, for a silhouette that looks more up-to-date than a skinny jean without being challenging to wear. Sizing is inclusive (6-24) and well thought through (jeans and trousers come in five lengths).

Some of the best day dresses on the high street right now are to be found on the M&S shopfloor. The floral Midaxi tea dress takes the simple high neckline, fitted bodice and sleeves cropped with a soft flounce at the elbow that is the signature silhouette of the Vampire’s Wife Falconetti dress, beloved of high-profile women from the Princess of Wales to the actor Rachel Weisz, and gives it an everywoman spin in a ditsy floral print. Meanwhile the linen-rich button-through midi dress, in earthy shades of terracotta or deep green, could tempt a few minimalist Cos shoppers to experiment with M&S. Both of these dresses are £39.50, which M&S has identified as a