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IN the fickle world of fast fashion that seems to have taken over our high street, with its hurried, plastic-heavy product refreshes moving from rail to landfill after just a handful of wears, one brand once rose above it all.
We’ve always loved M&S not because it’s trend-led and obsessed with newness, but for consistent quality, natural fibres and reasonable prices; it’s felt like the last bulwark against the disintegration of the British high street, standing up against the relentless encroachement of brands like Shein.
So I was nervous when Marks announced a shift to more frequent collections – twice monthly, no less, the first of which launches today – called The Love That Drop.
Director of M&S Woman Maddy Evans says: ‘What our customers tell us is that they want more frequent bursts of style they can wear immediately, and The Love That Drop is our response to that.’
Is this the Boohoo-ification of M&S?
Honestly? No. Walking through the rails of the new collection with Evans was reassuring. She explained that they are ‘cutting options overall and focusing on the items that matter’, adding that ‘selling out of products is absolutely fine’.
Gillian Anderson is the face of the new campaign.
‘Love that,’ she remarks in her inscrutable way, surveying everyday women in their chic M&S outfits. ‘Me too,’ I found myself thinking. I did love it – starting with the Bottega Veneta–esque woven leather blazer, above, styled here with a mini skirt – but I’ll be wearing it with black trousers or jeans.
Trench, £55, trousers, £40 and shoes, £46, marksandspencer. com
This is the strongest collection I’ve seen from M&S in a long time. It offers genuinely multi-generational appeal, with pieces that work from your early 20s through to your 60s and beyond. As a woman over 40, I’m no longer trying to keep up with every trend, but I do enjoy adding something fresh to my wardrobe. M&S excels at fashion-forward pieces that don’t veer into mutton-dressed-as-lamb territory.
Maddy told me shoppers see M&S as ‘a trusted editor, not a trend-chaser’. The brand is leaning into that role, with these fortnightly curated drops typically featuring six or seven outfits designed as complete solutions.
With 12 million womenswear customers, it’s no small feat to keep everyone happy, but they’re managing it. M&S now holds the number one market share in womenswear overall (it’s number one in retail and number two online). It may be more trend-led, with frequent drops, but it avoids tipping into the kind of disposable fashion seen elsewhere.
Price remains a key strength, with most pieces under £30. As Maddy puts it: ‘Value is also about versatility, how many ways you can wear something.’ Spring jackets, like the standout black-and-white funnel-neck styled here with tie-bottom balloon jeans, prove the point: stylish and practical, but also waterproof – dramatically increasing their cost-per-wear.
There’s a noticeable confidence in the collection. From classic tailoring to more directional pieces – knitted polos with structured shoulders, textured skirts – it all feels stylish without losing wearability.
Accessories alone are worth the visit. Footwear, in particular, has been modernised – the low-heeled slingbacks stand out – and there’s a clear focus on versatile, functional design.
So yes, the mini-drop strategy delivers. It allows customers to fully embrace trends or simply pick out key pieces to add something new to their wardrobe. M&S has taken a bold approach, and it looks like it’s going to pay off.
