Well, It's not frumpy (Per Una)

Member Name: wantaratgirl

Product:	Per Una
Date:	14/12/08 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good colours

Disadvantages: A bit repetitive

I always remember my Nana shopping at Marks and Spencer and my Middle Aged mother doing the same. I always thought Marks and Spencer was un-cool clothing to be wearing. However, not long ago (around 2001) they decided to try and get more shoppers interested in their clothing and had a stab at the younger and trendier mum's market. The brand they came up with was Per Una, a more glamorous and younger clothing range for women.

PER UNA

It is designed by George Davies who is the founder of next and the George rang at Asda. He was paid £125 million by Marks and Spencer and it is his biggest pay day since. However it was well worth it as Per Una was regularly taking £250 million a year, which accounted for 10% of Marks and Spencer's total womanswear's sales, in 2004. It has now grown tremendously and is very popular with Marks and Spencer's previous customers as well as those who were newly attracted to the brand with its' trendier approach to clothing.

WHY I THINK PER UNA WORKED

Why Per Una worked, I think, was due to Marks and Spencer's unblemished reputation for good quality and decent priced clothing. Once those doors were opened for the younger/trendier market, the customers came flooding in. It was not very trendy nor the cheapest on the market, however it was glamorous and a bit younger and the styles were more flattering and some of them a bit more risqué. The colours were bolder and the patterns brighter. Some of the skirts were shorter and the tops a bit lower. It was certainly not New Look or Topshop; however it was better than the classic slightly frumpy, boring Marks and Spencer's ranges. I also think that it attracted people because it was a bit of glamour, elegance and it had some foreign, exotic qualities about it.

MY OPINION ON PER UNA

I think Per Una is quite a good shop. The quality of the products is very high and the winter materials are thick and warm; although I would expect this of Marks and Spencer's anyway. The materials are soft and lasting. The fine fabrics are fantastic and in everything you buy you certainly get your money's worth. The styles are certainly not for young people although if you are 40 or 50 or 60 and looking for something with a bit of grown up glamour shop here. I mean who wants to see a 50 year old walking around in a mini skirt! Some of the clothes from the recent winter collections '06 and '07 have been a bit dull and boring and nothing new. However, this year was a little bit different. The colours have been bright and bold and the fabrics exotic and wild. It's been a bit more like Per Una and I'm glad as I particularly like their warm snugly cardigans. The range follows the styles and trends of the cat walks, however, twisting them and turning them into more relaxed and more comfy clothes.

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE ITEMS

In the range from Per Una my favourite item has to be the long suffering yet always returning woolly cardigan. It comes in many colours with many different lengths. It is also decorated with many different buttons some matching and some not, some different shapes, sizes and colours. I personally prefer the ¾ length one in red or crimson and with different sized buttons. The wool is fluffy and the different miss-matched buttons give it a sort of lost look and it is very cosy. It is the perfect item to throw over a t-shirt in the cold winter days.
The second best item is the long dress, which comes back every season, winter or summer. The material and colours changes each time and this season it is in silky silver. This looks lovely and ever so grown up. It is best for parties at any time of the year. The summer ones are made of a light floaty cotton and come with more informal patterns this makes them good for barbeques - maybe even teamed with a cardigan when it get chilly.

THE PRICES

The prices in Per Una are a little bit more expensive than the Marks and Spencer's basics however, they are worth it to buy something nice to go with your basics as most things are between £20.00 - £120.00 the cardigans are around £40.00 and the dresses around £80.00-£120.00; and the tops generally waver about £20.00-£35.00. The trousers are nearly always between £30.00-£60.00 price brackets. As you can see it is not the cheapest shop however it is worth it. The quality is superb and the clothes are long lasting and can be worn again and again.

THE GOOD
* Good Quality
* Nice Colours
* Flattering designs
* Brilliant looks
* Good Staff service
* Superb for Marks and Spencer.

THE BAD
* Prices aren't cheap
* Can be same style after same style
* Can be a bit boring

Summary: Good quality clothing