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Your M&S for clothes, food and now a £59.99 wedding dress
Last updated at 23:52pm on 15.11.06
The white stuff: The white and ivory dresses start at a bargain
Here comes the bride...for £59.99. Marks & Spencer unveiled its new bridal collection in an ambitious bid to bring wedding chic to the masses.
The white and ivory dresses start at a bargain £59.99, with a top-of-the-range gown costing £150.
The garments, in a range of styles including strapless, lace-trimmed and satin-edged, are accompanied by a full complement of bridesmaid dresses, pageboy suits,and dapper morning suits for the groom.
"This is a natural extension for us," said M&S chief executive Stuart Rose.
"We dress hundreds of thousands of girls every day, so why not for their wedding day, too? This is a good, affordable offer for our customers."
Certainly, the quality is remarkable. The bridesmaid garments in particular — in blush, lemon and oyster satin or chiffon — look desirable.
But will a bride really want to pick up her wedding dress alongside the tomatoes and a chicken korma ready meal?
M&S previewed its spring 2007 collection with a catwalk show. Taking a lead from New York, London, Paris and Milan, the main stories were shift dresses and smock tops.
Highlights included a black-and-white check smock top with a square neck, and a terracotta cotton smock blouse with a beaded bib front. Eveningwear included a scarlet chiffon cocktail dress with a sash falling down its back, and a doublebreasted gold brocade coat.
Accessories were strong, if somewhat derivative. A salmon pink leather satchel with two front buckles (£59) paid homage to Mulberry, while a low wedge-heeled pump(£35) was reminiscent of Marc Jacobs. The new lines will be in the shops in January or February.
