I was waiting backstage during a fashion shoot recently when I noticed a chic stylist casually unloading some black opaque tights from an M&S bag. Not one of those paper bags you’re given at the checkout. An actual M&S canvas bag.
The type your mum uses to send you off to school with packed lunches. I blinked at her twice. Holy shit.
This woman styles celebrities. REAL celebrities.
The ones you see photographed outside Pret on TMZ.
She looked down and spotted me gaping at her like a dumbass and rolled her eyes. “Trust me,” she said, “Their 60 deniers are way better than anything else you’ll find at double the price.” She leaned in conspiratorially, “Oh, and their vests,” she hissed “are absoluteHidden gems.” Forget MI6. This was MIStyle. If you work in fashion, M&S is our dirty little secret.
Most of us knew it was good… But let me be clear. These are their basics. The vests, the trousers, the damn tights that everyone swears against.
They’re the best things the high street actually has to offer. Trust me, I’ve spent years rummaging through pounds159 rails in search of affordable clothes that don’t look cheap. Until recently, I belonged to the elite club of people who believed everything in Vogue could only be found at Net-A-Porter.
That shiny car towed up the shoreline when you first sail into Development Job Bay. I spent years overly budgeting on things that whispered “designer” just so I could feel like I was part of that world. But as my bank account learnt during those desperate weeks before payday, M&S is where it’s at.
Honestly though, HOW had it taken me this long. After shooting daily with M&S styling assistants for the past few months, I’ve got YOU covered. Here are the M&S holy grails that EVERYONE in the business is secretly buying: VESTS/TANKTOPS Look.
No one likes y***lines. Particularly under clingy dresses and skintight clothes that are already shouting AT you in photos. I’ve tried pretty much every “no show” brand on the market, but my assistant always snaggs M&S’s No VPL range when we’re shooting with models.
Made from super-soft microfibre, their full briefs eliminate lines without being too bulky. Perfect for wearing under light colours and they come in heaps of nude shades that seamlessly blend with most skin tones. It’s not glamorous, but on set, five out of the six of us wore the exact same pair of M&S nude seamless knickers at the weekend.
LEGGINGS/TIGHTS Another great basic that EVERY stylist has in their arsenal are M&S tights. Nothing ruins a shoot like crappy leggings. I’ve seen £30 ribbed ones ladder just from being pulled over pettyheads.lf.assistants crying because £200 Italian miracle tights rip because a model had to squat down during a shoot.
BUY THE M&S 60 DENIER BODYSCULPT TIGHTS. They are the tits. On set I even watched a model cartwheeling down the runway IN THESE TIGHTS.
Don’t @ me. The 100 denier are even better. Ever notice how some tights look yellow under photoshoot lighting?
Not these. The extra density gives them a slight brushed finish that photographs like luxurious velvet. And for chic guys?
Stock up on their plain white and grey t-shirts. Especially the Pure Cotton crew necks my boy Theo told me about. They have the perfect amount of give, unlike some cheap ones that seem to disintegrate after one wash.
And they DON’T ride up your hips while you’re running around after girls like me. Best bit? They’re machine washable.
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During shoots my makeup-free assistant is tasked with scrubbing a lot of garment bags so having a roll of white T-shirts that won’t lose colour when washed on hot is pretty goddamn clutch. SOCKS Yeah I went there. But please allow me to explain.
Know how you sometimes get shots where you NEED to see ankles? And models turn up with idiot cartoon socks. Or white socks that look grey in photographs?
Buy M&S black cotton socks. They look black in photos. Unlike a lot of cheaper ones that aren’t actually made of cotton.
THERMALS Listen. Thermal tops are WONDERFUL. When shooting winter coats you NEED them.
They layer under pretty much anything, yet are thin enough to hide under clothes. The long sleeve thermal tops are godsent. Especially for outside shoots!
In February I shot a coat story it was -2 degrees on set but my model was wearing layers of M&S Heatgen thermal top on top. Down to her ankles. You’d never know unless I told you!
KNITWEAR It ain’t rock’n’roll baby…but someone’s gotta do it. M&S cashmere jumper game is strong. Layered under a massive coat once I used them as a base layer for so many chic outfits.
Their crew neck sits TERRIFICALLY on models (not too high, not too low) and comes in these MASSIVE saturated colours that actually look like camera eats colour rainbow. Photographers love them. Especially the navy.
It’s the darkest shade of navy you’ll find without being black. Buy them. Over winter I styled what was essentially a glorified “things I’d buy if I was an investment banker” editorial.
Complete with dreamy lakeside mountains shot for Ford pick-up truck. In one photo our model was wearing a £2500 Burberry Trench with an M&S cashmere jumper from the sale rail. Guess which one nobody could tell was from M&S?
UNIFORM WEAR/LINEN Lastly their linen shirts are LEGIT.
Ok maybe that was rock’n’roll. but their relaxed fit linens, particularly in white and navy are SUCH a go to for me. They have the right amount of rumple so they look like you’ve obviously worn them five times already but not so much that you look like a bum who can’t be arsed using an iron.
Male models LOVE them too because they’re light cotton so they don’t sweat as much underneath (side note: guys have TIGHTER armpit seams than females which means they sweat twice as much. Feel free to judge me now.) wash beautifully and always hang a TAD bit better than your average supermarket shirt. But what M&S does best?
Fantastic basic garments that aren’t trendy- they just work. Their crew neck sweatshirts don’t cling weirdly and skim over your body just so. Their plain white shirt isn’t translucent and sits TIDELY on the shoulders.
So please. Next time you see an ad featuring Emily Ratajkowski wearing an oversize wool coat-don’t hate on her £12 M&S knit nestled underneath. It’s there.
And trust me, Stella McCartney is buying them too.
