In collaboration with House of Fraser. Mary Portas will open her shop, Mary. It will be situated on the first floor of its Oxford Street location. It has always been a dream of Portas after finding the High Street only provided for the very young and incredibly skinny. She wants to restore the equilibrium after discovering that once women reach 40 they become unnoticed, particularly in the fashion business.
She has been working on this plan for over a year trying to change the fashion industry that appear to be putting out collections that are getting more youthful. After being turned down by John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, to name a few, House of Fraser agreed to give her a chance.
Mary’s will cater for the woman who wants to be smart, inspired, clever as well as adventurous. The range of clothes and accessories will be a blend of fashionable designs, especially selected from some of her favourite labels aiming for the more grown up woman.
The shop undertakes to offer a level of service usually found in a luxury store and with this in mind, shop assistants were hired who knew what they were talking about. Portas identifies this is the section she really has to get right. She appealed for applicants via Twitter and interviews took the form of auditions. 350 applicants turned up bringing items they considered summed themselves up.
The shop assistants taken on were the ones who thought outside the box and with great personalities, people who Mary believed would connect with people. These shop assistants were given thorough training, learning the collections inside and out and are now able to provide informed and honest advice. A complaints line is available to all who feel they have not been served to their satisfaction.
According to Mary five rules need to be followed to have a wardrobe that works, especially for the women over 40. The most important one is to avoid dressing like a teenager followed closely by working with your proportions. Another is to be in charge of your trends and keeping your clothes low maintenance and finishing with not to buy rubbish. All these rules are apparent in her new collection, knowing, after wearing great items, what feels beautiful.
The shop range includes a collection designed by Portas herself with the help of Antonio Berardi, who is based in Milan. He was consulted on the collection and Mary believes he took it to another level. His years of experience showed when he made a small alteration on the shift dress designed by Portas. This shift, with a flattering neckline, comes in a variety of colours and prints. Her signature silky shirts are also part of the collection.
The shop includes bags, designed by Radley. Underwear by Playtex and a range of shoes designed in collaboration with Clarks. Jewellery is on display and in the future more fun bits and pieces will be added which will include coffee, wine, second hand books and Mary’s favourite olive oil.
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