ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: I love John Lewis, but how I wish it would sell more clothes to make my heart sing. The former Vogue editor gives her verdict on the troubled store’s spring/summer collection

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  • Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman’s verdict on the troubled store’s spring/summer collection 

The other day a friend came to visit, bundled up in a delicious faux fur coat from John Lewis. It was in a luscious deep black; lightweight but warm; enveloping but not bulky; and cost £129 when she bought it in October.

I immediately looked to see if it was still available but, unsurprisingly, it wasn’t. That coat showed what John Lewis’s own-brand fashion can do when it punches high. Excellent cut, neither too trendy nor remotely unfashionable — a stylish, timeless piece. You could wear it for years.

Sadly, although I love John Lewis as a department store, its upcoming spring/summer fashion collection, unveiled yesterday, contains nothing to match it.

At the preview at Peter Jones in Chelsea, I pored over the rails, aching for a piece that I was really tempted to buy. And though I found a number of perfectly nice items, none made me feel ‘I want that, now’.

Sadly, although I love John Lewis as a department store, its upcoming spring/summer fashion collection, unveiled yesterday, contains nothing to match my friend's delicious faux fur coat

Sadly, although I love John Lewis as a department store, its upcoming spring/summer fashion collection, unveiled yesterday, contains nothing to match my friend’s delicious faux fur coat

How many more man-style shirts does a girl need?

How many more man-style shirts does a girl need?

John Lewis has been through a difficult time recently, undergoing a number of management shakeups, most notably Dame Sharon White’s announcement that she has decided to leave next year, making her the shortest-serving chair in the history of the John Lewis Partnership. For the first time a chief executive, Nish Kankiwala — formerly of Hovis and Burger King — was also appointed in 2023.

The recent announcement that Peter Ruis is returning to the store as executive director, after a decade working elsewhere — including stints at Jigsaw and Anthropologie — is probably good news.

Although he adds yet another name to the battalions of executives at the store, Ruis has an excellent track record and may well give a nudge to John Lewis’s fashion offering, which is currently lagging behind M&S in desirability and style.

John Lewis’s own brands — John Lewis, Anyday, And/Or (who came up with that name?) and Kin — are terrific value, but they seem to act as a kind of padding rather than the main event.

How many more blue-and-white striped, man-style shirts does a girl need? Haven’t we all got a khaki parka or boho smocked top? I would hazard a guess that anyone who wants a denim jumpsuit has bought theirs by now. Do they really want another, even if the pocket detail has been updated?

Blue Stripe Shirt £32, Cropped Beige Trench Coat £65, Black Trousers £36, Burnt Olive Leather Buckle Bag £115

Blue Stripe Shirt £32, Cropped Beige Trench Coat £65, Black Trousers £36, Burnt Olive Leather Buckle Bag £115

Mid Wash Denim Jumpsuit £50, Mid Wash Denim Overshirt £40

Mid Wash Denim Jumpsuit £50, Mid Wash Denim Overshirt £40

The design director, the stylish Queralt Ferrer, who founded womenswear at Spanish brand Massimo Dutti, was at pains to emphasise that her 45-strong team did not follow trends for this collection, but adapted them to suit the John Lewis customer.

The aim, she says, is to provide clothes that will be wardrobe staples for years, and the emphasis on great fabrics bears testament to that.

And the team has clearly learned something from last year’s John Lewis & Partners fashion relaunch, which also focused on the basics, but in a difficult-to-wear array of bright colours, including cyclamen, lime green, cobalt and daffodil. The clothes clogged up the shop floor for months.

This time, Ferrer has focused her team on a far more forgiving palette — a dusty blue trench, oyster chiffon skirt and very wearable black pieces, including a beautiful, pleated evening kilt at a brilliant £55.

But she also seems to have put a lot of faith in a range of Icon pieces — ‘key pieces to build a capsule wardrobe on’ — which are frankly a retread of favourites. Oh, pity the poor word ‘icon’ — how did such an impressive concept come to this?

In this difficult economic climate, it must be tempting to play it safe and concentrate on a core wardrobe that throws no curveballs. So should I blame John Lewis for wanting to focus on what it knows its customers will buy?

Possibly not, but because I love the store, I hate to think of it languishing in the style doldrums, particularly now we are seeing a return to in-store shopping — a shift which should play into its hands.

The intention — to provide sustainable fashion at a reasonable price for a customer that isn’t in thrall to fickle trends — is fine, yet the promotional video launching the new season was confusing, owing more than a nod to the hit TV series The White Lotus.

Natural Linen Dress £79, Luxe Leather Black Tote £115, Lisbon Black Sandals £59

Natural Linen Dress £79, Luxe Leather Black Tote £115, Lisbon Black Sandals £59

Briar Oversized Striped Shirt £59, Denim Dress £89, Leap Black Metallic Textile Sandals £89

Briar Oversized Striped Shirt £59, Denim Dress £89, Leap Black Metallic Textile Sandals £89

Mustard Pleat Dress £75, Lisbon Black Sandals £59

Mustard Pleat Dress £75, Lisbon Black Sandals £59

Set in a fabulous, ornate villa with beautiful young people lolling around attractively in skimpy high-summer clothes, its camp luxury was strangely out of kilter with the humdrum reality of the collection.

Ultimately, I just longed for something on the rails with a bit of pizazz. I wanted pieces which I don’t already own, rather than staples such as trench coats or clothes I tend to avoid, like those striped shirts.

Among the fashion brands that John Lewis stocks alongside its own, from Ralph Lauren and Whistles to Theory and Rag & Bone, the one that commercial director Kathleen Mitchell singled out for attention at the preview was Sister Jane.

Sister who? Exactly. But this whimsical British brand, with its chiffon tiers, exaggerated bows and pastel eveningwear vibe has been experiencing double-digit growth. And when I checked it out I could see why. It provides a bit of fun with clothes that do something the John Lewis collection doesn’t: they make your heart sing.