the bbc's newsnight host, jeremy paxman, is mad at marks and spencer. he believes that the quality of their socks and underwear has fallen. being paxman, he contacted the ceo of the company to discuss the matter, and they will have a meeting in the near future. meanwhile, there is apparently so little of note in the world to be reported today that the daily mail decided to share mr. paxman's woes with us all. and i read the article. well, it spoke to me, it really did. in particular, it was this quote:
""Like very large numbers of men in this country I have always bought my socks and pants at Marks & Sparks," Paxman said."
until i dated lld, it was the same for me. m&s pants and bras my entire life. i remember when i was on kibbutz for 6 months and members of the congregation brought me a care package from my mother, it included a couple of pairs of lovely new knickers.
what is it about marks & sparks and underwear? i don't really know. i suppose it is some kind of middle-class english thing :-) nu - if you have had your fill of primaries and kenya and gaza and cetera, the article is here.
btw the mail also reports that m&s is planning a revolution in the world of men's pants:
"... the elimination of the visible pants line. The new pants will have a seamless design and are being made from material developed for women's lingerie." huzzah!
In answer to all the fuss caused by Jeremy Paxman's comments to M&S's Stuart Rose concerning his gusset anxiety around the lack of support and quality of their underwear and the job that they do for him, I would like to make the point that you generally get what you pay for in this world. This has always been the case and remains one of lifes golden rules. If you pay peanuts then... etc.
ReplyDeleteI, as joint owner of Sunspel, would challenge anyone to trial a pair of our underwear and not agree that they have recieved the most comfortable underwear you can get. We have been making underwear in Long Eaton, Derbyshire for the last 150 years and therefore know a thing or two about it. We have made it for all sorts including Johnny Depp, Liam Gallagher, Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Craig as James Bond, Levis 501's Nick Kamen, even Cyril Smith and Prince Charles.
It is not a simple thing to get right, however years of experience gives our designers a unique, almost boffin-like insight into the essentials of fit and fabric quality. Sunspel's unique fabrics have been created for softness, lightness and strength - all 100% long staple Egyptian cotton.
To back up this claim if you follow the link http://www.sunspel.com and use the voucher code paxo-challenge, we will offer you a 50% discount on any of the underwear or t-shirts we sell, including all those made for Casino Royale - try it out and see for yourself what Paxo is missing.